SmarterBrain Training

Presentation Skills Workshop

It has been estimated that, worldwide, thirty million presentations will be given today. Millions of those will fail. Millions more will make no impact whatsoever. As in most cases, the difference between success and failure is small - but hugely significant.

Hello, I'm Patrick Tansey. I have been a professional public speaker and presenter for more years than I care to remember. Organisations engage me to speak at their conferences and business meetings. Perhaps you have heard of me or even seen me in action. I speak at an average of 100 events every year, and regularly get rave reviews. I am also founder member of the Professional Speakers Association.

Over the years, I have attended (as a delegate) many training events, a lot of them totally non-productive. Either the course content was too weak, or the Trainer was on an ego trip and we were just an 'audience', or even worse, being intimidated by the Trainer. I kept those disappointments in mind when I designed my Presentation Skills Workshop.

Quote: "Fantastic workshop — our senior partner received a lot of praise both from partners and clients for the delivery of his latest presentation! 10 out of 10!" - Julia Banwell, Old Mill Finance Services. End quote.

If you want to become a better, more professional presenter, this is your opportunity to sign up for my workshop.

Want to know when we are next in your area?

Phone us on 0800 0183919 or send an email to

Workshop registration 9:00am-9:30am, finish 4:30pm. Your investment? £295 + VAT. This includes all workshop materials, video recording of your presentation, refreshments and lunch.

A Recognised Expert

Patrick (on left) is a regular contributor on BBC radio.

He is called in when the BBC requires a subject matter expert (SME) to discuss topics such as Public Speaking; Work/Life Balance; Humour as a Business Tool; etc.
 

Content

All workshops have been designed to help people create and deliver great presentations, and covers the three essentials of all presentations:

The workshop will cover:

The Opening

• Grab the audience's attention
• State your purpose
• Explain your agenda
• Lay down your ground rules

The Main Body

• Select an appropriate organisational pattern
• Preparing your material
• Limit your information
• Enhance with stories, numbers and examples

The Closing

• Summarise your main points
• Question and answer section (if appropriate)
• Ask for specific action
• Close with a strong final statement

Visual Aids

• Good visual aids are appropriate
• Good visual aids are clear
• Good visual aids are consistent
• Good visual aids are dynamic

Also covered:

• 'Nerves' - and what to do about them
• Increasing self confidence out of all proportion!
• Using 'Vocal Power' to enhance your speaking success

Workshop Outline

• What You Want to Say - What Your Audience Preferes to Hear
• Audience Analysis
• Audience Composition
• Pre-Preparation Checklist
• Preparing your Material
• Identifying Key Points
• Your Aim and Audience
• Focusing the Message
• Preparing your Material
• Example of Using 'Facts' and 'Information'
• Planning the Structure
• Sorting Facts and Information
• Planning the Content
• Verbal Timing
• Humour and Analogies
• Cue Cards
• Cue Card Instructions
• Visual Aids
• How to Use Visual Aids
• Creating PowerPoint Slides
• Preparing Yourself
• Controlling Presentation Nerves
• The Triune Brain Theory
• Nerves... you're not the only one
• Ways to Reduce Anxiety
• Rehearsal and 'Vocal Power'
• Tone of Voice
• Aural Mannerisms
• Personal Preparation
• Getting Started
• Personal Action Plan

Feedback

Here's a sample feedback from a conference at which I was one of the keynote speakers. I have masked the other speakers' names.

Quote: " ... what can I say? You were a star turn!! ... I have attached a chart on the feedback from the conferences. " - Robert Crawford; Director, Institute of Customer Service. End quote.

Learn in a Friendly Environment

Standing up and speaking to an audience can be very daunting. I have been doing this for over 30 years and I still get nervous. Why? Because I know that a lot depends on what I say in the next few minutes. However, my method of preparation ensures that the minute I start speaking, all my nerves disappear. There are psychological reasons why we all feel nervous doing this task. I will explain to you why this happens, and how you can reduce the impact of an 'attack of nerves'. This training workshop, held in a friendly and encouraging environment, aims to give you a consistent and repeatable system to create great presentations and to overcome the accompanying nerves.

This one-day workshop is restricted to a maximum of 6 delegates. This is because we will be making a video recording of each delegate. You will have a copy of your presentation, enabling you to study your good points and eliminate whatever is necessary.

Public Speaking

Public speaking training is one way of creating a better world for yourself. Any employee in either the public or private sector, who can demonstrate an ability to make a persuasive or informative presentation, is more highly valued than those who do not have this skill. Business communication skills is a rare quality, which can be learned, and quickly! Reason? You already have 90% of the skills required; all you need now is to learn the elusive 10% that transforms you up to the top level.

Effective communication skills is just one of the pillars of presentation/public speaking skills. What is meant by effective communication? We all communicate, but how well do we communicate? In my workshops I demonstrate, in a humorous fashion, what I call 'the art of miscommunication'. This demonstration uses words and directions that (at first glance) are clear and unequivocal. However, when examined a little closer, we find that the message intended was open to many interpretations. Effective communications skills training ensures that this never happens, and also ensures that there is no room for misunderstanding.

This Presentation Skills workshop will also, as a 'ripple out effect', enhance your inter-personal skills. I also understand the need for you to come away with improved PowerPoint skills, as this is an essential part of any Presenting toolkit.

Every Presentation Skills workshop should encompass the basic rules of a Public Speaking workshop.

The first rule of public speaking is Focus. Very often we are inclined to rely too heavily on our 'natural knowledge', by this I mean the accumulated experience we can draw on, instead of treating every presentation as a totally new adventure. That's a good word for it. Adventure. Forget 'challenge' - this should be looked on as an 'adventure'. Focus and prepare as if you have never attempted to make a powerful presentation before (even if you have made umpteen!), this brings a vitality and excitement to your preparation and research. By focusing on good preparation, you will reduce your level of anxiety, and adopt a more positive approach.

The second rule of public speaking is Edit. The best public speakers are the ones who learn to edit their material so that it becomes 'bite size'. How many times have you endured a presentation by someone who has droned on forever giving pointless detail, instead of short snappy, interesting sentences? I too have often lost the will to live listening to those people, and regardless of the message they were appointed to get across, they had the opposite effect. They didn't appeal to me, nor did their message. Communication skills training emphasises the need to get rid of the 'fat', and instead deliver a 'lean' interesting presentation. So please, edit, edit and edit again, find the words that are totally unnecessary, and delete. Good speeches are those full of good content, not meaningless words.

The third rule is Volume. Most presenters who have not been on a Public Speaking workshop will use their normal conversational tone of voice, or, even worse, their 'telephone voice'. Very often I have been to an event and heard a member of the audience shout "can't hear you". Imagine how soul-destroying that must be for the speaker. So let's talk about volume, or voice projection. Learn how to use your voice dynamic range, as you would if you were singing a song. All professional public speakers 'sing' their sentences, without anyone in the audience being aware that this is happening. Even if you are using a microphone, this will not compensate for a timid tone of voice. Note the word 'timid'. Don't confuse this with 'soft'. I have worked with speakers who have spoken in a 'soft' voice, and yet they came across as being very strong and assertive. However,A 'timid' tone of voice usually sounds non-assertive and even apologetic. Good public speaker make sure that they project their voice using a full and varied dynamic range. You don't have to shout, quite the opposite in fact, but you will have to project 'to the back wall'. The back of the room is where you should focus on making yourself heard, that way you will succeed and come across as a highly confident presenter. An unexpected bonus of public speaking is that your interpersonal skills will be enhanced.