Professional Presentations And PowerPoint Practice Profitability

Professional Presentations & Practice: Census Data publicly present powerpoint preparation

Bootstrap Business wanted to deepen their understanding of people’s presentation skills by finding out just how seasoned and well versed the average UK and Irish employee actually is when it comes to delivering a killer professional presentation in the workplace. Sales, business, public speaking, and PowerPoint presentations are important for company financial fitness and can also become very profitable in front of press. Those with proficiency in public speaking can attest to have it can positively pump up their profits.

Bootstrap Business decided to carry out a survey of just over 1,000 office workers (1016 United Kingdom and Northern Irish office workers ages 18+ on February 2023) and questioned them about their knowledge of presentations and the level of training they have received for business presentations

Here are a few things that Bootstrap Business found out during their census survey on presentation preparation and practice: 

Nearly 77% said that they were required to create and deliver presentations as part of their job. 

But only 23% of those questioned have received training on how to create and deliver a presentation. 

Over 87% of the respondents had a bad experience while delivering their presentation. 

And 18% found that nerves got the better of them and they were unable to deliver their presentation at all. 

About 47% of respondents say they always practice a presentation before delivering it. 

Around 44% admit that they practice only sometimes. 

And 9% don’t practice at all for presentations. 

Now 20% of office workers start their presentation by telling a joke or saying ‘it won’t take long’. 

Nearly 27% spotted a typo on one of their slides while they were presenting. 

Over 20% of office workers start their presentation by telling a joke or saying ‘it won’t take long’ 

On average about 19% begin practicing their business presentations less than a week in advance 

Northern Irish respondents see the least amount of training available for presenting. 

How To Improve Presentation Training And Practice

More and more UK employees are required to create and deliver presentations for their existing and potential customers on behalf of their employers. And one of the most difficult questions when it comes to delivering a presentation is “where to begin?”. 

For that reason, presentation design experts Bootstrap Business conducted new research by surveying 1000 office workers from across the country. 

Of those questioned, 77% said that they were required to create and deliver presentations as part of their job. So what do employees do in order to prepare for their presentations? Almost a quarter of respondents admit beginning working on their preparations less than a week before they are required to present the finished product. And an amazing 3% do nothing at all until the day they are due to present. However, most of the respondents who deliver their own presentations sensibly begin preparing in good time. 

25% start more than a month in advance and 48% less than a month but up to one week before the due date. 47% of respondents say they always practice a presentation before delivering it, 44% admit that they practice only sometimes, and 9% don’t practice at all. Of those who prepare for their presentations, 19% said that they begin rehearsing over a month before the date of their presentation. 43% do so less than a month up to one week before the due date. However, over a third (34%) wait until they have less than a week before they are presenting and 4% cut it fine by only going through their presentation on the day they are expected to present it. 

Almost a third of British employees who had previously given a presentation at work said that they started by introducing themselves and their team. Furthermore, 25% kept it simple and just introduced themselves as the presenter. 10% preferred to tell a joke to lighten the mood, and 10% simply chose to assure their audience that the presentation would not take long. 

Other approaches included offering sweet treats such as chocolates or biscuits to those watching (6%) or making small talk about the weather (4%). 9% of those delivering a presentation felt it best to simply get to the point and began without an introduction. The study revealed that 87% of the respondents had a bad experience while delivering their presentation. Over a third (35%) mentioned that they had experienced technical difficulties - such as problems with the computer or projector, or trying to transfer or load a file that was too big. Furthermore: 

● 33% found themselves having to make last minute changes 
● 27% spotted a typo on one of their slides while they were presenting 
● 18% discovered that members of their audience did not understand the information they were trying to deliver 
● 18% found that nerves got the better of them and they were unable to deliver their presentation at all 
● 12% experienced an audience member walking out 
● 11% were forced to deliver an incomplete or unfinished presentation 
● 10% ended up delivering an old version of their presentation 

Interestingly, 15% of people had delivered a presentation that they had never seen before because someone else had created it for them. Just 13% had never experienced a single hitch with their presentations. One researcher commented on the findings: “It’s important to be well prepared for your presentation - after all, technology can be notoriously uncooperative if it isn’t set up correctly, and failing to check through the file you’ve set up could result in embarrassing mishaps occurring while you’re trying your best to win over an audience.” 

The survey also looked at presentation training that United Kingdom employees receive. According to the findings, 23% of those questioned received training on how to create and deliver a presentation. Further 18% have only been given training in the delivery of a presentation and another 18% said they were just trained in the creation of one. 41% of all respondents (39% of males and 44% of females) never received presentation training of any kind. 

The research showed that businesses in different regions offered varying levels of training to their employees. Northern Irish respondents saw the least amount of training available, with 57% of the sample group there saying that they had not been trained in any presentation skills. Compared to, for example, 32% of the sample group members based in the East of England who had been trained in both creating and delivering presentations. A shocking 26% of those surveyed revealed that their employers had lost a potential customer as the result of a low-quality presentation, with 39% of that group saying it had happened more than once. 

Perhaps even more concerning is the fact that 25% of respondents said that existing customers had abandoned their company because of a poor presentation, and 44% of that portion said that this had occurred on multiple occasions. This goes to show the true power of presentations and PowerPoint.

“The above numbers reveal the vital importance of developing presentation skills and receiving proper training in order to represent your employers - and your own abilities - in the best possible light.” 



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I hope you enjoyed this article about professional presentations and PowerPoint practice profitability in front of press and the survey data analysis.

Interested in more articles about PowerPoint and presentations?

Read Related Resources:

- How To Close Your Presentation On A Strong Note 

- Tip To Present A Strong PowerPoint Presentation


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