Benefits

Every time you present, you are managing your reputation and the person whose message sounds like the most sensible way forward will define the future.  Make sure that person is you.  Whether you are presenting to clients, employees, stakeholders, or the media, you need to do so with authenticity, confidence, and credibility.  Even when there is mistrust and anger in the room, gain the edge in difficult presenting situations.  Make your message stick and connect with audiences in a way that builds trust and rapport, even if the message is not the most positive. 

What This Workshop is About

This highly interactive workshop develops skills for making prepared and impromptu presentations, especially for situations that may be controversial or highly charged.  There is a focus on communication skills for occasions when there is time to prepare in advance of an event, such as a formal briefing or prepared speech.  And there is a second focus on skills for making impromptu presentations such as handling questions and media interviews.  You will learn how to present yourself and your information in the best possible way to deliver the facts and, at the same time, be persuasive.  We cover:

• Analyzing why an audience is resistant to your message—what brain researchers and risk managers have to teach us.

• Designing a way to deal with resistance points—developing messaging that responds of the criticism you might encounter.

• Designing the delivery of your communication—whether presenting in writing or orally, you need to plan the delivery, not just the content.

• Models for persuasive oral remarks.

• Models for persuasive written briefings.

• Models for when you do not have time to prepare ahead. Tips and techniques mediators use to transform conflict 

• conversations into a respectful and more positive discussion.

• Tips professional speakers use to capture attention and deliver compelling remarks.

Who This Course is For

What is unique in this course?

We improve the usual approach to audience analysis (demographics, topic familiarity, etc.) by considering research findings on how the brain processes decisions and makes people skeptical and resistant to new courses of action.  Then we introduce multiple planning models to design a persuasive presentation, including techniques used by professional motivational speakers.  We look specifically at communicating when there is a lot of distrust and conflict in the audience, how to handle a media interview, and models for impromptu presenting.  Participants working in teams prepare and deliver several presentations during the workshop and receive instructor and peer coaching on how to improve.  The goal for this course is to move beyond the notion that persuasive presenting is about delivering information.  Persuasive presenting is a carefully designed communication process to inspire forward movement on your issues.

What You Can Expect in All Our Workshops

Teaching Model

We use a Tell → Show → Do → Teach-Back Model

• Tell: We present what we know about the skills being taught.

• Show: We demonstrate how the skills are applied through lecture, exercises, facilitated discussion, etc.

• Do: We have participants practice the skills using team assignments, role plays, mock activities, etc.

• Teach-Back: We wrap up topics with peer-to-peer and instructor advice on how to apply the new skills in the real-world.

How We Present This Material

We come to you and present at your work site or offer remote teaching using Internet sharing tools when appropriate.  We use discussion, exercises, lecture, and mock exercises to combine our experience with your staff’s experience and create a dynamic, fun, and highly interactive training.

Transform Your Staff

Learning is not complete until there is application.  We ask participants to discuss how they can maintain the momentum in their organization after we, as trainers, leave.  We also share our ideas on how to form ‘Master Mind’ groups and other supports so participants have a community of knowledgeable peers who can help one another successfully apply the skills after the course.  We also make ourselves available after the event for short consultations for brainstorming solutions, problem solving, etc. for free.

Customization