Presentation, negotiation and influencing skills focus on our ability to present information, arguments, and ideas effectively, considering our audience and desirable outcomes. You may use negotiating skills to discuss a topic or argument to reach a mutual agreement; persuasion to enable us to convince others to join our way of thinking (fund our venture, join our team, explore, or publish our research) and influencing skills (our style of communication, our actions and our knowledge or network) to invite others to engage positively in these negotiations and persuasions. These skills help us to build an audience for our ideas and to encourage them to engage through their actions, behaviours, thoughts, or finances.
To learn more about your skills in this category, you can evaluate your skills through the ‘Skills Discovery’ tool, via your CRSID.
Skills included in this area
Skills included in this area focus on our interactions, impact, and influence on others within professional, personal, and social settings. Combined, ‘presentation, negotiation and influencing’ skills represent ‘human’ capabilities that enable us to bring people together, influence decisions, change outcomes, debate arguments, pitch our ideas and share our research (for example).
- Ability to work remotely
- Active Listening
- Adopting a different perspective
- Asking the right questions
- Building networks
- Commercial awareness
- Communication
- Crafting an inspiring vision
- Debate
- Developing relationships
- Empowering others
- Evaluation of arguments
- Inspiring Trust
- Leadership
- Negotiation
- Optimism
- Persuasion
- Resolving conflicts
- Storytelling and public speaking
- Teaching
Ideas to develop skills in this area
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Taking part in discussion & debating opportunities to help you refine your skills. This can be part of your academic study (consider how you discuss texts, approaches, interpretations) as part of your normal routine (supervisions, lectures, seminars, groupwork, study groups).
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You can think about debating more formally through societies, such as the Cambridge Union or other similar groups/competitions in college.
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This could extend to legal ‘mooting’ competitions for budding lawyers.
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If you are considering becoming a founder, are looking for investment for a research or the investment of someone’s time or money in a project, then ‘pitching’ is a good way to develop skills in persuasion and effective presentations. Consider taking part in entrepreneurial training programmes, which can be found through IE Cambridge (search ‘pitching’)
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Use resources and skills sessions on giving presentations. Start by searching the Cambridge University Libraries Training.
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Search for training on writing and giving presentations via the University of Cambridge Training booking system (includes recommendations from LinkedIn Learning) – you can search specifically for courses on writing and giving presentations.
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Give presentations on your research to your peers, in study groups, conferences etc
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Taking part in Music performance (from recreational choir to professional) and Theatre & Arts activities (such as acting and performance) can build your confidence and style when presenting in other areas.
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Volunteering roles involving in advocacy and/or campaigning roles may involve giving presentations and taking part in negotiations (for a number of difference resources and outcomes)
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Campaigning committee roles, society roles and representative roles (particularly for underrepresented groups) can offer the chance to influence changes in your course or college.
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Event officer or planning roles, such as for your May Ball, can give you skills in negotiating contracts, space, and pitching for funding.
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Postgraduate workshop convenors & presenters: Postgraduate students (usually PhDs) organising weekly/bi-weekly workshops for Master’s and PhD students to present their research (20 min presentation), test new ideas, and receive informal feedback to improve their work (example: Cultural History Workshop)
Other skills categories to explore
Digital, technology use and technical skills
Interpersonal, communication and social skills
Writing, analytical and reporting skills
|
Skill |
Definition |
|
Ability to work remotely |
The ability to navigate hybrid or fully remote work setups (e.g., the use of email and virtual meetings and work without in-person guidance). |
|
Active Listening |
The ability to provide full attention to other speakers, understand their viewpoints and utilise gained information in following conversations or situations. |
|
Adopting a different perspective |
The ability to consider a situation, idea, or problem from a new or alternative point of view. |
|
Asking the right questions |
The ability to ask insightful, relevant, and purposeful questions to obtain information, clarify a point, or explore difficulties other people may have. |
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Building networks |
The ability to establish and nurture connections with individuals within one's existing network, as well as engaging with people from different educational or professional domains, clubs, or shared interests. |
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Commercial awareness |
The ability to understand the market, the business environment, and the factors that influence the success of an organisation (e.g., customers, opportunities, or competitors). |
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Communication |
The ability to effectively share information, ideas, and emotions with others through written, verbal, and non-verbal mediums. |
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Crafting an inspiring vision |
The ability to create a compelling and encouraging vision about the future that inspires others to work towards making it a reality. |
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Debate |
The ability to analyse, justify, and articulate comprehensive arguments during a discussion with others while demonstrating respectable manners and engaging in a polite disagreement. |
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Developing relationships |
The ability to build meaningful connections with others based on trust, mutual respect, and effective communication. |
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Empowering others |
The ability to foster confidence in others by entrusting them with tasks and decision-making responsibilities while holding them accountable for both achievements and setbacks. |
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Evaluation of arguments |
The ability to critically assess the validity, coherence, and persuasiveness of presented claims and reasonings, based on supporting evidence. |
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Inspiring Trust |
The ability to speak openly about one's intentions and goals, particularly in the capacity of being a leader. |
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Leadership |
The ability to reinforce a project's/organisation's vision while supporting and inspiring inspire individuals with diverse character traits and preferences. |
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Negotiation |
The ability to discuss something with others in order to reach an agreement or compromise with them. |
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Optimism |
The ability to perceive situations with hope and stay confident about successful outcomes even in challenging situations. |
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Persuasion |
The ability to change others' attitudes, motivations, or behaviours through a sound reasoning or argument. |
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Resolving conflicts |
The ability to identify, address, and solve a conflict in a collaborative manner that promotes positive team dynamics and progress. |
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Storytelling and public speaking |
The ability to convey ideas to all types of audiences through diverse communication mediums (e.g., words, tone, symbols, gestures and body language) in a clear and captivating manner. |
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Teaching |
The ability to help with developing someone's subject knowledge or skills, create engaging lesson plans, effectively communicate feedback, and create a supportive learning environment. |