Key Presentation Skills Indepth.

What's your greatest fear?

For most people any form of public speaking, from formally addressing an audience to making a sales presentation, is a nerve-wracking business. In fact the fear of speaking in public is known as glossophobia and it's the UK's number one phobia. So if you don't relish the thought of leaping to your feet to speak to an audience take comfort in the fact that you are not alone.

In today's business world the ability to present effectively is an essential skill. You understand that - whilst on the one hand - great speakers are highly revered and respected - on the other - a poor presenter can lose respect, credibility and business.

But what many people don't realise is that presenting is a skill rather than a gift. That means even a novice, once they understand the "tricks of the trade," can develop the skill.

On your Key Presentation Skills course you'll learn what it takes to speak with confidence. You'll discover valuable new tricks and proven techniques that guarantee you'll deliver memorable, attention grabbing presentations. We work hard to ensure that you'll really enjoy the experience so that on leaving the course you'll be looking forward to the next presentation you have to deliver.

So how can you achieve that in just one day?

The Key Presentation Skills course has been developed to show you how to put together an effective and well-structured presentation. The two course leaders who have trained over 1,600 presenters will demonstrate the key skills as well as some of the common mistakes that some speakers make - the pitfalls and pratfalls of presenting.

On the course you'll receive your valuable "The Guide to Powerful Presentations"®.. Following the step-by-step instructions contained in "The Guide" you'll be able to plan an effective presentation in a relatively short time.

So what's in the course that will help you?

The course is a carefully balanced event with input from not one, but two professional speakers. You'll be one of only 12 delegates so you'll have plenty of opportunity to ask questions that relate to you. Here's what you'll cover:

Where to start
You will discover how to start the whole process of planning your presentations. If you are dreading something it can be tempting to put it out of your mind and try to bluster through on the day. However, a well-prepared presentation is much more likely to be interesting and successful. "The Workbook" describes a methodology that will ensure that you deliver the right message in the right way.

You'll also learn how to avoid those aspects of presenting that can cause the biggest disasters.

Writing the presentation
With the planning done, "The Workbook" now takes you through a foolproof structure that works time and time again and truly speeds up the whole process of writing a presentation.

Making it memorable
Presentations are great for winning hearts and minds but not so good for imparting a great deal of information. If your audience immediately forgets you and your presentation then it has all been a waste of time. But did you realise that's often just what happens? An audience starts forgetting what you told them within minutes and after just 24 hours remembers only 20% of what they heard.

You will find out how to make your presentation one that is remembered not just minutes or hours but for months, possibly even years.

Avoiding "death by bullet point" or "PowerPoint poisoning"
One of the key tools used by presenters is the Visual Aid. But in the wrong hands these can kill off any interest in what you have to say. You have probably had to endure some 'busy' PowerPoint presentations, we certainly have! You will leave us able to confidently design visual aids that work and able to effectively use flip charts, overhead projectors and PowerPoint. We have some sneaky presenter's tips for you that will amaze your audiences!

Tense? Nervous? Presentation?
When we ask our delegates how they feel about presenting 92% say, "Nervous." Feeling fully prepared is very reassuring and goes a long way to reducing nerves. However, on the day of your presentation, your nerves are likely to be at their peak. When you feel nervous, your body releases stress hormones, including adrenaline that prepares you for quick reactions and a "fight or flight" response - useful when under attack - not so helpful for public speaking. While a little bit of adrenaline can give your performance added sparkle, too much and you are likely to freeze or panic. To help keep your nerves under control you'll learn some relaxation tips.

Personal Impact
When you sign a letter the tool you use is a pen. When you present you use your voice and indeed the rest of your body. Using the full range of your voice, gaining variety of pitch, tone and pace is just one way of commanding your audience's attention. We'll show you how to move, use gesture and how to keep your audience on the edge of their seat and wanting to hear more from you.

Managing the audience
The most important people to consider are those in your audience. You will leave with strategies for dealing with any issues that might arise and also for handling the question and answer session of your presentation in a professional manner.

Not goodbye, but au revoir

You will leave your course with "Key Presentations Skills Workbook"® to use when you plan and put together all your future presentations.

You'll also receive a £150 discount voucher that you can use to attend one of our two-day Powerful Presentations courses.

We're confident that on leaving the course you will have the knowledge to enable you to give effective business presentations and to speak with confidence. We promise that if you follow the valuable new tricks you have discovered and put into practise the proven techniques you have learned you'll be better able to deliver memorable attention grabbing presentations.