Our specialty is helping people improve the day-to-day presentations they make in the business environment -- in board meetings, team meetings, all-company meetings and high stakes one-on-one meetings.
Presenting your ideas in a way that inspires and engages others takes special skills. We’ll help you convey your ideas in a more compelling, persuasive manner and “flex” your own natural communication style so that you will be significantly more effective in a wider range of situations. This is hands-on work that gets you more comfortable and effective at presenting.
In addition to coaching individual executives, we also work with teams and small groups.
Our presentation training is unique in that it addresses not only the delivery skills of the speaker, but also the organization and content of the presentation itself.
We’ll help you learn how to frame your message so that your audience can quickly grasp it and take action. You’ll learn how to crystallize your thinking, clarify the “net-net” and streamline your content so that it better meets the needs of your specific audience.
Our coaching will improve your ability to:
Structure a presentation to maximize effectiveness and impact.
Portray complex ideas in simpler, more accessible terms.
Identify the appropriate level of technical detail for different audiences.
Engage the audience by encouraging interaction.
Use visual aids skillfully.
Anticipate challenging situations and identify strategies for handling them appropriately
Our coaching and tools will help you portray a confident, natural and personal style when speaking to groups. You’ll learn how to improve your delivery and persuasion skills through posture, gestures, language use, and vocal intonation. We’ll help you identify and eliminate nervous tics and habits that distract from your presentation.
Most people are terrified to present to a group. Jerry Seinfeld joked that “most people would rather be the guy in the coffin than have to stand up and give a eulogy.” Our presentation coaching will make presenting a more enjoyable process for you, the presenter, as well as the people to whom you are presenting.
We’ll share techniques and exercises that actors use to quell stagefright to help you work with your internal state: addressing self-talk, breathing, and body language.
Approach
Video recording and playback is used extensively. The number and duration of sessions is tailored based on the specific needs of the executive, but most leaders report noticeable improvement after a single session.
Each participant receives a copy of the Winn Performance Partners Powerful Presentation Skills handbook for reference.
Coaching is typically done in concentrated sessions, two to four hours in length. Most executives experience significant improvement after a single session, and continual improvement in subsequent sessions.
Coaching is most effective when there is a specific public speaking situation coming up. Ideally the coaching should begin three to four weeks prior to the actual speaking/ presentation event.
Small groups are an ideal environment in which to improve and practice new presentation techniques.
We limit the size of these groups and facilitate them in a way that creates a sense of trust and safety. We typically ask participants to put together a mini-presentation and then workshop each presentation a fun and interactive way.
One of the many benefits of this small group presentation coaching is that participants learn how to constructively critique and support each other, thereby becoming valuable peer coaches for each other. Participants typically see significant improvement after the first session, and continue to build on their skills in future sessions.
“Thank you so much for teaching me the pyramid technique. I speak in front of large groups regularly, but have always struggled with how to organize my thoughts so I can speak ‘off the cuff’ more easily. I used your technique for the first time last week and was amazed at how much more comfortable and effective I was. The speech went great.”
“This was one of the top five learning experiences I’ve ever had education-wise. The training enabled me to make a quantum leap in my public speaking ability and will have a profound effect on my professional life. And I’m having a lot more fun!”
“The pyramid approach you taught helps me quickly format a presentation. I usually have the content in my head, but formatting it has always taken too long.”
“You are so skilled at evaluating presentations and pinpointing the problem areas. I really appreciate that you can identify things that have an immediate impact and help me improve my skills quickly.”
“The individual coaching was terrific. Being able to try new techniques in a safe environment and then repeat them over and over again until they felt comfortable was great.”
“You hit the nail on the head with your analysis. I think your suggested approach will resolve in one fell swoop a lot of the nagging problems and weaknesses I have now. You were very diplomatic in your approach too, which I certainly appreciate.”