Presentation Skills Training for the Workplace

If your people present to clients, boards or teams and the message keeps getting lost, the fix is structured practice — not more slides. BOTI’s 2-day presentation skills course teaches staff to structure a clear argument, design clean visuals, deliver with confidence, present data and handle Q&A. Delivered in-house across South Africa.

For an L&D buyer, the problem is rarely that staff “can’t present.” It’s that a strong analyst freezes in front of the exec committee, a capable sales lead buries the offer on slide 14, or a project manager reads dense data tables aloud until the room disengages. Each of those is a trainable skill — and each one, left unaddressed, costs your business deals, decisions and credibility.

This page sits within our public speaking and presentation skills training cluster. If you’re scoping a wider communication uplift, start at the pillar; if you’re ready to brief a presentation-specific course for a team, this is the page you want.

What a presentation skills course should fix

When buyers ask us to upskill staff, the same five gaps come up. A good business presentation training programme addresses all of them — not just nerves.

Gap you see What’s actually happening What the course builds
“They ramble” No structure or audience analysis up front A repeatable structure: objective, audience, message, evidence, ask
“The slides are a wall of text” Slides used as speaker notes Visual design discipline — one idea per slide, signal over noise
“They freeze / rush” Untrained nerves, no rehearsal method Anxiety-management techniques and delivery practice
“The data doesn’t land” Raw tables shown, no story Presenting data so the insight, not the spreadsheet, is the takeaway
“Q&A goes sideways” No method for fielding tough questions A framework for listening, bridging and answering under pressure

Inside BOTI’s presentation skills course

This is a 2-day course, delivered off-site or in-house at venues across South Africa’s major city centres — Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria — or on-site at your premises. It runs across 12 working modules:

  1. Let’s Begin — icebreaker, setting objectives for the two days
  2. Crafting Your Program — needs analysis, outlining and content development
  3. Delivery Methods Demystified — choosing the right format for the message
  4. Mastering Verbal Communication — listening, questioning and commanding presence
  5. Harnessing Non-Verbal Communication — body language and gestures
  6. Conquering Nervousness — mental and physical techniques for managing anxiety
  7. Elevating with Flip Charts
  8. Powering Up with PowerPoint
  9. Whiteboard Wizardry
  10. Captivating with Videos and Audio
  11. Infusing Energy — humour, discussion and handling queries
  12. Wrapping Up — action plans and feedback

By the end, participants can overcome the fear of presenting, deliver persuasive presentations, and use a range of delivery methods — flip charts, PowerPoint, whiteboards, video and audio — with intent rather than habit.

Who it’s for

The course suits executives, managers, salespeople, HR personnel, project managers, trainers, consultants and communications professionals — and any employee whose advancement depends on presenting well. For L&D buyers, the typical cohort is a department or sales team that presents externally to clients, or upward to boards and exec committees.

Accreditation

This presentation skills course is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme; delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (this is not an accredited qualification). Need accredited training? Ask about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes in business administration and management communication. Tell us your B-BBEE skills-development and reporting needs when you brief us, and we’ll steer you to the right option.

The five skills, in practice

1. Structuring a presentation

Most weak presentations fail before a slide is built. We teach staff to start with a needs analysis — who is in the room, what decision they need to make, and what one message moves them. Content is then outlined backwards from the ask, so the structure carries the argument and the speaker isn’t relying on the slides to remember it.

2. Slide and visual design

Slides should reduce cognitive load, not add to it. Participants learn to build one idea per slide, strip filler text, and choose the right visual aid for the moment — PowerPoint for a tight narrative, a whiteboard or flip chart for a working session, video or audio where it genuinely lands. They also build a backup plan for when the technology fails in the room.

3. Delivery and confidence

This is where the course earns its keep. Through the verbal, non-verbal and nervousness modules, staff practise commanding presence — voice, pace, eye contact and body language — and apply mental and physical techniques to manage anxiety. If voice control and presence are the core blocker for your team, pair this with our Voice & Confidence Training for Professionals, which goes deeper on vocal delivery.

4. Presenting data

Boards don’t want the spreadsheet; they want the insight. Participants learn to lead with the takeaway, choose the right chart for the point, and talk to data rather than read it — so a quarterly review or a client results deck drives a decision instead of a glaze-over.

5. Handling Q&A

The “Infusing Energy” module covers handling queries and audience interaction directly. Staff learn to listen for the real question, bridge to their message, and answer tough or hostile questions without losing composure or credibility.

Free download: Communication Skills-Gap Self-Assessment

Not sure whether the gap is structure, delivery, data or confidence? Download our free Manager Capability / Communication Skills-Gap Self-Assessment to benchmark your team in 10 minutes and pinpoint exactly where the training spend should go. Request a quote or a 15-minute callback and we’ll send it through with a tailored proposal.

Indicative investment

Pricing depends on group size, location and whether you run public-schedule or in-house. As a guide, the standard 2-day presentation skills course runs at:

Group size Price (ex VAT, per person)
1 person R 8,761.25
3 people R 6,937.02
10 people R 5,067.28

Per-delegate cost drops sharply with group size, so cohort training is the economical route for a team. For exact in-house and on-site quotes, contact us — we get back to you within 15 minutes.

How this fits your wider plan

“I was motivated, inspired and gained self-confidence. The benefits of the course will always be cherished.” — Queen Anne Zondo, DIRCO

Frequently asked questions

How long is the presentation skills course?

It’s a 2-day course. It can run on the public schedule or be delivered in-house at your premises, and the pace and case studies can be tailored to your team’s real presentations.

Is the presentation skills course accredited?

No — this is a practical, facilitator-led skills programme, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of completion (it is not an accredited qualification). If you need accredited training, ask us about BOTI’s QCTO/SETA-accredited programmes in business administration and management communication, and we’ll recommend the right fit.

Can you deliver it in-house for our team?

Yes. We deliver off-site or in-house across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria, and on-site at your offices. In-house delivery is the most cost-effective option for a full team and lets us build the course around your actual client or board presentations.

Who should attend?

Executives, managers, salespeople, HR and project staff, trainers and consultants — anyone who presents to clients, boards or teams, or whose role depends on communicating clearly.

How much does the presentation skills course cost?

As a guide, the 2-day course ranges from R 5,067.28 per person (groups of 10) to R 8,761.25 (individual), ex VAT. Per-delegate cost falls with group size. Contact us for an exact in-house quote.

Ready to upskill your presenters?

Brief us on your team and the presentations they give, and we’ll scope a programme that fixes the right gap. Request a quote or a 15-minute callback — we respond within 15 minutes — and we’ll include the Communication Skills-Gap Self-Assessment so you can benchmark your team before the first session. Phone 011-882-8853.

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