INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

KULLIYAH OF LANGUAGES AND MANAGEMENT

ENCO 4104
SEM 1, 2015/2016

EFFECTIVE PRESENTATION SKILLS

NAME

: NUR FARHANAH ZAINAL

SECTION

:1

LECTURERS NAME

: SIR AYUB KHALID

(1310062)

Table of Content

1.0

Introduction

2.0

Objective

3.0

Hard Skills and Soft Skills

3.1 Hard Skills

3.2 Soft Skills

4.0

Conclusion

5.0

References

1.0

Introduction

It is undeniable that presentation skill is one of the most crucial skills

needed by generation nowadays.

Based on the study conducted by Aziz

Corporation, presentation skill is more essential for the successfulness of

individuals career compared to intelligence and financial proficiency (Aziz,
1998). This is because by having a good presentation skill, the individuals
can contribute to the companies they are working for by presenting and
sharing their thoughts as well as ideas for the betterment of the company.
Apart from that, the study also disclosed that poor presentation skills can
negatively affected a persons career (Aziz, 1998). This is indeed true as
most companies do not only search for good workers who know how to do
their jobs, but they also seek for those who can perform well and show
improvements within themselves as well as contribute to the improvement of
the companies. The same study then concluded that good presentation skills
were not only necessary for an individuals success, but also contributed to
the companies value (Aziz, 1998). This is also an accurate statement as an
employee is the representative of the company and he or she will portray the
image of the whole organization. Furthermore, when they can present their
ideas well, the company can be more successful and profitable. Hence, it can
be seen that presentation skills are very important as it can affect not only
the individuals lives but also the companies.

Other than that, according to the study made by Robles (2012),

business executives considered that both hard skills and soft skills are very
important attributes in job applicants.

Hard skills can be defined as the

technical expertise and knowledge needed for a job, while soft skills can be
understood as the personal attributes possessed by individuals (Robles,
2012). Soft skills can also be known as interpersonal skills or people skills as
it revealed our ways of dealing and interacting with others. Therefore, those
individuals who possessed both skills have high potential to be hired for a job
they are targeting for.

2.0

Objective

Based on the statements above, it is clear that presentation skill is

very important for one to have successful career.

The elements in good

presentation skills comprised of both hard and soft skills. This present study
aims to disclose the essential skills needed for individuals to be a good
presenter and to present effectively in front of the audience. This study will
focus on applying both hard skills and soft skills in assisting the individuals to
give effective presentation.

3.0

Hard Skills and Soft Skills

3.1 Hard skills

Hard skills are those skills that individuals need to perform a particular
task. They can usually be developed through studying and training.
Sometimes, hard skills are also known as technical skills.
In giving an effective presentation, some of the important hard skills
which need to be mastered by individuals are the ability to use computer
together with both common as well as high technological media (audio-visual
aids). When presenting in front of the audience, the speakers need to be
able to handle the computer programs such as the Microsoft Powerpoint or
computer software like Prezi or Flipsnack. Both the computer programs and
software can assist the speakers in giving an interesting presentation.
Besides that, a good presenter can also opt for showing some videos related
to the topic of the presentation or some relevant pictures.
Next, in order to be a highly polished presenter, the individual must
have the ability to structure his or her presentation to gain maximum effect.
For instance, a good speaker may want to show some interesting facts or
videos first before moving to the real topic for the presentation. Besides that,
the speaker should also explain any term used at the beginning of the
presentation and not in the middle of it.
Then, the individuals may as well want to enhance their skills in writing
a clear effective presentation notes which can aid them during the
presentation. It is undeniably true that presenters may need the assistance
of some notes during their presentation especially when they are presenting
on a factual issue and giving concrete evidences for some statements.
Nevertheless, a good presenter must be wise enough to differentiate
whether the notes can assist or disrupt their presentation. If the notes are

too small, it might be difficult for the presenter to refer to them.

Nevertheless, if they were too big, it may give a message to the audience
that the presenter is not well-prepared or they may perceive that the
presenter is not credible enough to talk about the issue in which they are
presenting. As a result, it may lower the credibility of the presenter and
eventually will affect the interest of the audience. It is suggested that the
presenter used some cards which are not too small or too big which can
hinder them to present effectively. Therefore, it can be understood that the
presenter needs to make a wise choice on the type of notes they will use to
assist them during the presentation.
Other than that, a good presenter must also possess a high knowledge
on the topics which they will cover during their presentation. This is because
it will assist them to be more confident when giving the presentation in front
of the audience. Besides that, they need to master the topic in which they
are presenting in order for them to answer the questions from the audience.
When they have mastered the particular topic, it may facilitate them to
present technical information clearly and concisely. It will also assist them to
communicate their understanding to the audience better when they have
high knowledge on the particular topic or issue.
Last but not least, the individual who want to be an effective presenter
must also have the ability to set up on going action plan to improve future
presentation. They need to be able to realize the mistakes which they may
have committed and avoided them in the future presentation. For instance,
the presenter may lack in preparing the materials or tools needed for their

