presentation skills for beginners

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What It Takes to Give a Great Presentation

Carmine Gallo

Five tips to set yourself apart.

Never underestimate the power of great communication. It can help you land the job of your dreams, attract investors to back your idea, or elevate your stature within your organization. But while there are plenty of good speakers in the world, you can set yourself apart out by being the person who can deliver something great over and over. Here are a few tips for business professionals who want to move from being good speakers to great ones: be concise (the fewer words, the better); never use bullet points (photos and images paired together are more memorable); don’t underestimate the power of your voice (raise and lower it for emphasis); give your audience something extra (unexpected moments will grab their attention); rehearse (the best speakers are the best because they practice — a lot).

I was sitting across the table from a Silicon Valley CEO who had pioneered a technology that touches many of our lives — the flash memory that stores data on smartphones, digital cameras, and computers. He was a frequent guest on CNBC and had been delivering business presentations for at least 20 years before we met. And yet, the CEO wanted to sharpen his public speaking skills.

Carmine Gallo is a Harvard University instructor, keynote speaker, and author of 10 books translated into 40 languages. Gallo is the author of The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman (St. Martin’s Press).

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Successful Presentation

This course is part of Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation Specialization

Taught in English

Some content may not be translated

Instructor: Professor William Kuskin

Financial aid available

125,491 already enrolled

(4,530 reviews)

Recommended experience

Beginner level

A means of recording yourself

What you'll learn

Execute a public performance of the private self.

Skills you'll gain

Communication
Business Writing
Presentation
Public Speaking

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There are 4 modules in this course

Few kinds of communication can have the effect of a powerful presentation. Even a short speech can motivate people to change long-held beliefs or to take action, and a wonderfully delivered speech can transform a normal person into a leader.

In this course, Prof. William Kuskin provides a series of pragmatic videos and exercises for successful public speaking and presentations. The course develops through four themes—mastering fear, developing a creative formula, using verbal and body language, and anticipating the room—so that you can discover your personal power as a speaker and give excellent presentations. Successful presentations do not rely on perfect teeth, a deep voice, or an army of scriptwriters. They depend largely on the same skills as successful Business Writing and Graphic Design: clarity, structure, and revision. The goal of the course, therefore, is to enable you to discover your own internal power as a speaker and express it to the world. After this course, with some practice, you will be able to go into any situation and command the room for as long as you like. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The MS-DS is an interdisciplinary degree that brings together faculty from CU Boulder’s departments of Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Information Science, and others. With performance-based admissions and no application process, the MS-DS is ideal for individuals with a broad range of undergraduate education and/or professional experience in computer science, information science, mathematics, and statistics. Learn more about the MS-DS program at https://www.coursera.org/degrees/master-of-science-data-science-boulder.

Getting Started with Public Speaking

In this module William tackles the one element that makes public speaking difficult: fear. Unlike writing a memo or designing a slide deck, presenting a speech puts you directly in front of an audience. Public speaking is wrapped up in the fear of immediate judgment and of lasting rejection. Yet the skills of writing and design are exactly the same as those of public speaking: clarity, structure, revision, and above all, storytelling. By applying these skills you can control your fear and take center stage in public. The results will astound you.

What's included

10 videos 7 readings 1 quiz 2 discussion prompts

10 videos • Total 35 minutes

Welcome to Effective Communication (For New Learners) • 3 minutes • Preview module
What’s so Great About the Capstone? (For New Learners) • 3 minutes
Welcome to Successful Presentation • 3 minutes
Understanding Fear • 4 minutes
The Code Rule: Survival Reactions • 4 minutes
The Paradox of Public Speaking • 3 minutes
We've All Felt Fear • 4 minutes
Successful Presentation is Storytelling • 3 minutes
Stories and Storytellers • 2 minutes
Performance • 2 minutes

