"This is an excellent course. Anyone who ever has to make a presentation of any description will gain immensely from attending. As someone who makes presentations for a living, and who has done presentation skills courses before, I found much food for thought and discovered many areas for improvement - well done Paul and thanks." - Grahame Hall, Director, Power Advertising For Profit

The Congruence Approach to Presenting

Background - Our research has shown that :

• Exposure leads to awareness, and perhaps to understanding.

• Experience leads to internalisation.

• Practise leads to confidence and desired performance.

By reading a book or listening to a speech you become aware of what it takes to drive a car, but you have not acquired the skills to drive a car. By getting behind the steering wheel and driving - once, twice or three times, you get to experience what it's like to drive, and you then internalise what needs to be learned and perfected until you are able to do so with the required skill. By repeatedly driving, the skills are eventually acquired. Before long, you become so adept that you may even have the confidence to do an advanced driving course.

This is our approach to teaching our delegates how to present in such a way that their efforts achieve the desired results.

Approach

Presentation Skills training is conducted by experienced experts in the field of presenting. The introductory course comprises 3 full days in which delegates absorb the required theory pertaining to preparation, practice and performing a presentation. The three days are divided into two sections. The first two days run concurrently (in other words, on consecutive days). During this initial phase, delegates learn to present in small teams, enjoying a supportive environment. Three presentations are prepared and conducted on course and everyone participates and delivers. Presenters are required to give feedback on their own presentations with facilitator guidance. At this stage participants are not permitted to evaluate one another.

"Day 3" is a separate day, scheduled approximately 6 months later. For delegates who do the occasional presentation, 6 months may be too soon. For those who present regularly (once a week or more), "Day 3" can be sooner. Delegates come to "Day 3" prepared with an eight minute solo presentation on a flash disc. They conduct a preliminary "warm up" presentation that morning, and later present their pre-prepared presentation. On this day, delegates who are not presenting are actively involved in the critique and feedback of other delegates. A significant benefit of "Day 3" is that delegates can prepare and practice their presentations at their own leisure, while not wasting precious course time doing so.

Prework for "Day 3" appears in section 4 of the Presentation Skills manual, handed to delegates on day one.

This pre-work is also available here.