Making Workplaces Work Better

Course Title

Presentation Skills for Professionals

Why This Course?

Every time we speak to a group there is a powerful opportunity to reach and influence their thinking and actions.  Certainly, it can be challenging to put yourself in their shoes, but gaining this perspective is a key to success.  There is no longer any reason to compromise presentation effectiveness -- it doesn't take any longer to hit the mark with an audience than it does to lose them completely.  This program provides a systematic and proven strategy for building strong audience rapport while persuading and influencing to gain acceptance of proposals or new ideas.  Carefully planned and executed, this approach delivers an irresistible call to action.

Target Audience

Managers, executives, trainers, consultants, salespeople, team leaders and and others who give group presentations to persuade, inform, or propose ideas and plans for action.

Course Objectives

• Build on natural public speaking strengths, adding new awareness, skills and polish as a presenter
• Gain confidence and finesse as you pinpoint your unique presentation style and discover how to make the most of it
• Master techniques for turning cloaked power plays (challenging questions or comments intended to divert attention) into increased audience rapport.
• Deal with the occasional and inevitable blunders or technical difficulties gracefully, without giving away power 
• Learn how to analyze the composition of an audience to reveal their intellectual and emotional hot-buttons.

Gain or improve these six essential speaking skills:

1. Learn how to establish rapport, credibility, and emotional connection to your audience
2. Use this connection to inspire, inform, teach, coach/facilitate or persuade
3. Discover innovative ways to involve the audience in what is real and vital to them
4. Use the bridge of rapport to not only hold their attention, but to reach them emotionally with your message
5. How your use of space, gestures, visual aides and other "non-verbals" say more than your words
6. Explore the use of appropriate humor ... how humor can be your most powerful tool ... identify your natural humor style.

Course Contents

1. Review the fundamental of effective speaking -- what makes a great presenter and great presentation?
2. Anatomy of an effective presentation -- how does every effective speech begin and end?  What happens in the middle?
3. Audience analysis: Step into the audience’s anticipated experience of your presentation.  What will they hear, see, and feel that will convince them to act, agree or accept your message?
4. Staying powerful and resourceful: how to manage one’s mental and emotional state when
   • Handling confrontation
   • Dealing with a disgruntled or bored audience
   • Fielding hostile or challenging questions 
5. Rapport and "sensory acuity" to be able to notice and use the audience’s signals ... how this also helps relieve anxiety by shifting one’s attention from self to audience at the right times
6. Managing diverse audiences:  How to accommodate multiple learning/listening styles
7. Effective use of space, gestures, and visual aids.  How to avoid common pitfalls and gain maximum impact.  NOTE:  If course participants plan to use MS PowerPoint or similar visual aids, click here for that course description. 
8. Video feedback and private coaching for accelerated learning (optional but recommended)

Course Length

1 - 12 hours total classroom time, as an in-person workshop or online webinar

Delivery Options:  1-2 sessions of any length; ideal length depends on participant experience and objectives.