What is a Compelling Speaker?
Someone who can command attention. Someone who mesmerizes audiences. Someone who can take any subject—no matter how dry or mundane—and make it interesting and engaging. The kind of speaker audiences want to listen to. A communicator who can connect with listeners, who can influence outcomes, who can persuade with conviction. Someone whose presence exudes credibility, who can move audiences to action or to tears.
What does it take to be a Compelling Speaker?
First, like with any skill, you have to know how to do it. You can’t play good tennis or golf or be competent on a musical instrument if you don’t learn how to play. Secondly, you’ve got to practice. The more you practice putting your newly learned skills into action, the easier they become and the better you get. So if you want to be a Compelling Speaker, you first have to learn the tips and techniques that will improve your competence, and then practice those skills. The Compelling Speaker Program is designed to do that in a unique format that provides instruction first, then allows you to spend a day in intense, feedback-oriented practice.
What is The Compelling Speaker Program?
The Compelling Speaker is a unique presentation skills training program that combines audio instruction with a hands-on workshop. The uniqueness comes from its format: participants are given a comprehensive notebook and two-hour audio CD before the workshop. By reviewing these materials beforehand, they come into the workshop with a grounding in the basics of effective presentation skills. They use this as a foundation for their hands-on participation in the workshop. This means the instructor doesn’t have to use up class time giving “lectures,” and the participants benefit from direct practice.
The hands-on nature of this program, where participants get up several times, get videotaped and critiqued several times, empowers participants and leads to tangible improvements in their skill set.
A Unique Format: Audio CD Instruction + Hands-on Workshop
The CD: Each participant receives a two-hour audio CD to listen to prior to the workshop. The CD set covers the basics of effective presentation skills.
The Workshop: Because the CD provides instruction, the day-long workshop (limited to six) can then be devoted entirely to sharpening participants’ skills. Each person has several opportunities to deliver presentations, be videotaped, and receive extensive feedback and coaching.
Topics on the CD:
- Quelling the Qualms – How to manage the speaking jitters and make the butterflies fly in formation.
- Dynamic Delivery – The value of what you say is determined by how you say it. Discover the impact of energy, vocals, eye communication, and nonverbals on dynamic speaking.
- Compelling Content – Brilliant and creative ideas are meaningless if they’re difficult to follow or hard to understand. Learn what it takes to organize a presentation effectively so that it’s easy to understand, interesting, and memorable.
- Vital Visuals – Visuals aids are invaluable in making information more understandable and memorable. But poorly used or ineffective visuals can detract from the message. PowerPoint usage in particular is rife with misuse and abuse. Gain tips on PowerPoint usage and quality and the powerful philosophy that can drive effective use of PowerPoint.
- Confident Q & A – Q & A is an opportunity to project knowledge, competence, and the ability to be known as reliable under pressure. Find out how to handle questions from an audience, especially “posers,” and remain poised and unflappable under pressure.
- Powerful Persuasion – In the long run, whether you want someone to accept your idea, see your point of view, or commit to a sale, most presentations are persuasive in nature. Understand what it takes to be a more persuasive person, how to appeal directly to what will persuade audiences, and how to be more successful with any persuasive presentation.
Additional topics that can be covered in the workshop, at the client’s request:
- Team Presentations – Many business presentations are a team effort. Find out how to organize an effective team presentation, make it cohesive, transition seamlessly, and handle questions as a group.
- PowerPoint – Because visuals are, well, visual, it often helps to demonstrate a PowerPoint presentation so participants can see for themselves what good usage means and what quality slides look like.
- Other Communication Skills – Day-to-day communication skills are a natural off-shoot of the learnings from this program.
Workshop Format: Participants have several opportunities to stand up and deliver presentations, including a prepared 5-minute talk, two impromptu presentations, an energy exercise, and a Q&A session. Each individual receives extensive feedback and coaching—from both classmates and the instructor—with an emphasis on specific tips and guidelines designed to help each speaker get even better than he or she already is. All presentations are video-recorded, a powerful tool in uncovering strengths and challenges, and all participants get a private opportunity to review their discs immediately after they’ve heard their feedback.
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* Videotaping
Click here for Client Pre-workshop Information
Certification in The Compelling Speaker is now available. Go here for more information.
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