Presentation Training:
Why Bother Improving Your Presentation Skills?

Working on your presentation skills can affect more than just your ability to speak to groups of people.

Improving your presentation skills can raise your self-worth and confidence. In Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, realizing your self-worth ranks the highest. When you’ve given a good speech, your personal satisfaction increases your sense of self-worth. You become more confident using presentation skills, especially when the audience responds positively.

There was once a student who dropped a course five times because he had no presentation skills and hated speaking in front of the class. But after a self-study on building up confidence, he decided to give public speaking a try and was successful. In fact, after improving his presentation skills, he came to enjoy the experience and even volunteered to give more speeches.

I’ve had the same experience. When I first joined Toastmasters I dreaded the “Table Topics” section of the meeting where people were randomly chosen to stand up and talk for a minute or two on a topic given to them right then and there. After a few months of wanting to crawl under the table whenever Table Topics began, my presentation skills improved and I started to enjoy being called. By the end of the year I was practically doing a “Horshack” and waving my arms for the Table Topics Master to call me!

Improving your presentation skills can improve your overall communications. Through public speaking tools and presentation skills like research, conceptualization, and organization, you have a systematic and effective way of presenting your ideas; and thus, you will be able to express yourself better. You will also become more open to other people.

Furthermore, presentation skills can help you advance in your career, putting you in a more significant role as you talk with people of high standing.

Lastly, using presentation skills in public speaking satisfies your sense of achievement when the audience accepts you warmly. This reflects your level of communication skills and acumen. All these contribute to your self-esteem.

Source: Carma Spence-Pothitt link

Related: Presentation Skills

More Presentation Training Articles