Webinar On Becoming a Better Speaker

Overview: 
In this insightful presentation, Jeff Davidson discusses how to persuasively impact audiences, in meetings large and small. To diminish the "fear of public speaking" he'll focus on the basics of effective public speaking, and then include advanced topics such as how to avoid excessive perspiration while speaking, and what to do if you "blank out" in mid-presentation.

He'll address the three basic reasons why speakers fail to hit the mark, including:

• Not Understanding the Assignment - Before ever leaving your own office, it is critical to understand why you have been scheduled to speak to this group at this time. Such understanding necessitates that you read about the organization, get information about the audience's current challenges and hot buttons, and learn what the meeting planner has in mind for the presentation. Five-minute conversations over the phone don't tend to supply you with all you need to know in that area. If you're a celebrity speaker, you are brought in so that people in the audience can go home and say "I saw so and so." It barely matters what you speak about as long as you are semi-coherent and don't offend the group. From the rest of us, however, the people in the seats desire to hear things that directly relate to the professional and personal challenges they face. Or, they want to hear about issues of universal importance, i.e. affecting their communities, state, nation, or the planet. The only way to come armed with the proper information about the scenario and setting is to spend at least an hour researching the group and the situation
• Failing to Know Your Audience - Beyond understanding the setting and why you are invited to speak, knowing the audience is itself an art and a science
  • Who are they?
  • What is their age range?
  • What is their educational background?
  • How long have they been with the organization?
  • What is this particular meeting designed to do?
• How far have they come? Do they know each other or are they assembling for the first time? What will they hear before and after the presentation? What did they hear last year or at a similar meeting? How would they like to feel and what would they like to "get" as a result of your presentation-when they leave the room, how will they be changed? Unless you find answers to these types of questions, and there isn't much more that you could know, don't accept the presentation. Without this information, your presentation may hit the mark if you are incredibly lucky, but chances are that you will simply dance around the periphery of what you need to do and say to be successful. If it's a one-time presentation, and you don't intend to do much more speaking, you'll probably be able to get away with this. If you want to speak professionally, however, there is no effective substitute for "knowing the audience."
• Not Arriving With Sufficient Clearance Time - Whether your presentation is across the world, across the country, or across town, increase your probability of success by arriving in plenty of time. This may require coming in the night before you're scheduled to present. When you arrive early, you gain a considerable advantage which can often be the make-or-break factor in the success of your presentation. You get to settle in, calm down, check out the facilities, walk the room, talk to people, check out equipment, and arrange things. In doing so, you give yourself the edge over the speaker who arrives "just in time." These days, with affordable mobile technology, you can be productive all day long wherever you are, so arrive early!

In Summary, even if you have avoided making presentations for much of your career, there are ways to become more comfortable and more proficient in front of groups.

Why should you attend: In business, government, healthcare, education, and public service, particularly in management and administration, when it comes to rising in your career, hardly anything can match the ability to easily and persuasively impact others, in meetings large and small, formal and informal. You can run but you can't hide! 

We'll examine this important aspect of your career with an eye on helping you to get over the "fear of public speaking" hurdle. Jeff will initially focus on the basics of effective public speaking in a small group situation, and then go beyond including many advanced topics such as what to do in the face of exhausted listeners, how to avoid excessive perspiration while speaking, and what to do if you "blank out" in mid-presentation.

Areas Covered in the Session:

• Quick ways to quickly get better at public speaking
• Why "knowing your audience" plays a big part in being effective
• How to organize your notes for smooth delivery
• How to pace yourself so that your delivery well-received
• Ensuring that your content is fresh
• How to say on time and end as scheduled
• Secrets of top presenters
• Why, especially in high content presentations, humor is vital
• Avoiding pitfalls that lead to failed presentations

Who Will Benefit:

• Supervisors
• Managers and Executives
• Trainees
• New Recruits and Temps
• Team Leaders
• Team Managers
• Team Sponsors
• Project Staff
• Project Manager
• Project Directors

  Instructor: Jeff Davidson , the Work Life Balance Expert®, can move an audience like few others. Jeff offers dynamic learning keynotes and seminar presentations. He combines outstanding content with humor, flair, and inspiration to help listeners manage information and communication overload. Jeff supercharges his audiences to master their to-do lists, manage interruptions, and take action.