Presentation Skills

Greetings! You will soon be attending our Presentation Skills course. The goal of this training is to help you make a strong, positive impression when presenting your ideas. You will learn how to develop a presence before an audience. The training will focus on delivery skills that will enhance your vocal qualities, use of body language, and ability to reach out to listeners. Please come prepared to deliver a 3–5-minute presentation.

We’re looking for a 3-5-minute presentation with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The focus of this training is for you to practice your delivery skills more than practicing your content preparation. That said, we will touch on content preparation, and make sure you walk away with some preparation tips as well.

You may want to use PowerPoint for your presentation and if you do, please note: You will not want 27 slides for a 3-5-minute presentation; 3-7 slides should be plenty. You can bring your presentations on a USB drive or bring your own laptop with the presentation already loaded. If you have a laptop available, it is recommended, but not mandatory, that you bring it with you to this class. If you choose not to use PowerPoint, consider using a different visual, such as a flipchart. Also, please bring your cell phone fully charged and with enough memory to record your presentation.

Presentation topics are wide open! It is best to choose one simple idea and add an introduction and conclusion to create a full 3-5-minute presentation. Your one idea could come from any source, for example:

• One point from an upcoming presentation you’d like to practice.
• A concept from a regular presentation you want to polish.
• Do you have a hobby or skill you are particularly enthused about? Let your audience know the reasons you enjoy this activity and why they might want to consider trying it themselves.
• Consider an aspect of your job or a project that you feel is extremely important. Help the audience to see how they can benefit the organization by supporting you.

To summarize, please come to class with:

• A prepared presentation on a USB drive or laptop
• Laptop (if possible)
• A charged cell phone with memory to record your presentation

Please come prepared for a fun and rewarding day—thank you!

Questions? Please contact MRA Registrations at 800.488.4845 or [email protected].