The Skilled Presenter™

Fine-tuning your delivery style for more dynamic & persuasive presentations.

Skill-Set: , , , , , ,

Available in: English, French

In-House Training
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Public Workshop
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Course Content & Materials

Course Content

The core of this presentation-skills workshop revolves around:

  1. Explaining techniques by the instructor, lots of examples and demonstrations.
  2. Practicing presentations by participants, followed by feedback from the instructor and other participants.
  3. Discussing issues amongst participants, facilitated and kept on track by the instructor.

Introductory, Intermediate and Advanced levels available according to client need.

Workshop Materials

Every participant receives a bound 150-page copy of The Skilled Presenter™. The text acts as a workbook during the workshop, and as an easy-to-use reference afterwards.

  • Comprehensive coverage: providing a thorough review of the latest presentation techniques
  • Plenty of worksheets: templates for your audience analysis and preparing presentations
  • Feedback forms: for participants to evaluate presentations during the workshop, and extras for use afterwards
  • Relaxation and voice training exercises: aimed at improving your projection, breathing, range and articulation
  • The Skilled Presenter™ Confidence Test: originally conceived for the workshop and not published anywhere else
  • Over 100 multicultural, original cartoons: making key concepts memorable

Recording Your Progress

We will provide you with your own DVD of the presentations you deliver. This provides a record of your presentations, and shows your progress.

Typical Day 1 (Modules 1 – 16)

Our presentation skills workshop typically includes the following modules, along with a large amount of practice and written/verbal feedback.

Module 1: Getting Your Mind In Gear

  • Organization, performing skills, appearance, voice

Module 2: Participants Deliver Warm-up Presentation

Module 3: Turning Nervousness Into Energy

  • Includes taking The Skilled Presenter™ Confidence Test, and analyzing the results

Module 4: Ways to Practice

  • “Speed-talking” to help your memory
  • Focusing on timing during practice runs
  • Evaluating yourself on DVD

Module 5: Learning About Your Listeners (“7-Question Game™”)

  • Addressing your listeners’ perspective
  • Methods to find out how your audience sees your topic (pro and con)

Module 6: “3 + 1” Presentation Format

  • Organizing for structure, analysis and movement
  • Sticking to the “Rule of Threes” when crafting your content
  • Separating basic from advanced information

Module 7: Intros and Endings

  • How to start and end succinctly
  • “Announcing” and “recapping”
  • Ending with a story, joke or striking phrase

Module 8: Participants Prepare 10-minute Presentation

Module 9: Keeping Eye Contact

  • Eye contact as a powerful persuader

Module 10: Gestures

  • Accenting your points with gestures
  • Avoiding distracting movements

Module 11: Stance and Movement

  • Standing tall, and moving with a purpose
  • Showing confidence

Module 12: How to Dress

  • How clothing and personal image send non-verbal messages
  • Tips for media appearances

Module 13: Speaking to Listeners from Different Cultures

  • Appreciating your listeners’ cultural traits
  • Adjusting your presentation to listeners not fluent in your language
  • Explaining idioms

Module 14: Participants Deliver 10-minute Presentation

  • Videotaped practice
  • Includes receiving and interpreting feedback

Module 15: Involving Your Audience

  • Polling the group
  • Conducting “serial take-ups”
  • Deferring to the audience
  • Using quizzes and games to increase impact and retention

Module 16: Fielding Questions

  • Techniques to “bridge” from questions to answers
  • Identifying and preparing for commonly asked question
  • Handling tough questions
  • Dealing with interruptions or hecklers
  • Ways to say “I don’t know”
  • Drills on answering questions quickly and clearly when under fire

 

Typical Day 2 (Modules 17 – 29)

Our presentation skills workshop typically includes the following modules, along with a large amount of practice and written/verbal feedback.

Module 17: Practice – Focusing on Performing Style

Module 18: Improving Voice Projection and Variety

  • Judging your own voice
  • Drills for strengthening breathing, improving projection, increasing range, avoiding filler words, controlling speed, varying inflection

Module 20: Fleshing Out Presentations with Examples and Stories

  • Adding concrete details to reinforce your ideas
  • Using expressions that compel you to give examples
  • Making stories conversational and off the cuff

Module 21: Making Facts and Figures Memorable

  • Thinking visually
  • Linking facts and figures to things familiar to listeners

Module 22: Using Quotations That Make a Point

  • Taking quotes from current events and everyday life
  • Keeping quotes succinct

Module 23: Using Laughter

  • Ensuring that humour pertains to the subject at hand
  • Including yourself in funny stories

Module 24: Using Language Your Audience Understands

  • Exercises on using simple words
  • Removing useless phrases from your speech
  • Explaining technical terms with concrete examples

Module 25: Participants Prepare 10-minute Presentation

Module 26: Displaying Your “Talking Points” on Overhead Transparencies and Computer Slideshows

  • Using simple, open style
  • Adding verbs
  • Tips on design and selecting colours

Module 27: Designing Tables, Graphs, and Charts

  • Compiling facts and figures in tables
  • Comparing numbers visually with bar charts
  • Drawing pie charts to show percentages
  • Depicting trends with line graphs
  • Adding spot art and “pictograms” to aid comprehension

Module 28: Participants Create Transparencies for Presentation

  • Materials provided to participants for preparing transparencies

Module 29: Participants Deliver 10-minute Presentation

  • Videotaped practice
  • Feedback from other participants and the instructor
  • Tips for media appearances