Important Presentation Skills for Finance and Accounting Professionals
The world of finance is changing, and that means that professionals in the industry must enhance their skills to keep up with that transformation. One of the most critical components of being an effective team member is your ability to connect with others across multiple departments. Having strong presentation skills ensures that your message is being heard and sets an excellent example for your entire company. Here are a few presentation skills that you should make sure are in your tool belt.
Reduce Your Anxiety
Unfortunately, public speaking is a complicated process for many people. It’s not easy standing in front of a crowd and explaining complex information. However, the best way to overcome this fear is to do it more often. You can start small by giving a talk to a smaller circle of colleagues, or even just to your family and friends. Next, you should seek opportunities with larger crowds at a group or organization that you belong to. Toastmasters International allows you to gain even more opportunity to work on your presentation skills and get constructive feedback so you can become a quality public speaker.
Practice Your Presentation Skills
Put time into practicing. You want to make sure that your point is understood and that you break any distracting habits. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback and then implement those changes to deliver a more powerful speech.
Deliver Results
The delivery of your presentation is everything. Make sure that you maintain a conversational tone and that you use words and phrases that your audience will understand. You can also pepper in a few jokes and metaphors along the way to keep people engaged. Make yourself relatable, and people are more likely to listen to what you have to say.
Be Prepared for Questions
While giving a quality presentation is undoubtedly essential, you should know that it doesn’t just end once you stop speaking. In fact, you should want your presentation to be interactive as this keeps people engaged in what you are saying. Take some time to anticipate questions and make sure that you have a quality response prepared.
You may also benefit from reading, Communication Skills for Career Success.
