Commanding Presence: Advanced Communication and Presentation Skills

Course details

This highly interactive programme has a dual focus. Week one combines communication and interpersonal skills and reveals tried and tested tools used by many blue chip companies that generate successful personal and organisational outcomes. Delegates will explore their own behavioural and leadership styles and learn how to fully engage and develop employees by using state of the art techniques grounded in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Emotional Intelligence(EI) and psychometric testing.

Week two explores the practical art of communicating to groups and larger audiences. In today's business world, presenting with clarity and confidence is an increasingly valued leadership skill, yet many people have a fear of communicating to larger groups and audiences. This course will take the stress out of presenting by offering a series of strategies that facilitate perfect presentations and give the presenter commanding presence. The programme is highly practical. Delegates will have ample opportunity to practice in a supportive environment. They will learn how to structure their materials and to create engaging presentations that inform, educate and entertain their audiences. The use of effective body language, the importance of tone and projection and the paramount need to make a good early impression are all areas considered to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the principles of communicating to larger audiences.This course is progressive, it builds on existing communication skills, the learning of week one and structured practical sessions supported by peer and instructor feedback.

Workshop highlights are:

• A hugely interactive and practically based communication experience
• A highly supportive environment, in which each delegate can experiment with their learning and gain valuable feedback
• Tried and tested communication techniques are employed to generate tangible and immediate improvement; genuine progression is clearly observed
• Delegates will leave with greater confidence to face their audiences and an action plan for "commanding presence". They will have the knowledge of how to deliver impressive engaging performances that will mark them out as exceptional employees and will add value to the organisation

The Structure

Module 1 - Advanced Communication & Interpersonal Skills

Module 2 - Advanced Presentation Skills

The Goals

The goals of this programme are to:

• Develop communication skills and abilities which can be put to immediate use in the workplace
• Recognise personal communication styles and behavioural preferences that impact the influence we have on other people and groups
• Develop strategies for creating a positive work environment and mage conflcit effectively
• Recognise differing behavioural styles and learn to adapt to them in order to build lasting rapport
• Identify the essential components of a great presentation and how to implement them in practice
• Learn to use appropriate body language, voice and tone in order to create a positive and lasting first impression in every situation and presentation
• Build a commanding presence to communicate with impact and influence

The Process

The seminar is carefully designed to address all styles of learning and to engage participants fully. Lectures and discussions are either preceded or followed by powerful individual or group exercises. These exercises provide opportunities for personal participation in real situations. This process makes training fun filled, fast-paced, challenging and empowering. This seminar uses the cutting edge skills of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Emotional Intelligence to open your mind to how people think. In week two these skills are applied and employed to the art of presenting. Practical sessions enable the delegate to prepare and deliver compelling presentations that enagage their target audience. Participants learn how to create and deliver presentations to peers, management and clients. Emphasis is on delivering presentations that are designed to meet the needs of the audience and speaker. This workshop is highly practical, giving participants the opportunity to practice their presenting skills in a supportive atmosphere. DVD recording facilities offer a powerful option for advanced reflection on personal perfromance.

The Benefits

Delegates will:

• Be able to construct an impressive, engaging presentation from preparation to delivery.
• Learn to tailor their message to the needs of the audience
• Learn to project the voice with confidence and effect
• Pace a presentation to increase clarity, enhance presence and hold the attention of an audience
• Develop greater confidence to deliver business presentations to teams, organisations and clients
• Learn effective use of visual aids

The Results

Delegates will:

• Develop the essential skills for leadership and for communicating as a leader
• Understand the innovative business tools of NLP, Emotional Intelligence and behavioural techniques and be able to model those skills when working with others
• Demonstrate confidence in front of colleagues, customers and friends
• Utilise crystal clear communication models in order to maintain rapport
• Learn to use appropriate body language, voice and tone in order to create a positive and lasting first impression in every situation
• Be able to construct an impressive, engaging presentation from preparation to performance aligned to audience needs
• Learn to project the voice with confidence and effect
• Pace a presentation to increase clarity, enhance presence and hold the attention of an audience
• Learn effective use of visual aids

The Core Competencies

• NLP and Emotional Intelligence
• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Self awareness
• Assertive presence
• Business presentation skills
• Planning and Organising

The Programme Content

Module 1:

Advanced Communication & Interpersonal Skills

How to Build Lasting Rapport

• The art of building lasting rapport
• How to identify behavioural traits and react to them
• How to modify your own behaviour to match other's
• Sharpen your senses to the signals others are sending you
• Connect with colleagues and clients at a level that creates deeper trust and commitment
• Step into another person's shoes to better appreciate their experiences and motivations
• Read body language in order to understand how others are thinking and responding to you

Self Awareness

• Key concepts of NLP
• The relationships between NLP and Emotional Intelligence
• Connecting your feelings for greater self awareness
• Eliciting emotions
• Noticing your unconscious messages and following your intuitions
• Self talk and what it means
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
• Internal and external referencing

Crystal Clear Communication

• Powerful listening and questioning techniques
• Thinking patterns
• Filters to communication
• The use of Metaphors
• Sub-modalities
• Perceptual positions
• Climates of trust
• Well formed outcomes
• Communication exercises

Empathy

• Review how to sharpen your senses to the signals others are sending you
• Communicating first impressions
• The secrets of body language
• How we communicate
• Filters to communication
• Understanding the science of lying
• Learning Styles
• Modelling - how others do things

Motivation

• Logical levels of change
• The importance of values in motivation
• Eliciting values for yourself and your organisation
• The secrets of motivation
• Setting goals that motivate
• Creating a positive future for your organisation
• Testing your well-formed outcomes
• Stepping into the future

Module 2:

Advanced Presentation Skills

The building blocks of effective business presentations

• To fail to prepare is to prepare to fail
• Fears and concerns about presenting
• Working together and the feedback process
• Pre-prepared presentation on subject of personal choice. Presentation
• Key learning's and outcomes
• Organising you presentation - Who? What? and Why?

Giving structure to your business presentation

• Who is your audience? What are their needs?
• Key elements of the message and why required?
• Structuring the message: the BOMBER process (bang/ opening/ message/bridge/ examples/ recap)
• Brainstorming materials
• Stage management, the physical environment and visual aids (i)
• Practical Presentation II: opportunity to repeat delivery of I or differing choice

The psychology of presenting: controlling self, stress and emotions

• Top ten fears - irrational fears of presenting
• Handling nervous reactions
• Vocal projection : stories and anecdotes
• The psychology of presenting (left and right brain) and maintaining audience interest
• VHF -NLP -engaging the audience lighthouse techniques
• Planning for presentation III

Business presentations with style

• Managing your audience
• Handling difficult questions
• Handling difficult people!
• Practical Presentation III
• Video Feedback : the power of the captured image!
• Personal Reflections of presentation

Fine tuning for perfect presenting

• Assessing personal performance
• Advanced tools to involve the audience
• Top Ten closing tips for business presenting
• Self belief: Positive affirmations about presenting
• Business performance coaching for success
• Action planning for personal, team and organisational improvement