Recent research by Casio has shown that numerous UK firms are losing business due to the fact their employees are unskilled at delivering presentations. The study found that of the 250 senior decision makers questioned 49% said that they were unlikely to buy from an organisation which delivered a poor sales pitch. Therefore you would think presentational skills would be near the top of the list in skills of their employees, however this isn’t the case. 93% of those questioned had received no presentation training at school and 41% said that their company didn’t provide training in this area. This worrying situation was then summed up by the fact 56% of the employees questioned said they lack the skills needed to present, therefore deterring them from presenting to clients at all.
Big and small companies alike will likely need to present to potential new clients in any tender process and with new business development such an important part to every business, it is a puzzle as to why so many companies are neglecting this important skill.
Many see the problem needing to be solved at the root. For some this is the lack of education on the subject during our school years leading to graduates unable to present themselves in either a standard presentation format or even in an interview situation.
We feel this can be helped within companies in 2 ways. Firstly, a presenting culture can be formed in the company, with all staff presenting on a fairly regular basis even if the information being presented could be done so by a phone call or email. By starting with small audiences and practicing on a regular basis, all employees can become more experienced and competent when an external presentation needs to be made.
The other thing that can be done is more formal training for those more likely to be making these high profile presentations on a regular basis. We can all improve on these skills with many people not knowing the simple mistakes they are making that is potentially destroying new business opportunities. Therefore we recommend professional presentational training for those on the front line, providing the face for your business.
