Half-day workshop (plus pre-work and embedding activities)

Given the number of presentations that occur in the workplace, and the time they often take, it might be reasonable to expect them to be short, structured, and engaging.  Equally, why wouldn’t the presenter ensure that key points stand out and make the audience want to learn, think, feel, or do something differently as a result?  The reality, however, is often far from this.

The fact is that presentations are up there with spiders and heights as things that people fear the most.  As with these other common phobias, being worried about presenting is something which can fill people with dread.  Interestingly, this fear is rooted in biology and psychology, rather than there being anything physical or tangible to fear from delivering a presentation.

In order to understand why presentations can be stressful, delegates need to appreciate that there is often a lot at stake in terms of vulnerability, credibility, and reputation. 

Instead of concentrating on being clear and articulate therefore, your Chimp brain often takes over, limiting your ability to think and to speak.  This is why people often blush (go red in the face / neck) when presenting, as adrenaline is flooding through them in response to the perceived danger of the presentation.

The good news is that by adopting some simple techniques it is possible to overcome many of the psychological and physical barriers associated with giving presentations.

Whilst this isn’t a full presentation skills course per se, the concepts covered are proven to make presentations easier and more effective.  NB These tips, including a well-known presentation structure, are designed to help whether presenting face-to-face or ‘virtually’, i.e. via Microsoft Teams, Zoom etc.