Making Workplaces Work Better

Course Title

Brilliant Presentations using PowerPoint

Why This Course?

Going well beyond the "do's and don'ts" of using electronic multimedia, the focus is on building a strong connection with the audience while persuading and influencing to gain acceptance of your proposal or ideas.  Carefully planned and executed, this approach to presenting delivers an irresistible call to action.

Target Audience

Managers, executives, trainers, public speakers, consultants, salespeople, team leaders and others who want to have maximum impact with group presentations using MS PowerPoint.  

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.

* The recent book "Point, Click & Wow!" provides a pre-study guide; Courseware and PowerPoint extensions (templates, 3D title and 3D transitions) are also available.

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 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 intellectually and emotionally with your message.
5. Creating and using PowerPoint multimedia: what works and what doesn't?  How to make sure your PowerPoint presentation adds, accents and highlights your key points rather than detracting, frustrating or boring your audience.
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
8. What PowerPoint can and cannot do:  how to avoid common pitfalls and gain maximum impact using this powerful tool.  Common mistakes are:  flying text, too much information or too small text, reading from slides (because there is too much or it is unreadable by others), boring visuals that do not convey additional information, putting too much emphasis on the slide images, paying attention to yourself when your focus needs to be on the audience, and dozens of others).
9. Video feedback (recommended) and private coaching (optional) for accelerated learning.

Course Length

2 - 16 hours total classroom time

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