7 readings • Total 140 minutes

Earn Academic Credit for your Work! • 10 minutes
Course Support • 10 minutes
About the For-Credit Version of this course • 10 minutes
About Successful Presentation • 15 minutes
Kuskin's Top Ten Best Practices • 15 minutes
Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist • 10 minutes
Successful Presentation Assignment, Part 1: Telling a Two-Minute Story • 70 minutes

1 quiz • Total 25 minutes

Rethinking Public Speaking • 25 minutes

2 discussion prompts • Total 105 minutes

Getting to know each other • 15 minutes
Storytelling and fear • 90 minutes

A Formula For Successful Presentation

Like the Second Module of Business Writing, this module zeroes in on a practical formula for successful presentations. William establishes this structure, and then breaks down it down into modular elements, so the most complex presentations can be created easily, revised effectively, and delivered confidently. Still, no one-size-fits-all outline, no rigid set of rules, is capable of expressing your own personality and unlocking your own brilliance, and so William goes beyond the basic formula to teach you the secret ingredient to public speaking: creativity.

14 videos 4 readings 2 quizzes

14 videos • Total 54 minutes

The Basic Formula • 5 minutes • Preview module
The Secret Ingredient: Creativity • 8 minutes
What Is Creativity? • 5 minutes
The Central Importance of the Introduction • 1 minute
The Introduction: The Salutation • 4 minutes
The Introduction: The Review of the Structure • 1 minute
The Introduction: The One Compelling Point • 3 minutes
Kuskin Receives His Assignment for Coursera Presentation • 1 minute
Intro: The Modular Content Unit • 1 minute
Pushing Each Unit (Thinking in Circles) • 3 minutes
Building Transitions • 3 minutes
How Do You Push Yourself? • 3 minutes
The Conclusion • 4 minutes
The Entire Talk Is a Circle • 6 minutes

4 readings • Total 150 minutes

The Formula • 15 minutes
Raymond Chandler, Trouble Is My Business • 15 minutes
Successful Presentation Assignment, Part 2: Crafting an Introduction • 60 minutes
Successful Presentation Assignment, Part 3: Building Modules • 60 minutes

2 quizzes • Total 55 minutes

The Introduction • 30 minutes
The Conclusion • 25 minutes

Practicing Your Self

We’ve all sat through presentations that had solid content but just didn’t seem to work. Sometimes it’s hard to define why a speaker fails to deliver. The key is practice. Practice is tricky, however, because poor practice techniques actually make a dull presentation even duller—further from the inspiring, passionate experience you want to create for your audience. In Module Three, William redefines the notion of practice as a dynamic process of verbal and physical language, and then teaches you how focus your language to express your personal style of passion. Module Three teaches you to put passion in a bottle and release it when you want.

10 videos 1 reading 3 quizzes 1 discussion prompt

10 videos • Total 44 minutes

Dynamic vs. Static (Getting into Your Brand) • 6 minutes • Preview module
You Are Your Own Harshest Critic • 4 minutes
The Reverse Outline • 5 minutes
Rehearsing the Introduction • 3 minutes
Passion in a Bottle • 3 minutes
Hearing Your Language • 1 minute
Marking Your Script • 7 minutes
Recognizing Your Body • 2 minutes
Using Your Body • 5 minutes
The Importance of Stance • 4 minutes

1 reading • Total 20 minutes

Shakespeare Reading • 20 minutes

3 quizzes • Total 80 minutes

Evolving Your Presentation • 30 minutes
Verbal Language • 30 minutes
Body Language • 20 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 150 minutes

Reading (and Speaking) Shakespeare • 150 minutes

Engaging with the World

You’ve put away your fear. You’ve used the formula to write a clear talk, and you’ve tweaked it with the secret ingredient of creativity. You’ve rehearsed and mastered your personal verbal and physical language. Still, a conference room or a lecture hall is an unpredictable arena, one that contains an uncontrollable amount of variables: the layout of the space, the mood of the audience, the complexity of the questions—these are the elements of a presentation for which you can never fully prepare. How do you actually get ready to walk out on stage? The last module of “Successful Presentation” teaches you how to anticipate the field of the play so you are flexible, agile, and confident. It lays out, in simple terms, how to deal with interruptions and hostility alike, concluding the course by looking ahead to how you develop your own identity not merely as a public speaker, but as powerful individual.

