A Psychometric Evaluation of Skill Clusters and Practices Used by Highly Effective Executive Presenters

Abstract

The present paper is an evaluation of those skill clusters and practices that are associated with superior ratings of executive presentation skills. It focuses on improving executive presentation skills. It explains the basics of oral presentation skills in general that apply across domains including that of business and management. Six sets practices were found to be characteristic of effective executive business presentation: the preparation, the delivery, and the questions and answers that follow the delivery. As Pappas and Hendricks (2000) and DiStanza, and Legge, 2002 found that an effective executive presentation includes the presenter's mastery and skill in technical content, organization, delivery and relating to the audience. Effective presenters have must be proficient at collecting, selecting, organizing, and illustrating their data, and have to be acutely aware of the purpose of their presentation, and the needs and interests of the audience. So, what distinguishes an executive presentation from other forms of oral communication is the context (environment), the content and the audience. The ingredients of an effective executive presentation are more or less the same as those of any other types of face-to-face presentations. Hence, although this article is focused on helping executives develop and more effectively use their oral presentation skills and practices, our framework can be of used by others who want to be effective public speakers.