Businesses 'should invest' in presentation skills training

Investing in presentation skills training for staff could be hugely beneficial to employers in the long term.

This is according to a blog post for Training Zone, which stated that because "people buy people", it is crucial that for employees to feel comfortable talking to clients about the businesses in an engaging way.

Being able to deliver a dynamic pitch to prospective buyers or customers is the key to building lasting lasting relationships, but managers cannot expect all members to staff to be highly skilled in this area.

Some employees may be excellent at what they do, but lack certain abilities when it comes to public speaking or holding a conversation.

That's why it is important for bosses to provide the right training for these workers, so they can thrive in the company and feel that their presence is valued.

"With some simple presentation skills training, people have a technique to support them and prevent them being overwhelmed. This then feeds into their feelings of confidence and a cycle of positive reinforcement is created," the article explained.

It added that equipping staff with new techniques can build flexibility and responsiveness into an organisation's workforce, spreading all-important soft skills.

This can be achieved in a number of different ways, through in-house training sessions or online learning.

The latter is particularly effective, as it doesn't eat into managers' or employees' working hours but it does give them the freedom to access educational materials wherever they like and at whatever time is most convenient for them.

It also cuts down on administrative costs, which is a big advantage during such a pressing economic climate.

For help in delivering online learning, companies could turn to the services of Virtual College, which runs various digital courses in key business topics.

Its Presentation Skills module is ideal, as it helps workers grow more confident in their pitch delivery, teaches them what makes a presentation successful and shows them how to evaluate their own skills in this area.