10 videos 1 reading 2 quizzes 1 peer review 1 discussion prompt

10 videos • Total 39 minutes

Anticipating the Field of Play • 2 minutes • Preview module
A Chaucerian Interlude • 4 minutes
Attending to Your Audience • 4 minutes
Slides vs Handouts • 4 minutes
What Is a Question? • 3 minutes
Being Soft • 3 minutes
Avery's Demo Presentation: "Frankenstein and Science" • 7 minutes
Building a Public Portfolio from the Private Self • 2 minutes
The Paradox of the Public Self • 2 minutes
Effective Communication • 3 minutes

1 reading • Total 15 minutes

Chaucer Manuscript • 15 minutes
Building a Portfolio of the Self • 25 minutes
Rubric Training Quiz • 30 minutes

1 peer review • Total 240 minutes

Successful Presentation Assignment, Part 4: The Presentation • 240 minutes

1 discussion prompt • Total 45 minutes

Hard and Soft Scenarios • 45 minutes

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.

Recommended if you're interested in Business Essentials

University of Colorado Boulder

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University of California San Diego

Communicating with the Public

Effective Communication: Writing, Design, and Presentation

Specialization

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Learner reviews

Showing 3 of 4530

4,530 reviews

Reviewed on Aug 3, 2020

An excellent course to improve presentation skills. The content taught are very simple yet effective. I feel more confident in my presentation skills now. Thank you so much!

Reviewed on Jul 18, 2018

Great course will a model that one can use for different presentation scenarios... though some of the content could have been pruned to make it more to the point. Very nice knowledgeable professor.

Reviewed on Jun 25, 2020

Really this course is one of my favorite courses ever the way of professor Cuskin's presentation really mindblowing. It's a highly recommended course for all students or anyone with any background.

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Frequently asked questions

What software or hardware will i need to complete this course.

The ability to record and upload short videos will be useful (a phone video camera or built in camera in a computer will be suitable).

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?

Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:

The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.

The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.

What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?

When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.

What is the refund policy?

If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy Opens in a new tab .

Is financial aid available?

Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

Presentation Skills: Examples + 25 Ways to Improve Yours

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Presentation skills are crucial. Michelin-starred chefs and Broadway actors alike know this. And—you need effective presentation skills whether you're preparing for a job interview, company meeting, or promotion to the position of public relations manager.

Wondering how to improve presentation skills? You're in the right place because…

This article will show you:

25 ways to improve your presentation skills, public speaking, and speech delivery.
Presentation skills examples for a resume, cover letter, and job interview.
Effective presentation skills you need for jobs and creative presentation ideas.

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Analytical Skills
Communication Skills
Conceptual Skills
Creative Thinking Skills
Critical Thinking Skills
Decision Making Skills
Interpersonal Skills
Language Skills
Leadership Skills
The Best Resume Examples for All Jobs

Presentation Skills — Definition & List of Main Presentation Types

First of all, what are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities one needs in order to deliver compelling, engaging, informative, transformative, educational, enlightening, and/or instructive presentations. Central to effective presentation skills are public speaking, tone of voice, body language, creativity, and delivery.

That said, there are several types of presentations:

Main Types of Presentations

Persuasive Presentations

Persuasive presentations are those given to arouse the audience to make the decision which the presenter hopes for. An example might be a startup founder delivering a presentation to an angel in the hopes of getting investment or a salesperson pitching a product to customers.

Instructional Presentations

Instructional presentations are those given to guide the audience on a new policy, law, etc. For example, an HR manager might hold an onboarding presentation to instruct new employees on the rules of the company.

Informative Presentations

Informative presentations give information about a new procedure, benefit, etc. One example might be a company HR presentation where the manager gives information about the new bonus requirements.

