If you’re like most people, you probably dread having to stand up and give a presentation. But presentations are here to stay—they’re a great way to share information, generate discussion and motivate your audience to act. Strong presentation skills build your credibility and make a positive, memorable impression. Being able to present your message with clarity and confidence, and in language your audience understands, plays a big part in your personal and organizational success.

This course teaches you how to write clear, interesting presentations and present them with skill and confidence. You’ll learn how to express the value proposition that differentiates you and your team from the competition.

Who should attend

This is a high level course for anyone who writes their own presentations and needs to communicate technical or financial information. We assume you have a good grasp of using PowerPoint and can design tables and graphs.

You will learn how to

• Understand your audience’s needs and knowledge
• Create a communication strategy that focuses you quickly and saves time in the long run
• Create a storyboard that highlights the key points you want to make
• Make each point clear and memorable
• Present financial or technical information in a way that’s easy to understand
• Write an engaging opening that engages your audience and puts them at ease
• Write a satisfying executive summary
• Connect ideas to create flow and help your audience follow your logic
• Use positive, persuasive language
• Establish your credibility without boasting
• Use your voice and body language to engage your audience
• Overcome any nervousness and present with confidence
• Close strongly

This program has four components: pre-work, a 2 hour eClassroom session, a 1 day Classroom session devoted to writing and editing your presentation and a 2nd Classroom session devoted to presenting your talk.

1) The pre-work guides you through the initial strategizing and planning of your presentation’s content. You will produce a rough first draft of the script of your presentation.

2) The two hour eClassroom session provides an overview and checklist to help you plan your presentation design and delivery. You also learn strategies to help you present information in an interesting, meaningful way. You’ll apply the strategies you learn here to your draft presentation.

3) During the first full-day Classroom session you will shape your message into a story. You’ll write an engaging introduction, a satisfying executive summary and a compelling conclusion. You’ll make your message interesting and persuasive, and you’ll make sure your PowerPoint slides are visually appealing.

4) At the second full-day Classroom session you learn how to deliver your message with confidence and impact. All participants will deliver their presentations and have a chance to give and receive feedback from each other.

We’ll tape your presentation and give you a DVD to take home.