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 Training - Does Uptalk Make You Upchuck?

< Award Winning Presentation Training skills & presentation skills training seminars courses are world class leaders in public speaking training. >

Uptalk is invading the workplace and is reaching epidemic proportions. It’s that singsong speech pattern that has a rising inflection at the end of sentence. It sounds like the speaker is asking a question, instead of making a declaration.

Once the exclusive domain of teens, it is now a regular part of the adult world. And I don’t mean just Generation X. It’s everywhere. It can be heard even at management levels, and it’s destroying their credibility.

Uptalk renders the speaker weak, tentative, lacking conviction and authority. How can a person influence, lead, or command respect if they can’t take a stand and sound like they mean it when they make a speech or presentation?

I’ve even heard it at networking meetings. It sounds like this: “Good morning? My name is Jane Doe? “ Well, is that your name or isn’t it? It takes seven seconds or less to make a first impression. Would you do business with someone who isn’t sure of his/her own name?

According to one study, the voice is nearly 40% of the message. You can convey a message through your intonation alone! Next time someone asks a question, respond with a yes or no with only your vocal tone. They will understand what you meant.

If you ask for a raise using uptalk, you will remain at your present salary. If you try to sell a product, you will fail. If you direct your staff, they won’t follow. Why? Because uptalk makes you sound like there are other options!

What causes a communicator to choose this pattern of speaking?

Habit. We don’t always hear the way we speak and the affect it has on others. When I was invited to do a chat on ivillage.com, I posted my article, Ten Ways Women Sabotage Their Communication in the Workplace. Thinking these tips did not apply to her personally, a woman emailed the tips to her friend. Her friend sent them back to her, saying, “You have uptalk.”

Foreign/Regional Accent. If you are from the Southern United States, or from a country like Canada, India or China, you may have a rising inflection as part of your cultural speech pattern. This is more difficult to change but can be conquered with ear training, practice, and professional coaching.

Peer Identity. This is most often the case with teens and children. They tend to identify with the group and will adapt the speech patterns they hear on television, as in the case of the show "Clueless." Many parents are frustrated by their attempts to teach their children to speak correctly. Uptalk is a way of sounding like their peers and not like their family.

Insecurity. The voice is the greatest barometer of emotions. When you lack confidence it will show up in the voice. In our politically correct environment people are becoming less willing to take a stand. By using “safe words” and a rising inflection, the speaker can easily backpedal or soften the real intent of the message. In selling, a fear of rejection may show up in the form of uptalk.

There is no value in using uptalk. When you bring your voice down at the end of a sentence, you will automatically sound more authoritative and confident. People will hear the conviction in your voice and will take you seriously. Your credibility will improve and you’ll be more persuasive in your presentations.

Source: Diane DiResta link

Related: Presentation Training