Inspirational Presentations

Inspirational presentations are similar to persuasive presentations, but here the speaker aims to boost morale or increase brand pride, for example. Another example would be the rousing conclusion of a TED Talk speaker as they wrap up their speech.

Here’s a beautiful example of an inspirational presentation about, well, presentations:

And, there are several presentation delivery methods:

Presentation Delivery Methods

Extemporaneous presentations are those you deliver without any preparation, though you plan it beforehand.
Memorized presentations are those you learn by heart. Hard to get right, but compelling if it is!
Manuscript presentations are those you deliver from a pre-written script or notes.
Impromptu presentations are similar to extemporaneous presentations, but you decide on and deliver them on the spot.

Pro Tip : What’s the difference between a speech and a presentation ? A speech is just plain ol’ spoken word read or delivered based on a written draft while a presentation gets creative with interaction, videos, slides, etc.

Skills in general are broken down into soft skills (those you develop throughout life, like communication skills) and hard skills (those you study, such as computer skills ). For more on this, check out: Soft Skills vs Hard Skills for a Job: What Employers Look For

2. How to Improve Presentation Skills [25 Steps]

Some people are born entertainers or have an innate eidetic memory (the ability to recall things from memory with great clarity from just a moment of exposure).

The rest of us always have room for growth.

No matter what the situation—

Here are the best ways to improve presentation skills:

1. Prepare Your Presentation in Advance

There are various methods of preparing for a presentation, and they’re all very similar to preparing for a job interview.

Run lines with a mock audience or friend, like actors and actresses auditioning for movie and stage roles. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for an upcoming presentation or speech, especially when you are less experienced.

And, the last part of preparation—always be prepared with answers to follow-up questions once your presentation is over.

2. Practice Your Presentation As Much As Possible

As with anything, practice makes perfect.

Hopefully it doesn’t come down to Gladwell’s “10,000 hour rule,” but practice of some length is always required to hone your presentation skills.

Practice alone. Then, practice with a friend or family member. Then, always use each live presentation opportunity as a practice round for the next presentation.

3. Learn How to Skip Around

Poor presentation skills for most people involve a monotonous, robotic delivery.

And, sure, that isn’t so compelling.

However, what’s equally lackluster is a presenter who is unable to be dynamic and find real-time solutions to questions asked during the presentation. If an interruption or news update mid-presentation throws you off, then you need to practice and learn how to handle them.

Likewise, imagine giving a breaking news update to the public. If an advisor comes up to your podium to whisper in your ear, you have to take this new news into consideration, altering your presentation to fit.

Like improv sketches, knowing how to handle changes is an important part of a performance.

4. Speak Passionately About Your Topic

When you are passionate about the topic of your presentation, the audience senses it. It leaks through your pores and reflects from your eyes.

Show passion. Show enthusiasm. Be slightly crazy—

Or learn how to fake it.

Audience members who feel it on a visceral level, rather than only intellectually, are much more inclined to pay attention and find agreement with you.

And, bonus: they tend to fall asleep less!

5. Tell Stories in Your Presentations

Storytelling is one of the most effective presentation skills.

Crowds love stories. They give great examples of what the presenter is talking about, and they earn that rapt attention which any presenter aims for much more easily.

6. Understand What You Should And Shouldn’t Do

On your first presentation, you’d be forgiven for having a coffee to clear the fog from your mind. If and when it increases any pre-PowerPoint jitters, you know never to drink coffee prior again.

Same goes for the way you breathe, and the food you consume beforehand. You don’t need the added discomfort of a gassy stomach, so know what foods, if any, cause that for you.

On the opposite side, exercise, for most people, is a great way to relieve any built up tension the night prior.

As you practice, practice, practice, you’ll get signals from your environment, audience, and body as to what does and doesn’t work for you.

7. Know Your Audience

This one requires research in advance (remember: prepare!).

Let’s say you were hired to deliver several motivational speeches to various members of a large company. You nail your first presentation delivered to an audience of interns.

Do you give exactly the same performance to the senior-level executives, your next stop?

You wouldn’t, hopefully.

