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What is a Business Communication Presentation?

Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders

A business communication presentation is an informational presentation, usually in the form of PowerPoint slides, that is accompanied by a brief speech. Presentations can have many different objectives, ranging from marketing and advertising to research and measurement or employee engagement. Presentations can be given to audiences ranging from a small group of 10 to 15 colleagues to a conference room filled with several hundred potential clients.

In large companies, there is often a communications director who is responsible for managing both internal and external communications. This helps ensure that messages remain consistent for all business communication presentations. At smaller companies, however, presentations may be crafted by people working at many different levels within the organization. An approval process for presentations may be required, depending upon the nature of the project.

A business communication presentation is usually in the form of a PowerPoint slide show.
A business communication presentation is usually in the form of a PowerPoint slide show.

If you're in charge of creating a business communication presentation, keep in mind that people have very short attention spans. Do not bore your audience with unnecessary details. Keep your presentation as simple as possible, picking three to five key points to emphasize. If you must cover a lot of material, briefly review the key points in the middle of your presentation to make sure your audience remembers everything that is being said.

It is important to wear informal attire that isn't too flashy when giving a presentation.
It is important to wear informal attire that isn't too flashy when giving a presentation.

As far as design is concerned, simple is best for a business communication presentation. Incorporate your company colors and logo, if appropriate. Keep your font choices to two or three different typefaces at the most, making sure that all your text is easy to read. Use photos if they help support the message of your presentation, but avoid clip art that is no more than unnecessary clutter. Animation and sound effects should be used cautiously, since many people find these additions to be irritating in a professional environment.

Local businesses might host a presentation on how to be a more effective communicator.
Local businesses might host a presentation on how to be a more effective communicator.

Depending upon the purpose of your presentation, your company may want to make it available online for others to view. Online presentations combining PowerPoint slides with downloadable audio or video are becoming an increasingly popular way for corporations to market themselves to prospective clients or potential employees. For example, consumers researching a large purchase often want to view a company's sales presentations as part of their comparison shopping process.

Business communication presentations may be given at a conference.
Business communication presentations may be given at a conference.

Creating a business communication presentation is a popular topic of discussion for college level business courses. However, there are also a number of continuing education classes and online tutorials devoted to helping people prepare more effective presentations. If you are not confident in your communications skills, consider taking advantage of these resources to be an investment in your future career success.

Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders

Dana holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. She has loved being part of the WiseGEEK team ever since discovering the joys of freelance writing after her son was born. Dana also hones her writing skills by contributing articles to various blogs, as well as creating sales copy and content for e-courses.

Learn more...
Dana Hinders
Dana Hinders

Dana holds a B.A. in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa. She has loved being part of the WiseGEEK team ever since discovering the joys of freelance writing after her son was born. Dana also hones her writing skills by contributing articles to various blogs, as well as creating sales copy and content for e-courses.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

John57

I am one of those people who can get bored easily when someone starts to give a business presentation. If this is not done well and doesn't keep me engaged, I find my mind wandering to other things I could be doing with my time.

When I worked in sales I went through some sales presentation training courses, so know how to put together a good presentation. Communicating with those you are presenting to is so important because that makes a huge difference.

Another thing that is important is the first impression you make. If you get off to a bad start, it can be hard to keep your audience where you want them to be, even with the most carefully put together presentation.

golf07

@myharley-- You made a very interesting point about getting into the mind of your audience members. When I took a presentation skills course, this is one of the things they talked about.

Because they weren't trying to sell you a particular product, the course was focused on how to put together a business presentation that was both technologically well done, but also would appeal to your audience from a personal point of view.

If both of these are present, your presentation will be much better received and remembered, which is what you want to accomplish in the first place.

It doesn't matter if you are making the presentation to a handful of people or talking to a room of 100, the concepts are the same.

myharley

In one of my business classes in college, we had to put together a business communication program and present it to the class.

It was interesting to see some of creative things some of the students did with their presentation. I am not very creative by nature, so stuck with a simple slide presentation that was simple and to the point.

I think there is a fine balance between a simple, concise presentation and one that uses too many features. I find these to be distracting and instead of focusing on the content of the presentation, I was thinking about other things.

I learned a lot about business presentation skills in that class. You really don't have to be technologically gifted to put together a good presentation, and getting inside the minds of your audience is one of the most important things you want to accomplish.

SarahSon

Even if you are confident in your communication skills, I think using some kind of slide presentation is helpful. Many people like to take notes, and this gives your audience an easy format to follow when writing down key points.

If I am presenting, it also helps keep me on track so I don't get lost or repeat the same information over again. I am always looking for ways of improving my communication skills, and using PowerPoint slides has been a way for me to do this effectively.

Even if I don't use a PowerPoint presentation, I like to use something visual which helps people retain the information being presented to them.

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    • A business communication presentation is usually in the form of a PowerPoint slide show.
      By: gewitterkind
      A business communication presentation is usually in the form of a PowerPoint slide show.
    • It is important to wear informal attire that isn't too flashy when giving a presentation.
      By: Foxy_A
      It is important to wear informal attire that isn't too flashy when giving a presentation.
    • Local businesses might host a presentation on how to be a more effective communicator.
      By: Andres Rodriguez
      Local businesses might host a presentation on how to be a more effective communicator.
    • Business communication presentations may be given at a conference.
      By: Africa Studio
      Business communication presentations may be given at a conference.
    • Business presentations should be concise and free of unnecessary information.
      By: Jenner
      Business presentations should be concise and free of unnecessary information.