Presentation Skills

A general introduction for all those who would like to improve their presentation skills and learn how to give good presentations. This e-learning course includes many video clips as examples, which gives it a totally different character. This is a topic that goes hand in hand with using multimedia resources.

I have to give a presentation and I'm shaking in my boots!
When I face the prospect of giving a presentation:

- I experience a black-out

- I begin to shake

- I turn bright red

- I start to stutter

Does this sound familiar? Many people find the prospect of giving a presentation extremely nerveracking. Standing before a group of people, they feel as if they have to entertain their audience. Of course, this is not really the case, but it doesn't change the feelings of anxiety.

The most important way to help get these feelings under control is to prepare your presentation thoroughly. Your preparation can be split into two phases:

1. ensure your presentation is worked out to the finest detail;

2. practice first in front of a small group and ask this group to give you honest feedback.

It's not easy to give a good presentation. It can seem as if you have to put on a show... but practice makes perfect.

Why is it so difficult to give a presentation?
Most people experience negative emotions, such as:

- everybody is looking at me and I lose my confidence

- they're all laughing at me

- I just feel really stupid

Pretty much all these feelings stem from the fact that we feel forced into the role of the 'entertainer', even if we know that we are no good at entertaining. Of course, if your presentation skills are lacking, you will never give a great presentation. But remember that no one is asking this of you. The most important element of a presentation is the successful communication of the relevant information. This is an important skill that you will learn during this course, even if you experience the emotions mentioned above. The secret, once again, is a thorough preparation and a good try-out. And then it's just like swimming... there comes a moment that you feel you can do it, and then there's no turning back!