Executives will need to be spoken to in a different language, almost, with different vocabulary. Research your audience to deliver a presentation that speaks directly to them, not some other crowd, even if it was successful before.

8. Film Yourself

Try filming yourself delivering the presentation and playing it back. You can learn a lot just by seeing your own mistakes and working to improve them.

Later, give that same video to a friend and ask for further feedback and criticism. They are likely to spot something you might have missed, because, you know, two heads are better than one and all that.

9. Connect With the Audience’s Emotions & Inspire Action

Connect with the crowd on a gut level. The audience has to feel that what you’re saying is important, actionable, and true.

Here’s what the awesome social motivator, Simon Sinek , has to say:

When we communicate from the outside in, yes, people can understand vast amounts of complicated information like features and benefits and facts and figures. It just doesn't drive behavior. When we can communicate from the inside out, we're talking directly to the part of the brain that controls behavior, and then we allow people to rationalize it with the tangible things we say and do. This is where gut decisions come from. Simon Sinek social motivator

Be engaging. Be entertaining. This is how you truly speak to the audience. He sums it up like this:

Sometimes you can give somebody all the facts and figures, and they say, ‘I know what all the facts and details say, but it just doesn't feel right.’ Why would we use that verb, it doesn't ‘feel’ right? Because the part of the brain that controls decision-making doesn't control language. Simon Sinek social motivator

10. Tell Them You’re Nervous

This is one of my favorite presentation tricks, as I get super anxious before any kind of public speech or demonstration.

If you feel nervous, consider starting off by telling the audience such (“Forgive me, please, if my voice is wobbly, I’m a bit nervous…”). The audience is sure to empathize with your situation, and you don’t have to go through the entire presentation with some higher bar of confidence.

11. Use Humor

Add some jokes and humorous comments throughout your presentation. Like storytelling, it connects with the audience on a deeper level, and getting them to laugh helps to earn their attention back if you were losing it.

On top of that, you help cut any tension in the room, which is helpful if you’re nervous or have a fear of public speaking, but also helps to make any proposal or instructional presentation more palatable to the audience.

12. Remove Filler Sounds & Crutch Words

For example, do you, um , give, like , uh , sounds like this?

There’s nothing wrong with these in everyday speech. In linguistics, these are called filler sounds (or crutch words), and it is a common way to allow your brain to catch up with your words.

However, in presentations, these only make you look incompetent. Likewise, find other ways to improve your presentation delivery. Maybe your hand gestures look robotic, your jokes fall flat, or your voice cracks.

A compelling presentation depends on a compelling delivery. Check out this guide from Harvard Business Review for a great write-up on how to stop using so many crutch words.

13. Use the Right Visual Aids & Presentation Media

With some presentations, the medium of delivery is set (aside from the speech element). On a school project, for example, you may be required to use Microsoft PowerPoint.

However, when you have a choice, choose the right visual aid method. Even with PowerPoint, you have to choose between text slides, image slides, and infographic slides.

Not only is there not a single perfect visual aid medium for all presentations, but different sections of one presentation could benefit from a different media format. Maybe a 5-minute video would work great as an intro. Perhaps a set of image slides to wrap things up.

14. Improve Your Confidence

When trying to learn how to improve speaking skills or how to improve public speaking, work on improving your confidence. It’s one of the single most effective ways to boost your delivery, and thus your presentation.

Think positive thoughts . Make a SWOT analysis to boost your self-confidence. Work on your body language and stance.

A confident speaker is way more effective at how to give a presentation than one who isn’t, and this is true at job interviews, meetings, and negotiations.

15. Get Psyched

Sometimes the best way to get over those nervous jitters is to get yourself psyched.

Consider workouts, for example. How to get over that lazy feeling and get yourself to the gym? Think of the beach, think about how you’d like to look, play some heavy metal or hip hop.

Likewise, figure out what gets you pumped and excited before entering onstage. Music almost always helps, as does a bit of private dancing in an empty room. Maybe make faces at yourself in a mirror to immediately. Think of the post-show party after your presentation is over.

