Management and Leadership

Crafting & Delivering Compelling Messages

• Traditional Classroom: 1-day
• Virtual Instructor-led: Two 4-hour sessions

Every interaction with another person determines how you are perceived, and every interaction is an opportunity to develop trust and exert positive influence. Whether presenting one-to-one or to an audience of 1,000, conveying information to a project team or delivering a difficult message, presenting effectively is one of the most powerful skills for achieving your objectives.

In addition to opportunities to practice your delivery, this intensive, participatory workshop will provide participants with thorough feedback. Structured video, peer, and instructor feedback analyzes and identifies the most successful strategies for each participant, ensuring the participant’s increased confidence and skill in delivering a successful presentation.

Learning Objectives

• Build confidence delivering presentations.
• Develop and structure compelling, clear messages.
• Practice verbal and nonverbal delivery.
• Capture and keep the audience.
• Enhance your message with visual aids.
• Handle tough audiences with ease.
• Maximize your strengths and develop your unique, successful style.
• Receive and discuss video, peer, and instructor feedback.
• Gain more enthusiasm in your delivery and more focus, logic, and organization in your content.

Key Takeaways

• The key steps in preparing and practicing for any effective presentation.
• How to stay in control, provide leadership, and overcome speaker fright to project professional credibility.
• Practical tips for beginning with an impact.
• Audience-centered messages: how to analyze your audience and frame your messages to meet their needs.
• Techniques for dealing with anxiety and nervousness.
• How to say what you have to say by clearly defining your purpose and focusing your message.
• Formats and techniques for effective content structure and organization.
• Techniques for delivery, including:
  • Pacing yourself through the presentation.
  • Maintaining a strong physical presence.
  • Maintaining eye contact.
  • Utilizing gestures, movement, stance, position, and your voice to communicate a strong message.
• Effective use of visual aids to enhance your message.
• Strategies and skills to handle difficult questions and audience behaviors effectively.

Pre-Course Work

A preparation packet is sent out to participants in advance. This guide will help the participant prepare for an upcoming presentation to practice at the workshop. Note: Maximum class size is 10 participants.

Course Outline

Module 1: Introduction

• Foundation tools for setting the stage for successful communication, one-on-one and with groups
• Virtual and face-to-face success factors
• Alignment of the four components of communication — mental, visual, vocal, verbal
• Preparation and practice — the key steps for any effective presentation/communication
• Keys to great presentations — Team Exercise
• The 10 terrible turnoffs — Team Exercise
• Two-minute individual presentations

Module 2: Preparation Tools and Concepts

• Interweave stories and data to create a cohesive and powerful narrative
• Seven questions to create great stories
• Think “PREP”: point, reason, example/evidence, point
• Structuring your content — open, body, close
• How to develop focus on your outcome and flow within the time frame you have
• How to connect to your audience: steak, sizzle, and style
• Deliver a complete criteria-based presentation that will persuade others
• Effective use of visual aids — creating and using visuals to enhance your message
• Create audience-centered messages — analyze your audience and frame your messages to meet their needs
• Methods for organizing content
• Craft a compelling message that builds momentum towards influencing your audience
• Telling the story
• Designing and working with visual aids to enhance the message
• Preparation techniques — Individual and Pair Exercises

Module 3: Dealing with Anxiety/Developing Confidence

• Mind management — training your brain for success
• Emotional intelligence = outcome thinking
• Choosing useful perceptions and behaviors
• The confidence to deal with difficult communication situations
• Techniques for controlling anxiety and nervousness
• Reframe and retrain your brain
• Individual and Whole Group Exercises

Module 4: Verbal and Nonverbal Delivery Skills

• Delivery skills — verbal and nonverbal techniques for successful presentations
• Alignment of mental, visual, vocal, and verbal communication components
• Engaging the audience
• Whole Group and Pair Exercises

Module 5: Video-Recorded Five-Minute Individual Presentation Practice and Feedback

• Practice delivery of presentation
• Facilitated feedback

Module 6: Handling Questions/Objections and Challenging Behaviors

• Listen for understanding
• Respond with confidence
• Maintain audience control
• Demonstrate respect for audience members
• Keep focus on message
• Techniques and guidelines
• Utilizing emotional intelligence

Module 7: Bringing It All Together

• Final presentations and facilitated feedback
• Video-Recorded Ten-Minute Individual Presentation Practice and Feedback

Module 8: Summary, Next Steps, and Close

• Personal action and goal planning

MDV1063b Course Code