As we approach the new year it’s the ideal time to reflect on where we are in terms of our career growth and development, and set goals for the year ahead. As part of this self-assessment we should be thinking about what skills are in high demand in our industry now, and those predicted to become more important in the future. We’ve seen an increased priority placed on soft skills over the last few years as digital and AI-based industry initiatives help to level the playing field. So it’s not surprising that the most in-demand skill (according to talent professionals) for 2024 was the ability to communicate effectively.
Given how rapidly work environments are shifting, it’s equally not surprising that the most in-demand skill trending right now is adaptability and will likely feature in the top 3 for 2025.
And good communication skills are essential for business adaptability because they enable organisations and teams to make informed decisions and navigate change while maintaining or increasing productivity.
If we think about athletes, they don’t stop working with coaches once they achieve their goal, because the goaliscontinuous improvement. Continuous improvement is also the reason many of us have a personal trainer, an executive coach, or a professional mentor.
Now at SecondNature, we’re not suggesting that we all employ a full-time presentation skills coach, unless of course, you’re a professional speaker. But nonetheless, taking the time to invest in refresher coaching can make a significant difference. So, in this blog, we are going to look at the three key reasons why brushing up on your presentation and communication skills should be on your goals list for the year ahead.
1. Adapting to changing roles
Whether it’s the challenge of a new role, a promotion, or being able to respond quickly to fast-changing industry trends, the ability to adapt and bring people along with you is a critical skill you will want, and need, to continue to develop.
- New responsibilities: A change in role may involve new or different situations that require you to communicate effectively across a greater range of business settings involving new, often more demanding audiences. Refresher training can give you the skills to adapt your language, tone and content to different audiences for maximum effect.
- Shift in focus: Roles that shift from an individual contribution, perhaps from a technical background, to a broader management focus require presentations to be more strategic or team-oriented, rather than data-driven. Refresher training can help people adjust their messaging and content to connect and reflect their contribution to the broader organisational goals.
- Increased Complexity:We don’t all have to be AI engineers or data specialists, but understanding how these new technologies impact our industry and organisation is necessary. Refresher training coaches people on how to simplify complex concepts, ideas and data for different audiences.
- Leadership & Influence: Higher-level roles often involve influencing decisions or leading teams. Refresher training can focus on persuasion techniques, storytelling, and confidence-building to ensure presentations inspire and motivate.
- Collaboration and Teamwork: Adaptability often means that different departments, with diverse expertise and skill sets, need to collaborate and work seamlessly towards the same organisational goals. Refresher training encourages teamwork and ensures everyone is on the same page, making it easier to adapt and work as a unified and cohesive team.
Good communication builds the foundation for an adaptable culture where people feel valued, are more engaged, and are better prepared to handle whatever changes come their way.
2. Unlearning Bad Habits
We all slip into bad habits now and again, especially when we do things routinely. The same is true when we feel pressured or under stress. Flipping to autopilot requires less mental effort and can feel like the safe option.
Like everything else, without regular feedback our presentation and communication skills can often become less sharp and effective. The same is true with newly acquired skills. New skills require consistent reinforcement and practise for them to become ingrained and second nature.
Whatever the reason that things may feel a little stale, embarking on refresher presentation skills training will help you elevate your communication effectiveness. It’s important to identify what aspect in advance you want the most help with: structure, delivery, pitching, handling Q&As etc – as training that is customised to your individual needs, even in a group setting, will give you the greatest benefit. But you should expect to cover some or all of the following:
- How to tailor messages for different audiences.
- How to map out content in a clear, persuasive and engaging way – even for sceptical audiences.
- How to create a great first impression, establish the right to be heard, and convey authority, with more senior audiences.
- How to maintain the audiences’ attention – in-person and online.
- How to harness nonverbal cues and voice control.
- How to use attention-grab techniques.
- How to overcome nerves before and during a high-stakes presentation.
- How to deal with audience questions and disruptions.
- How to make the most of the latest technology within visual aids.
Even if you’re an experienced presenter it’s essential to get regular and constructive feedback from peers and experts so that you can identify areas for continuous improvement.
3. Adapting to changing trends
Audience expectations and presentation styles change over time, often as a result of new technology and communication platforms that offer interactivity, virtual presentation techniques and visual storytelling. It’s a lot to stay on top of. Add to that the fact that an estimated 49% of meetings are now either hybrid- a mix of in-person and remote participants, or online. So now, more than ever, it’s important to adapt our presentation techniques to the business setting as much as it is to the audience. Here are a few reasons why refresher training can be of help.
- Mastering Virtual and Hybrid Presentation Skills: The skills we need to run a hybrid meeting and engage with remote audiences are different to those we might use for in-person situations. Refresher training can coach you on how to keep remote audiences engaged and how best to optimise the visual and technical aspects of online collaboration platforms so that you maximise and manage screen time effectively.
- Strengthening Nonverbal Communication: With so much choice of slide software programmes and multi-media presentation techniques around it’s easy for the audience to focus more on the screen and less on the presenter. Refresher training can improve a presenter’s non-verbal cues like body language, posture, movement, eye contact and gestures to ensure they project authority, build trust and maintain audience engagement.
- Adapting to Diverse Audiences: Technology allows us to meet virtually with our colleagues and business partners around the world. A refresher course can help people learn how to flex their communication approach to resonate culturally and professionally with diverse groups.
Even experienced presenters can start to doubt themselves if they’re presenting about new topics or to unfamiliar audiences. And this can often be the trigger for imposter syndrome. A refresher course helps rebuild confidence, reduce anxiety and the chance to hone up on storytelling and delivery techniques. Whatever stage you are at in your career developing and improving effective and persuasive communication skills will bring career lasting benefits.
How We Can Help
If you’d like to continue to improve your presentation and communication skills, then refresher training that is personalised to your development needs and tailored for your business might be just the thing for you. Check out our in-person Skills Embed and Extend Coaching or our live online Skills Embed and Extend Coaching.
For nearly 20 years we have been known as the Business Presentation Skills Experts, training and coaching thousands of people in an A-Z of global and local organisations. View our presentation skills training and coaching reviews to check out what they say about our programmes.
We have a wide range of customised corporate training solutions, both in-person and online to choose from, each of which can be tailored to your specific business needs.
