Presentation Training
There’s a movie where an old has-been sports star comes across a young up-and-comer with big talent and a bigger chip on his shoulder. “Coach”, as we’ll call him, breaks the kid down into a million bits of emotional garbage and then reassembles an athletic masterpiece for all to behold. Trophies are won.
We really liked that movie, so we try to talk as much about your childhood fears as possible when we offer training for your upcoming presentation. Whether it’s just a local Kiwanis club talk or a State of the Union address, we won’t stop talking about the things you didn’t like about your childhood. That is our solemn promise.
The reason, of course, is that we spend so much time in our own shoes that we forget other people don’t know how many times those shoes were taken from us in gym class and thrown into toilets. In other words, we forget that when we’re on stage, everyone thinks we’re a star. Until we trip or open our mouths, we’re often batting around .900-1.000. Learning to channel your inner jock or head cheerleader starts in the mind. That’s where we come in.
In reality, we tend to keep our thoughts about your childhood in our heads. You are welcome to do the same. But when we’re both thinking about it while training you on content, storytelling, design, and delivery, amazing things can happen. So, when the presentation counts, make sure you call in the big guns.
| Content |
When you combine all of our SAT verbals, you almost get two perfect scores. At least we think so; we all did poorly on math and science. But it would make sense if it were true, because we spend a lot of time focusing on what makes content soar. From generating compelling themes (with our “pun” arm tied behind our backs) to weaving your facts and figures into a narrative that keeps the audience tracking, we put our heads to work for you so that you can focus on seeing the change you want to be in the world, or however it goes. When we’re done, you can expect to have rock solid content that is thoughtfully arranged to maximize effectiveness and reach. We even share our secret sauce with you so that you can do it again. |
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| Storytelling |
For as long as humans have been evading far more threatening predators’ grasps, we’ve been passing down insights, histories, and morals through stories. Cave walls, paper, printing presses, and iPads have all helped, but it’s the story, not the device, that matters most. We’re creatures of relationship, so it makes sense that we learn best through stories that force us to experience life through someone else’s eyes. And if you think storytelling doesn’t apply to discussions about your impossibly complex cloud-based technology infrastructure, you couldn’t be more wrong. When we train on storytelling, we work alongside you and your team to tastefully lace your content with a story that gives the audience something to hold on to. While that sounds like we’re the meth lab down the street on Halloween night, our intentions are more noble and our results more legal. At the end of your training, you can expect to understand the relationship between data and stories, great story sources, and the elements that must be present for a story to carry with an audience. |
| Design |
Some people think you can’t teach art; others make a quick buck by teaching people to paint like Jackson Pollack in 15 minutes or less. We think that, while many situations call for a skilled artist, there are principles of design presenters can use to be more effective day in and day out. We’re happy to share them with you. At the end of your training, you can expect to understand the importance of simplicity, how to organize imagery and text appropriately, and where to find the best resources for imagery, fonts, and more. |
| Delivery |
Our patented shock therapy system quickly and effectively eliminates stutters, awkward hand gestures, and senseless hope for humanity by delivering powerful electric shocks whether or not you have exhibited any of the above. Some might encourage you to overcome fear, but we feel that fear helps you access your primitive survival mode, a psycho-oratorical posture that can be very effective with some audience members. We work very hard to keep delivery training from feeling like the above. By the time we get to delivery, we have gone through every step of building a dynamite presentation, from compelling themes to successful storytelling to visually arresting design. Delivery is merely learning to rest on your hard work and expertise so that you can step on stage with confidence and charisma. At the end of your training, you can expect to effectively use tone and timing, employ natural non-verbal gestures that set you at ease, and present with little to no fear of failure.* *Some of this depends on you. |