| Helen Wilkie says if you want to showcase your | | | | largely because he regularly put people to sleep |
| professional competence, you must have great | | | | making his presentations! The powers that be |
| presentation skills. According to Wilkie, if you | | | | never really understood how brilliant he was, |
| present well, people think you do everything well! | | | | because their eyes glazed over before he was |
| If there's one skillset that can help you position | | | | halfway through his story. What a shame - what |
| yourself for career success, it's presentation skills. | | | | a waste. |
| That's because in today's highly competitive | | | | Now here's the big question. Where do your |
| workplace, it's not enough just to be competent - | | | | presentation skills fall on the scale of excellent to |
| you need to be seen to be competent. And the | | | | poor? Do you speak up with confidence at |
| best way to do that is to present as often as | | | | meetings? When you're asked for your opinion, |
| you reasonably can to as many appropriate | | | | can you give it without mumbling and stumbling |
| audiences as possible. To do this successfully, of | | | | your way through it? Do people pay attention |
| course, your presentation skills must be at least | | | | when you speak? |
| better than average. | | | | In my presentation skills workshops, I always tell |
| Have you ever noticed that when some people | | | | people this big secret: if you present well, people |
| speak up at a meeting, or in another group | | | | think you do everything well! If that's true (and |
| conversation setting, everyone listens - while | | | | my experience tells me it is), then think what |
| others make almost no impact? Think of | | | | improving your presentation skills can do for your |
| someone in your organization who always | | | | career! |
| commands attention, whose views are always | | | | If you've come up with an idea for process |
| respected. Now isn't it true that that person | | | | improvement, for example, try to arrange to be |
| possesses good presentation skills? | | | | the person who presents it to the appropriate |
| Now think of someone whose ideas tend to be | | | | individuals. Make sure you prepare your message |
| ignored, who almost seems not to have spoken | | | | well, practice your presentation until you could do |
| at all. I'm willing to bet that person's presentation | | | | it if you were suddenly awakened at 3 a.m. |
| skills are at the opposite end of the competency | | | | Present your ideas competently and confidently. |
| level - am I right? | | | | The interesting thing is that they won't just notice |
| I once knew an engineer with a brilliant mind. He | | | | you did a great presentation, they'll see how |
| had been with his company for many years, and | | | | valuable an employee you are to have come up |
| had played an important part in designing | | | | with such a brilliant idea! |
| innovative new products. But he never | | | | If you want to improve your job performance |
| progressed into the senior management ranks to | | | | and your career prospects at the same time, |
| which he aspired, and I'm convinced that was | | | | work on your presentation skills. |