Invigorating yourself with these common routines is sure to prepare you for any type of presentations—including job interviews!

16. Focus on the Core

A great presenter may have many illustrious stories to help the audience understand the gist of the show.

However—

If you don’t use storytelling correctly, you’re liable to go off on tangents which will lose the audience. More disastrously, it could make you lose your own train of thought.

So, when you’re more of a beginner, focus on your core topic, and don’t stray far from its message. As you get more confident, you’ll be able to step further and further with your storytelling.

An added bonus: your presentation will be short, sweet, and over that much faster.

17. Engage an Audience Member

We’ve talked about connecting with the audience before, but this presentation trick works wonders, too.

Is everyone staring too intently at you and you are starting to get freaked out?

Turn the attention onto someone else for a moment to help you recollect yourself.

Perhaps make a joke about how your partner (“sitting right over there”) just ran three red lights to get you there on time. Or, if you’re on a panel, maybe you could give praise to that academic award your colleague behind you just earned.

Whichever way you do it, all eyes look away, giving you an instance to get your head right.

But be careful and always get permission! You don’t want to embarrass someone or say something not meant to be revealed just so you can have a 15-second reprieve. Always ask in advance.

18. Breathe

Breathing is so involuntary and commonplace that you likely wouldn’t consider it to be a potential presentation booster.

However, with the right breathing techniques, you can definitely lower your stress and anxiety, whether it’s on stage or at an interview.

Danny Penman, Ph.D. tells Psychology Today:

Momentary stress causes the body to tense and you begin to breathe a little more shallowly. A shallow breath lowers oxygen levels in the blood, which the brain senses as stress. Breathing then becomes a little faster and shallower. Oxygen levels fall a little more. The heart begins to race. The brain feels a little more stressed. It's a vicious circle. Danny Penman

Snap yourself out of that loop of despair by practicing some breathing exercises.

19. Reappraise Anxiety as Excitement

I used to always be nervous going to work each morning. Around the same time, I would also want to use the restroom.

That needing-to-go feeling always felt associated with nervousness. However, when I told myself that this feeling was just a normal morning urge, rather than anything to do with work—boy did that help!

As a Harvard study theorizes, you can use reappraisal of anxiety to help with presentations, as well:

“Individuals can reappraise anxiety as excitement using minimal strategies such as self-talk (e.g., saying “I am excited” out loud) or simple messages (e.g., “get excited”), which lead them to feel more excited, adopt an opportunity mind-set (as opposed to a threat mind-set), and improve their subsequent performance.”

Now, when I go to work each morning, I’m excited.

20. Use the Toilet

As I stated in my story example above, that need-to-go feeling may become associated in your mind with nervousness.

So, go to the bathroom.

And go even when you don’t have to, just in case your portion of the presentation or the questions afterwards runs longer than expected.

21. Mingle Beforehand

You were probably going to shake hands and chit-chat with audience members after the show’s over, depending on the intimacy and nature of the venue.

Mingle with them beforehand, as well. For those of you who might be afraid of public speaking, chatting face-to-face with members of the crowd turn them from big, scary monsters to people just like yourself.

Even if you’re just generally nervous about public speaking, getting a few smiles and handshakes prior adds a “temporary friend” in the audience for you—sure to put you more at ease than if everyone were complete strangers.

22. Arrive Extra Early

You might have planned to arrive a few minutes early anyway, right?

It’s not enough.

There are likely dozens of things you can’t or won’t account for, from the projector malfunctioning to crazy feedback on the mic to curtains that just won’t recede.

While you don’t have to account for everything that could go wrong, it’s best to give yourself extra time just in case. And, hey, if everything is fine for you, then you just get a few extra minutes to relax yourself and rehearse once more.

23. Exercise

One of the best ways to have a relaxed demeanor and attitude right before a presentation is to exercise. Regular exercise is proven to reduce anxiety and stress, too.

