Every corporate professional should strive to have strong leadership skills, as the responsibility and opportunity to lead others can present itself at any time. Delivering impactful presentations is a large part of how well you communicate with those under your charge, as well as how you report up the chain of command. In this article, we present the ways presentation skills can be leveraged to train professionals how to lead.
A skilled coach will evaluate your current skill level, presentation style, and goals. This allows them to design a training plan specific to your industry and help you become more familiar with common leadership scenarios in the field.
For practical customization, a reliable media training workshop is a sound investment, as it will teach you to identify which measures lead to improvement and which are reinforcing bad habits.
Mastery over a platform can often seem like an afterthought compared to the material itself. However, anyone who has presented the wrong slides during an important conference might disagree. This is especially true in any industry where technical expertise is expected, but fumbles are rarely positive in any event.
Specific platform training should incorporate realistic practice across the spectrum of media options leaders use most often. Seeking out the most difficult challenges in this scenario can lessen the learning curve for their simpler counterparts significantly.
Executive presence is more than just the ability to deliver charming soundbites. For better or worse, the most influential people in business often exude an air beyond the superficial. Much of it is based on decision-making power, but there is also a sentiment based on how their presence affects an event.
Training focuses on amplifying your gravitas--an influential mix of seriousness and dignity--through verbal and nonverbal authority. The most skilled coaches build a well-suited executive presence based on your own psychology, which will show you how to create an air of confidence without compromising who you are.
Authenticity, by its nature, is the one skill that cannot be overcome with gimmicks. Pageantry will always have value in marketing and presentation, but an authentic approach takes much less effort to maintain. And while target audiences can be swayed by clever ploys, identifying with a brand’s authentic message fosters much deeper loyalty.
Great training casts aside generic presentation tropes in favor of consistent authenticity. This is done by integrating your natural leadership voice into any messaging, which can simplify all forms of public communication.
The best coaches should remain valuable assets well beyond the initial engagement, serving as trusted advisors and providing reinforcement during critical moments. Updating presentation skills is a wise path for any professional with long-term plans, especially those who expect to stand in front of bigger audiences.