presentations like speakers, laptops chargers, adapters or even slide

pointers. The lack in having those tools may disrupt the smoothness of the
individuals presentation. Many scenarios can happen such as the individual
may not be able to show the related video during his or her presentation due
to the absence of speakers, the laptop may be suddenly switched off due to
the low battery or the laptop may not able to connect with the wire linking to
the LCD due to the absence of adapter. All of these situations may cause the
presenter to be panic and lose his or her focus to the presentation. Moreover,
the audience may view the presenter as unprofessional and lack in
preparation for the presentation when these scenarios happened. That is the
reason why a good speaker needs to be able to set up on going action plan in
improving the presentation in the future. By doing so, it enables the person
to be not only a good presenter, but better presenter in the future.
All the skills which have been mentioned above are the hard skills
needed by individuals to be a good presenter. It can be easily possessed by
individuals through studying and some training.

3.2 Soft Skills

Soft skills on the other hand, are those skills which are needed to
communicate and interact with others. That is why they are also known as
interpersonal skills or people skills. They are usually self-taught and selfdeveloped without any training.
In order to give an effective presentation, individuals must possess the
soft skill which enables them to project control and confidence during their
presentations. A good presenter must be able to show their confidence as it
can capture the attention and trust of the audience. The audience will easily

trust and believe everything said by a confident speaker compared to a

nervous one.
If the speakers are nervous and anxious, they must be able to
overcome their nervousness, anxiety and any distracting mannerisms in
front of the audience. If the speakers feel uncomfortable standing in front of
the audience, they must be able to control them by practicing some
relaxation techniques which can calm themselves down. For example, they
may want to breathe in with the count of 5 and breathe out with the same
count. If the speakers are not able to control their anxiety, the audience may
realize it and label the speaker as not credible enough to give the
presentation. Then, they may be uninterested to listen to the presentations
given by the speakers even though the issues which will be covered are
interesting. This is because they expected the speakers to be knowledgeable
in the areas which they covered during their presentations.
Besides that, a good speaker must also possess the ability to
understand the audiences need and expectation. The individual must
prioritize what the audiences want to listen, not put high importance on what
they want to present to the audience. Besides that, if the time for the
presentation is at 12.30pm, a good presenter will understand that the
audience is hungry as it is almost the lunch hour. Hence, the presenter will
not talk too long as he or she knows that the audiences want to have their
lunch and get some rest. For other example, if the person knows that he or
she will give a presentation to a group of business executives, the individual
must organize the content of the presentation comprehensively and only

show the important and relevant one. This is because the life of business
executives is busy and their schedules are very packed. Therefore, they do
not have time to listen to any irrelevant information. Nevertheless, if the
individual is going to present in front of a group of students, the person may
opt to show some videos to attract the students attention and may include
some jokes in the presentation to avoid the students feeling bored and
sleepy.
Lastly, the individuals who want to be a highly polished presenter must
be able to handle questions from the audience calmly. They must not appear
to be afraid or nervous when receiving questions from the audience. Instead,
they must feel satisfied as it shows that the audience listened and
understood their presentations. It can be interpreted that the speakers have
done a good job when giving the presentation. Besides that, good presenters
should feel eager to receive questions from the audience as they can interact
more with them.
The soft skills which have been mentioned above will assist those
individuals who deem to be a good presenter. Through interactions with
people, the speakers can better understand their audience and connect more
with them when giving the presentations.

4.0

Conclusion

All in all, it can be clearly seen that both hard and soft skills are needed
by individuals in giving an effective presentation. A good presentation skill is

important as it will determine the successfulness of an individuals career as

well as the individuals life. Apart from that, it will also affect the value of a
company. Therefore, it is essential for all individuals to master the skills in
becoming a good presenter.
Individuals can develop their hard skills by studying or involved in
trainings related to the areas in which they want to improve. In the
meanwhile, in order to improve their soft skills, they need to acquire them by
interacting with people. It is not something which can be easily developed by
reading books and studying like hard skills, as soft skills need to be
developed within the individual self. As the saying goes, practice makes
perfect. One can try to communicate and interact more with members within
the organization or friends at the university to master the soft skills.
There are few suggestions given in this study related to hard skills for
effective presentation such as the skills to use computer programs, the skills
to structure presentation and the skills to write effective presentation notes.
On the other hand, the suggestions given under the soft skills are like the
skills to project control and confidence, the skills to handle questions from
the audience and the skills to understand the needs and expectations of the
audience.

5.0

References

Aziz, K. (1998). The key to perfect presentations. Industrial and Commercial

Training, 30(6),

214-217.

Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed

in todays

workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453-465.