Presentation Training Skills

Presentation Training

Presentation Training is provided across the United States and Canada. Participants have three options to attend and participate in our presentation training. Presentations are delivered via public open enrollment courses in all major metropolitan areas and are also available to be delivered on-site via private courses. The 3rd option is to attend Online Webinar Presentations Skills Workshops. Our face to face Presentation Training can be provided as off-the-shelf sessions, ready to be delivered to a diverse audience or can be customized to provide a tailored and personalized presentation training approach based on client needs. All presentations courses are limited to a maximum of twelve participants so as to increase presentation course effectiveness and provide the individual level of face to face or online coaching and interaction that is associated with the Presentations Training Skills Center.

For more information on our presentations skills training courses please contact us.

Presentation Courses - Closing the Off Ramps

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If your presentation is a highway you want to keep your audience on the road with you. You don't want them to take an off ramp and exit from your presentation highway because they might miss your important message, or even worse - never return. Therefore you must close the off ramps.

Four common off ramps to be aware of and avoid

When any of these things happen while watching TV, viewers change channels. When you do any of these things to your listeners they mentally take the off ramp away from your presentation.

Boring your listeners

What bores people? Not speaking to their interests, being vague, taking too long to get to the point and saying the same thing too many times. A little repetition is okay for impact. Too much repetition is boring.

Confusing your listeners

Speaking in jargon or techno-babble can confuse outsiders.Saying things that seem to conflict will confuse. Making your listeners wonder about your purpose or direction can confuse them. Telling stories or talking about details unrelated or unimportant can confuse your listeners.

Disputing your listeners' beliefs

This is an easy mistake to make if you don't question your own assumptions. When presenting facts - quote the source. Avoid using absolutes. Don't say "As everybody knows." Because some listeners might not know. Similarly, avoid "I'm sure we all agree," because maybe someone doesn't. Don't quote common myths or popular beliefs as facts. When stating your own opinions say, "In my opinion..." "My research shows..." "It seems to me..." or similar qualifying phrases.

Offending your listeners

The easiest way to offend your listeners is by using offensive language. Perhaps you know not to cuss and swear like Howard Stern or George Carlin during a presentation. You also need to be aware of other words that might offend your listeners. That will vary depending on the culture and industry of the group. For example, a speaker told me that his use of the word "nutcase" offended a group of mental health care professionals.

Another way to offend your audience is by insulting their intelligence, values or issues. For example - don't tell a lawyer joke to a group of lawyers. That's offensive to lawyers.

(I learned this concept about closing the off ramps from the Speaker Boot Camp that I attended with Kit Grant and Warren Evans.)

Source: George Torok link

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