Presentation, negotiation and influencing skills

Presentation, negotiation and influencing skills focus on how you communicate ideas persuasively, reach agreements, and inspire others to take action.

Presentation skills involve sharing information, arguments, and ideas effectively with different audiences. Negotiation skills help you discuss topics and reach mutually beneficial agreements through compromise and collaboration. Influencing skills enable you to persuade others to adopt your perspective, support your ideas, or engage with your projects.

You can see a full list of the skills included in this category at the bottom of this page.

These skills are essential for building support for your ideas, whether you're applying for funding for your research project, advocating for a cause you care about, or leading a team. Being able bring people together and influence decisions enables you to make a positive impact within both professional and personal contexts.

Think about times you might have developed skills in this area, such as giving a presentation or persuading others to take on your ideas. Use thelist at the bottom of the page to identify which skills you were using, and check out the Skills Discovery Tool to evaluate your skills.

Easy ways to get started

You can begin developing these skills through everyday interactions and academic activities. You could:

  • Practice your storytelling skills with friends by discussing interesting events that have happened to you or others. Work out what keeps your listeners engaged, whether that's how you structure the story or your gestures and tone.
  • Work onhandling disagreements constructively - if you disagree with someone, acknowledge and build on their point to create common ground before offering your alternative perspective. You could try this in supervisions.
  • If you're doing a dissertation or research project, come up with engaging short summaries of your research that you can share when meeting new people. Think about which aspects different people would find interesting and what questions they might ask.

Some people find these skills easier than others, but effective presentation and negotiating skills can be built with practice. Try this UIS Training course or check out LinkedIn Learning resources to discover top techniques. Find out how to access LinkedIn Learning through your University account.

Skills development opportunities

You could build your confidence in these skills through structured opportunities. Here are some suggestions:

  • Attend workshops on public speaking and presenting run by your College or department to learn new techniques. Keep an eye out for posters or emails advertising these events.
  • Take part in debates or discussions. This could be through a debating society such as the Cambridge Union or the Cambridge United Nations Association, or reading and discussion groups. Check out your departmental mailing list for these groups, or University institutes such as CRASSH.
  • Apply to be part of your College telephone fundraising campaign, which take place annually during vacations. Working as a caller, you will develop your persuasion and fundraising skills.
  • Become an academic representative or JCR/MCR committee member to negotiate on behalf of fellow students to influence positive change in your department or College.
  • Take opportunities to present your academic research at student conferences, departmental seminars, or discussion groups to practice public speaking and persuasively communicating complex ideas.
  • Participate in music or theatre performances to build confidence in front of audiences. Find out how to get involved on the Theatre, Film & Arts and Music pages.
  • Take on a role on your College's May Ball Committee that involves negotiating contracts with vendors, such as Food Officer (you will also get to sample all of the food options!)
  • Try mooting competitions. These are mock court hearings, where participants analyse a given legal problem and present an argument. You don't have to be a law student to do this, and it is a great way to develop public speaking and persuasion skills. Check out the Law Society's mooting resources and look at their webpage for upcoming competitions.

Check out the activities pages for more ideas on how to get involved and develop your skills in this area.