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IE Group

Presentation Skills

Our advanced presentation skills course includes audience analysis, structure and delivery of impactful presentations, understand neuroscience and presenting, nervousness control, human interest devices, whole brain communication, non-verbal communication and dealing effectively with the question-and-answer session.  Coaching includes recording and evaluation of style specifics.

Importance of Effective Presentations

Effective presentations and public speaking skills are thus an imperative skill to acquire in order to enhance your ability to achieve desirable outcomes in business, sales, training, teaching, lecturing, and generally feeling comfortable speaking to clients, co-workers or a group of people.

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Determine the “Why”

You cannot effectively create a presentation without first determining why you are delivering this presentation and what you want to achieve with it i.e. ask yourself what the objective of the presentation is. An example of an objective is ‘to inform an international audience about developments in South Africa’ or ‘to persuade a client to buy a new product’.

Determine the “Who”

An effective presentation needs to adapt itself to its audience. Once you have established your objective, you need to analyse your audience. Examine any demo-graphical details of your audience that may have an influence on your presentation, for e.g. socio-economic status, level of education or age, and determine how these details will affect your presentation.

Determine the “What”

Once you know the why and the who of your presentation you can determine what you are going to say. Your information needs to have a close relationship with your audience and objective.

Wear the White Hat

Dr. Edward De Bono developed a technique that will help you to think about your presentation in different ways. You can examine your topic from six different perspectives, which De Bono refers to as 6 hats: white, red, black, yellow, green, and blue.
If you ‘put on’ the white hat, you adopt a neutral, factual attitude to your topic. From this perspective focus on the information, facts and knowledge that you will need to deliver your presentation

Put on the Red Hat

If you wear the red hat, you examine your ideas according to the passion that you feel for the topic and the reasons why you are delivering this presentation. From this perspective you should focus on your objective, what you want to achieve from the communication. Also refers to accommodating the needs and feelings of the audience.

Put on the Black Hat

The black hat represents caution and risk assessment. When you adopt this attitude to your presentation, you should focus on the values associated with what you want to say.

Put on the Yellow Hat

The yellow hat represents positive logic. When you view your presentation according to this perspective focus on the benefits of your presentation for your audience: what will they get out of it? Also refers to having a solution orientated outlook.

Put on the Green Hat

When you adopt the green hat, you should think about your presentation creatively. For example, allow your mind to freely associate your ideas and see if you can come up with something new that you didn’t think of before. It does not have to be “death by PowerPoint”. Find alternative ways to communicate your thought processes and make yourself and your ideas memorable.

Put on the Blue Hat

The blue hat represents the panorama: the bigger picture. Once you have explored all the other perspectives, put them together to form a holistic approach to your presentation.

Use Positive Nonverbal Communication

Human beings are more stimulated by nonverbal behaviour than verbal or linguistic behaviour. Therefore, make sure that you not only sound, but also look enthusiastic about your ideas and thought process. Use open palms when you speak, smile, open up your shoulders and use metaphorical gestures to show people what you are thinking.

Reflection statement

The embodiment of these elements will not only enhance your ability to communicate your ideas and thought processes with impact, but also increase your persuasion and influencing skills.

Self Assessments

Take the self-assessment now to determine your strengths and areas for development.

Presentation Skills
Whole Brain Communication
Nonverbal Communication

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Presentation Skills

Lee Lacocca, the CEO of Chrysler, once said that: “You can have brilliant ideas, but if you can’t get them across, your ideas won’t get you anywhere”. The ability to therefore, present information and ideas clearly, compellingly and adequately is at the heart of effective communication. However, for some, public speaking or presentations can be quite nerve–wracking as nervousness, anxiety, or poor preparation could hinder your ability to communicate your “brilliant” ideas effectively. Effective presentations and public speaking skills are thus an imperative skill to acquire in order to enhance your ability to achieve desirable outcomes in business, sales, training, teaching, lecturing, and generally feeling comfortable speaking to clients, co-workers or a group of people.

Name(Required)
I use very little variety of visuals when I present.(Required)
I am uncomfortable conducting a Q&A after my presentation.(Required)
I find preparing for a presentation difficult.(Required)
My hands tremble during a speech or presentation.(Required)
I easily lose my train of thought while presenting.(Required)
I feel nervous and anxious while preparing for a presentation.(Required)
I feel nervous and anxious while preparing for a presentation.(Required)
Before I present and set up my equipment, I become familiar with the room.(Required)
Speaking in front of a large group of people makes me nervous.(Required)
When I prepare for my presentation, I think about the needs of my audience.(Required)
I am always aware of my gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice and posture when I present.(Required)
People are always attentively engaged when I give a presentation and always compliment me afterwards.(Required)
I plan and practice the gestures and movements in my presentation until I can speak and interpret my thoughts comfortably and fluently.(Required)
No, thank you. I do not want.
Whole Brain Communication

Whole brain communication is the ability to understand how your thinking preferences impact on how you communicate and also being able to recognise these patterns in other peoples’ communication styles. This insight enables you to communicate in an optimal way. Whole Brain Communication is the ability to: 1. Understand different thinking preferences 2. Recognise how your brain influences how you communicate 3. Understand other peoples’ communication styles 4. Use this information in order to be ensure that people can really hear what you are saying 5. Listen better to what others are trying to communicate

Name(Required)
Do you get frustrated because people don’t seem to understand what you are trying to say?(Required)
Do you feel unheard?(Required)
Do you misinterpret what others are trying to communicate?(Required)
Do you get frustrated in conversations because people talk at cross purposes?(Required)
Do you work well as part of a team?(Required)
Do you ever get feedback that you do not listen to what people say?(Required)
No, thank you. I do not want.
Nonverbal Communication

Nonverbal communication is the process of sending and receiving messages and ideas through gestures, postures, limbs, spatial relationships, artefacts (physical appearance, personal items and clothing), facial expressions, and inflections and tone of voice without using verbal language. Communicating nonverbally is also an inherent process as the decoding thoughts, feelings and emotions are of the essence of the human condition. Various research in the field of neurobiology and psychology has affirmed this ideology and illustrated that human beings are more dependent on nonverbal cues than verbal cues in order to effectively express and communicate meaning and emotion. It is, therefore, imperative that we have a thorough understanding and control over our nonverbal gestures to enhance our overall impact power, negotiating skills, influencing tactics and for carrying out productive, fruitful business.

Name(Required)
I am always aware of what I do with my hands in a conversation.(Required)
I find it easy to express my emotions to others.(Required)
When I have a conversation with someone, I deliberately focus more on their body language than what they are saying.(Required)
I can tell when a co-worker is displeased before they say anything.(Required)
I can accurately identify what others are feeling without them saying anything.(Required)
I am always aware of how I am seated in a business meeting.(Required)
I am sometimes perceived as being aggressive in an interaction, even though I feel like I was not.(Required)
I am usually misjudged in a first encounter.(Required)
I am always aware and conscious of the type of handshake of others when engaging with others.(Required)
I am aware of my own facial expressions when I have a conversation with others.(Required)
People are always attentively engaged when I give a presentation and always compliment me afterwards.(Required)
I struggle to read and interpret what others are really thinking.(Required)
I am sometimes perceived by others as “cold” or “emotionally unavailable”(Required)
I am usually misunderstood by others.(Required)
I always adjust my behavioral expressions according to my intentions and goals for a specific situation.(Required)
No, thank you. I do not want.
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