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10 Different Types of Business Presentation

Effective business presentation can help a business reduce internal conflict and increase external sales. Business presentations can be used to confirm a company’s financial viability, to cast a vision for a managerial staff and to honour the accomplishments of valued employees.

Businesses and professional firms use presentations to inform, educate, motivate and persuade internal and external audiences. They build presentations into sales, training and internal communication programs, using the power of words and images to engage their audience and retain attention.

Have it in mind that a well – organised presentation also expresses professionalism and helps to reinforce an organization’s corporate image. Focusing on the importance of presentation in business can be the difference between nabbing the right employees, customers and investors and not.

A well crafted presentation offers an opportunity for businesses to meet customers and prospects in person. Leveraging presentation as part of a sales campaign can improve results via many benefits. According to reports, these benefits include the power of reciprocation, social proof, and the tendency to believe and obey authority figures.

It also makes it easier to engage your audience. Striking graphics can hold an audience’s attention; while clear bullet points or summary text helps the audience understand the logic of a presentation. The theatrical nature of a presentation can create greater impact than an individual trying to make the same point by just talking.

Creating a standard presentation helps to ensure that different people in a company communicate information in a consistent way. A presentation provides a framework for communicating information about products, services or companies in a structured way.

Various Types of Business Presentation

When looking at presentations in the broadest term, perhaps it’s more important to focus on their purpose. Their purpose will entail the style or type of presentation and the result to be achieved. Howbeit, here are few types of business presentations in the United States.

  1. Persuasive Presentation

These are the presentations where you might attempt to convince the audience to buy your product or service, to support your goals or concepts, or to change their minds or attitudes. Persuasive presentations, which are sometimes called transactional, are often motivational.

In a business field, a supervisor may make a presentation on teamwork in order to motivate employees to support new cooperative efforts within the company structure. Note that it may involve a board asking its shareholders to support changes in the way dividends are distributed.

It could also encompass the distribution arm of an organization making suggestions about packaging changes that would reduce shipping costs. Or it perhaps may involve the marketing department trying to sell top management on the idea of a new promotional campaign.

  1. Informative Presentation

Informative presentations can be divided into two distinct categories: reporting and explaining. A reporting presentation brings the audience up to date on projects or events. Note that these presentations tend to include sharing minutes from shareholders meetings, executive briefings, or oral sales reports. The explanatory presentation offers information about products and procedures, rules and regulations, operations, and other nitty – gritty data.

Informational presentations may include talks, seminars, proposals, workshops, conferences, and meetings where the presenter or presenters share their expertise, and information is exchanged. In business settings, this might involve a supervisor explaining new forms, products, regulations, or filing procedures to employees.

Note that during the sales presentation, the sales person may provide information on the product or service to a prospective customer. In a retail situation, newly hired sales clerks may attend a presentation on selling techniques or loss prevention.

  1. Sales Presentation

This is more or less the single most prevalent category of presentations. Throughout our lives we are “selling” ourselves to the society, prospective mates, neighbours, or colleagues. But in the business world, we are most often selling our products, services, or ideas.

However, the two most important points for success in a sales presentation include knowing and understanding your audience and building rapport. Note that sales presentations can begin simply as first encounters, those one – on – one, get – to – know – each – other meetings over lunch, or a no – frills quickie meeting in a prospective client’s office.

If things go according to plan, your first encounter might translate into a full – blown multi – media sales presentation with the top brass and the entire sales team. But most likely you’ll need to schedule a follow – up meeting at which time you will present your proposal and position yourself to close the deal.

  1. Motivational Presentation

Motivation is another form of persuasion, but one that somehow takes on a more fervent, highly charged tone. Motivational presenters are expected to know what makes the audience tick and zero in on their hot buttons.

They also are expected to use high – energy presentation tactics in order to capture and hold the audience’s attention for the entire message. For instance, a real – estate broker may hire a motivational expert who is also a well – known local former sports hero to help motivate his/ her staff out of a sales slump.

  1. Training Presentation

In training sessions, presenters teach participants a variety of skills. Topics might include: Sales techniques, How to deal with diversity in the workplace, Time management and stress reduction, Team building, Negotiation or leadership, Meetings management, and How to give presentations.

In many business settings, training is a captive situation in which the audience has no choice but to participate. So in order to reach the audience, the presenter must make a connection and build rapport, just as in a sales situation.

  1. Interviews

Note that when a company spokesperson, writer, artist, inventor, or other type of expert appears on a radio or television talk show or is interviewed for an online or print (magazine or newspaper) article, that person is ideally a presentation.

Also note that a  job interview is yet another presentation form, one where the presenter should make an effort to identify his/her immediate audience (the interviewer), but should also take great pains to learn as much as possible about the larger audience (the company).

  1. Goodwill Presentation

Note that Departments, units, or teams within a business organization are often rewarded for their success at meetings where their stellar work is showcased. Each of these events more or less includes some kind of presentation, most often in the form of a speech or sometimes with a slide show, video, or multimedia event.

Goodwill presentations, which sometimes take the form of after – dinner speeches, are often designed to be entertaining; for example, sharing video highlights of the president’s 10 years at the helm or “roasting” the top sales person.

Sometimes they are ceremonial; for example, the dedication of a new company facility, welcoming a new key executive or distributing performance rewards. Have it in mind that the purpose of goodwill presentations for peers, colleagues and superiors is quite obvious: to establish goodwill, to make people feel good about themselves, and to build respect for the organization.

  1. Entertainment Presentation

Be reminded that this type of presentation is often designed to serve more than one purpose. It may be held to inform, build a positive image, and create goodwill.

For instance, an after – dinner talk at a company – wide dinner may focus on a newly launched product but may also be designed to thank employees and outside contractors. In addition, the talk may also serve to position the company as highly successful and to make everyone connected with the firm feel positive about their association.

  1. Image Building Presentation

Image building presentations can be, at once, informative, entertaining, persuasive, and certainly goodwill oriented. Most times in the realm of public relations and marketing professionals, an image – building presentation expresses an effort to position a company, an organization, or an individual as a leader in an industry or field, as an expert on a certain subject, as a good – guy, or as a good neighbour.

However, most image – building work is tied to some kind of sales effort, whether it’s selling a product, a service, a person, or a concept. Image – building presentations can also frequently be used as launching pads for extensive public relations publicity efforts.

A food production company may ask one of its scientists to make a presentation to a high school nutrition class on the positive role good meals play in our daily lives. This positions the food company as a good neighbour and works toward alleviating negative impressions that could affect sales.

  1. Multipurpose Presentation

Most times, presentations have more than one purpose. A presentation to employees may be announced as an informative session on new regulations, but it in fact may also be an all – out effort to ginger up workers to buy into the new rules. An introductory presentation about new software programs may be a not – so – subtle nudge to those employees who have been slow to adapt to the new programs.

Conclusion

Most companies leverage business presentations when communicating to a group. But they can vary based on the presentation purpose. Nonetheless, be sure to know the exact goal you hope to achieve, and then settle for a presentation type that will help you achieve it.