Go for a brisk walk for 10–15 minutes, or do a few bicep curls. Like a shot of whisky, it’s sure to take the edge off. It’s just healthier and safer.

However, don’t go too hard—you don’t want your shirt to have visible pools of sweat.

24. Sit In on Other Presentations

Aside from your own public speaking and presentations, what better way to improve your presentations than by watching others?

Don’t just watch anybody, of course.

Find a person or two whose presentation skills you absolutely adore. Whether they’re online or at your local town hall, watch closely and take notes on what makes them such a compelling presenter.

This brings us to the next step—

25. Learn From These TED Talks (Videos)

Watch others and follow the best presentation practices to improve your skills. This means having active listening skills when your audience asks specific questions.

Here are some more presentations on how to give rousing presentations (how meta is that?):

Giving Presentations Worth Listening To
TED's secret to great public speaking
The surprising secret to speaking with confidence
How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk
The secret structure of great talks
The science of stage fright (and how to overcome it)

These TED Talks give some great ideas on improving presentation skills, boosting confidence, and reducing stage fright.

26. Don’t Give Up!

As you continue to present and practice presentation skills training, you’ll get more and more comfortable. Your confidence will increase as your shyness and hesitance withers away.

On top of that, you’ll begin to learn what works for you and what pre-presentation rituals you should avoid.

Finally, you won’t get the practice you need if you don’t continue presenting!

Pro Tip : Toastmasters International is a unique club for members who want to develop presentation skills, confidence in public speaking, and leadership skills. There are thousands of clubs all around the world, and they meet weekly to improve.

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3. How to Show Presentation Skills on a Resume, in Your Cover Letter & During a Job Interview

Since this is Zety, the premier career platform, it’s now time to connect presentation skills with your career.

You have three opportunities to highlight your presentation skills while you’re hunting for jobs: on your resume, in your cover letter, and during a job interview.

We’ll now go through it step-by-step.

How to Show Presentation Skills on a Resume

First and foremost, relevance is key. Always tailor your resume to one specific job opportunity.

Remember that meta tip from before (watching presentations which talk about presentations)?

Resumes get a bit meta, too.

If the job ad mentions presentation skills, not only do you need to list them on your resume, but your resume as a whole is a form of presentation, itself.

This is how to get it right:

1. Presentation Skills on a Resume

These days, more and more companies are using the ATS to assist in the hiring process.

The ATS, or applicant tracking system, is software which aids human resources staff by parsing each resume for the right resume keywords .

Don’t have the right keywords?

Start by bringing out the job description for which you are applying.

Here are several examples from various job listings requiring presentation skills:

Excellent communication and presentation skills with confidence to serve as the company’s spokesperson.
Demonstrate excellent presentation skills, including the ability to create presentations and present to all levels of an organization.
Candidate must possess strong presentation skills including thorough competency of AutoCAD, Photoshop, & SketchUp.

As you can see, different companies need presentation skills in different ways. Specific ones, such as Microsoft Office skills , should be listed when necessary.

You’ve got to list them in a specific way.

To make the ATS happy, stick as closely as possible to the wording the job ad uses when adding it to your skills section.

And, to make it even more effective, quantify your presentation skill by turning it into a numbered professional achievement :

Developed excellent communication and presentation skills to confidently deliver over 50 public speeches to crowds greater than 150 people.
Demonstrated excellent presentation skills and presented to all levels of an organization of 500+ employees.
Built strong presentation skills and competency with AutoCAD, Photoshop, & SketchUp, creating 25+ presentations which were responsible for $500,000 in sales revenue.

Were you a public speaker in the past?

Then you have an even better way to list presentation skills on a resume.

Instead of in the skills section, you’ll create an extra resume section specifically called “Presentations” or “Public Speaking.”

Here’s an example of how to include presentations on a resume:

Presentations & Talks

2018-04-01 TED Talk, How to Use the Higgs Boson to Locate an Italian Restaurant . City Hall, New York, NY.
2017-09-18 Astrophysics Conference, Taking Advantage of Quantum Dilation to Boil Potatoes . Brandywine Theater, Brooklyn, NY.

