Focus on Performance (Three Half-Day Sessions)

If you learn best by doing, and you really want to nail down your presentation technique, then this seminar was made for you. Give us three half-days of your time. In the first session, we’ll cover the nuts and bolts of superior presentations, enabling you to:

Understand your listeners
Narrow the focus of your speech
Develop persuasive messages
Effectively use visual aids
Control questions and answers
Obtain approval and action

We’ll end the session with homework – an assignment to build a presentation on any topic that you choose. You’ll apply the strategic presentation model, and come back for a second half-day to present your show. You’ll receive supportive, constructive feedback from your trainer and your peers. Then, more homework! You’ll build another presentation from the ground up, again applying the model you learned in the first session, and including the feedback you received on your first assignment. In the third half-day session, you’ll present your show, again receiving feedback.

The real benefit: You’ll see immediately how your skills have improved, and receive pointers on the areas that would benefit from further polish.

Sample agenda

This performance-focused approach is ideal for organizations with many training participants. We can deliver the first session to a group of any size, then deliver the second and third to groups of up to six participants – repeating as many times as needed to ensure that everyone benefits from direct individual feedback. Here is an example of how we have trained a group of 24 participants.

First half day (all 24 participants)

Everyone attends the first half-day session, where we set out the Strategic Presentation Model. Participants leave with homework -- to prepare and deliver a presentation of roughly four minutes' duration.

8:30 am: Course introduction

8:50: Presentation challenge discussion

9:25: Part 1: Getting ready

Analyzing the communications environment
Selecting options for message delivery
Organizing information effectively and efficiently

10:15: Break

10:30: Part 2: Delivering the presentation

Finding a comfortable style, speaking with confidence, and handling difficult questions
Receiving and understanding feedback

11:45: Summary, four-minute presentation assignment, questions, final takeaways

12:00 pm: End

Second half day (first group of six)

In the days following the first session, the first six participants return to deliver their three-minute presentations, and to receive constructive commentary from the trainer and their peers. Again they leave with homework -- this time a six-minute presentation.

8:30 am: Announcements about logistics, peer evaluations, videotapes, timing; questions about preparation

8:45: Speaker #1

9:10: Speaker #2

9:35: Speaker #3

10:00: Break

10:15: Speaker #4

10:40: Speaker #5

11:05: Speaker #6

11:30: Wrap up

Third half day (first group of six)

The first six participants return to deliver their second presentations -- again receiving supportive feedback.

1:00 pm:: Announcements about logistics, peer evaluations, videotapes, timing; questions about preparation

1:15: Speaker #1

1:40: Speaker #2

2:05: Speaker #3

2:30: Break

2:45: Speaker #4

3:10: Speaker #5

3:35: Speaker #6

4:00: Course wrap up

4:30: End

Calendar for a group of 24

Here's how we have set up a training program for a group of 24 participants. Each participant presents twice, and has enough time to prepare a presentation using the techniques used in the full-group session on the first day.

MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFriday

MorningFull group

Group A

1st presentation

Group C

1st presentation

Group A

2nd presentation

Group C

2nd presentation

Afternoon

Group B