Bravery & Brevity: Developing Effective Presentation Skills

 

Get over fear of public speaking: Practice is the cure! In this face-to-face course, you will practice speaking in public, and learn to edit yourself by focusing on your main idea and stating it in two minutes or less. There are two things that kill any speech: anxiety, and not knowing when to stop talking. A highly nervous person can’t engage an audience or approach someone with confidence. A long-winded speaker is boring even if the subject matter is interesting. You may have the greatest slides in the world, they can’t compensate for either or both of these presentation killers! The skills taught in this class will help you talk to anyone with confidence. If you aren’t comfortable teaching a group, or speaking to your manager, you can overcome that by learning to speak bravely and briefly, with confidence and clarity. Participants will practice short speeches while being coached on content and delivery.

Learning Objectives

Participants will learn to speak effectively, with impact and clarity, without the usual anxiety that accompanies speaking with or to the public.

Agenda

Introduction: Explanation of the course, facilitator and class introductions. The introductions serve as a preliminary exercise. 20 minutes

First exercise: Tell a story about anything you choose: work, home, something funny, sad, an accomplishment, fulfilling a long-held dream, meeting an idol, etc. Let it be something that you saw as a “defining moment.” Tell the story in 2 minutes. Each participant will have the opportunity to try out their story, to get feedback on their presentation style and the content of the story.90 minutes

Discussion: 10 minutes

Break: 10 minutes

Second exercise: Think of something you want to teach or a presentation you want to give to leadership. Craft a 2 minute talk that encapsulates the teaching or makes an impact in the minds of management. We will use the Dale Carnegie "Action/Benefit" formula for maximum impact. 90 minutes

Wrap-up discussion and evaluation: 20 minutes

This agenda is for a class of 15-20 participants. With fewer, or if time allows, I can add a third exercise with participants doing a 2-minute talk on a topic of their choice.
Feedback is always constructive and positive, not critical. I provide demonstrations of 2-minute presentations in each session.

Facility Requirements

I need to show a few PowerPoint slides. I have my own laptop. No special arrangement is needed for seating.

MLA CE Credits: 4