Not so hard, right?

This kind of section works great if you’ve given TED talks or been interviewed on a public talk show, for example.

Nothing shows presentation skills better than an actual presentation you’ve given in the past! And it boosts your employability skills even more so.

2. Presentation Skills on a Cover Letter

Just because you talked up your presentation abilities in your resume doesn’t mean you can’t include it on the cover letter, as well.

We always advocate for adding numbered achievements to cover letters, too.

So, include a win or two in the body of your application letter just as you did on your resume.

Here’s an example of presentation skills on a cover letter:

… During my career thus far working as the chief evangelist for Orion Tech, I’ve worked tirelessly on honing my presentation skills to perfection. I am proud to submit to you a few examples of my presentation abilities, including:

Earned the 2016 Research Presentation Award from the University of Rochester Office of Undergraduate Research.
Presented at over 15 international conferences, all with more than 5,000 attendees.

As you can see, I have the confidence and experience needed to conduct presentations at all levels …

Here, we used the body of the cover letter to talk up your presentation talents. You gave them a quick intro into your abilities, then fired off a few shots to prove it, and finally summed it all up for them.

Not so hard at all, right?

3. Presentation Skills at an Interview

Lastly, the interview.

The job interview is a make-or-break performance for you, and presentation skills will be needed in spades.

While most of our presentation preparation tips from before are relevant, here is a quick way to ace your interview:

Prepare for your interview properly . Do mock interviews with family members, calm your nerves, and get plenty of sleep the night before.
Dress well for your interview . A nice suit or dress definitely helps to boost your confidence before your big meeting.
Get ready for their questions . What’s an interview without questions? Our guide can help you with answers to more than 65 common interview questions.
Bring your own questions to ask . A good interviewer will always ask if you have questions for them at an interview. Don’t be unprepared.
Learn the STAR technique . When answering behavioral interview questions, the STAR method is the best way to structure your reply.

Pro Tip : Presentation skills requested on a job description may not be obvious. Instead of asking for them outright, the job ad might seek someone able to use Powerpoint or Google Slides and is comfortable with public speaking. Make sure you spot this.

After the interview, there’s one more time to present yourself. Check this article out: How to Follow Up After an Interview

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

A set of professional job application materials that match, comprising a resume and cover letter, created with the Zety resume editor while utilizing the Modern resume template, which features a two-column format and decorative rectangles in the header and footer regions.

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Here’s a quick recap of everything you need to remember about presentation skills:

Good presentation skills are more than just speaking in public. They are a part of many aspects of life, especially in careers and job seeking.
Preparation is one of the most important ways to have a successful presentation.
Memorizing the speech element of a presentation is not as necessary as good speech delivery.
Knowing your audience is crucial to obtaining your goals for the presentation.
Always prepare for follow-up questions after your presentation is over.
On a resume, list your presentation skills in the skills section as closely to the wording of the job ad as possible.

Do you have any questions on how to make a presentation? Need help with creative presentation ideas, ways to present a project, or presentation tools? Give us a shout in the comments below and we will answer your question. Thanks for reading!

Curious about other types of skills you can put on your resume? Check out these guides:

Management Skills
Marketing Skills
Organizational Skills
Problem Solving Skills
Project Management Skills
Skills on a Resume
Teamwork Skills
Technical Skills
Time Management Skills
Transferable Skills

About Zety’s Editorial Process

This article has been reviewed by our editorial team to make sure it follows Zety's editorial guidelines . We’re committed to sharing our expertise and giving you trustworthy career advice tailored to your needs. High-quality content is what brings over 40 million readers to our site every year. But we don't stop there. Our team conducts original research to understand the job market better, and we pride ourselves on being quoted by top universities and prime media outlets from around the world.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X14526993
https://hbr.org/2018/08/how-to-stop-saying-um-ah-and-you-know
https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/xge-a0035325.pdf
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2004.04.017
https://www.toastmasters.org/

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