New Presentation Skills Courses!

Speaking Skills for Scientists and Technical Experts http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/sste

Your career and your organization’s success are built on your knowhow. People are hungry for your help–but experts can be hard to understand. The passion and intellect that made you an expert can make you a great public speaker as well. Come along to discover how.

Presentation Skills for University Students
http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/psus

Is there a buzz in the room when you present? No? Want to know the secret?
For many students, speaking in public is a nightmare. Learn how to be confident, calm and collected. Discover tricks to win your audience over. Be remembered the next time you speak!

How to write winning proposals
http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/wwpr

Are you confident you know the best way to write bids, tenders, applications and proposals? In this course you’ll discover what to do to and what not to do. You’ll learn to plan and scope. You'll master the art of persuasion, build compelling arguments, learn reader-centred writing and produce documents people want to read. You’ll win the work, get the grant or have the green light for your next project!


Professional Policy Writing Workshop

http://www.cce.usyd.edu.au/course/PPWW
Organisations need good operational policies. The good news is that the art of writing policy is not too mysterious to master. With lots of practical tips and how-to’s, this one day course will equip you to write policy documents that impress. Learn to say what you mean in professional language, and compile documents that look good, read well and are user-friendly.

Too Much Information !!!

No I’m not talking about your parents’ sex life or the details of your dental dramas.

I’m talking about how to avoid the ‘TMI’ ….which is THE most common of all public speaking mistakes.

Speeches and presentations are either intended mainly to inform, persuade, or entertain. In fact, you need a combination of the three styles for the presentation to be both memorable and effective. The trouble is that this is not always understood.

The common speaker’s mistake is to focus too much on what they know, and not enough on presenting that knowledge in ways that the audience will engage with and remember.

Take a look at this venn diagram.

Whether you’ve found a cure for cancer, or have a new economic model that will rescue Greece, the art of presenting effectively requires mixing and mingling all three modes. If you don’t, your audience will wind up with information overload – and that’s going to start an epidemic of mind-wandering, day dreaming and going to sleep.

The art of being a great presenter is to balance load between the three channels so that you get the results you want.

When we smile we feel good – give your audience that experience. Entertain them with humour, stories and illustrative anecdotes so they are relaxed and receptive.

Persuade them by being emotionally engaging - your own passion and conviction will be infectious. And they’ll want to agree with you.

Inform them in ways they can make use of. Information doesn’t all have to be delivered verbally, it can also be provided in writing, as a report or supplementary paper. Choose only the most useful points of information to talk about and make it clear what you want them to DO as a result of what they’ve heard. That gives your presentation a purpose.

Nuke those nerves

No matter who the workshop is for, when I ask participants what brought them along, the answer is always along the lines of ‘I want to be more confident’, ‘I need to manage my nerves’, ‘public speaking terrifies me’.

When I probe a bit I usually find that everybody suffers from more or less the same set of symptoms: shaking, sweating, blushing, forgetting words, being tongue tied, tummy turbulence, butterflies, a racing pulse, the ‘white light’…. Twice I have seen speakers actually pass out.

So why is it so scary? The answer is that deep down we are fearful of making ourselves look foolish. We dread the judgement of others. And we still have that primitive fight-or-flight mechanism that tells us we’re in danger when we’re exposed on stage with the lights in our eyes, and a bunch of other critters have us in their sights.

No matter that it’s normal to feel this way – if it remains a disturbing experience you won’t want to do it. But if you don’t do it you may miss out on some other things that you DO want – career advancement for example, or to be able to say lovely things at your daughter’s 21st.

There is a basic set of strategies for managing this. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy has been beneficial to people if there’s a really great fear. Deep breathing just before speaking helps to calm the mind. Exercise can be a good way of working off some anxiety and adrenalin before the event. When you’re on stage try fixing an audience member with a stare – talking to one person is easier than talking to many, and after a minute or so your terror will abate. (Then look at a new person so the first one doesn’t feel victimized.)

The very best way to deal with nerves is to be well prepared and thoroughly rehearsed. Why else do performers practice in private and rehearse in the venue before the show? Why do the military do reconnaissance before mounting an operation? Because when you are doing an activity you’re familiar with you are more confident and more competent.

Ok, we’re not in a war zone, but public speaking is a live gig. You should give it the same kind of preparation you would if you were an actor or a musician. Don’t throw it together the night before and expect it to work. Do allow enough time to think and plan and prepare and revise and rehearse. Be very familiar with your material and with the place you’ll be presenting it. Then, as you do a few more presentations and speeches, over time you’ll find that you get used to it. And ultimately you’ll love that adrenalin rush and discover that speaking in public can actually be a joy.

How to get a politician to pay attention...

Give them something they want!

It’s election year in Australia, and the lines of lobbyists are lengthening.

Why? Because getting a politician to support your interests in the leadup may get you an election promise. Then if they win, you’re going to benefit.

Let’s assume you are not a party insider with hands on all the right levers. You’re a community or business group with an issue that deserves attention. You need to get the politician’s ear, and to cut through the competition.

Let’s say step one is in the bag - you’ve set up a meeting.

What are you going to do with it?

Talking to a politician is concentrated communication.

You can speed past a billboard ad and get the gist in 2 seconds right? The politician is like you behind the wheel, travelling at speed. Don’t overwhelm.

If you have 15 minutes it will likely turn into 5 – or possibly 2. It’s an ‘elevator pitch’. It has to be succinct, memorable and relevant. Be clear, bold, and simple.

All the usual rules for public speaking apply.

You need
• one clear message that connects everything you say.
• an attention getting opening,
• stories to make it live,
• just enough data to convince
• a goal – or takeaway call-to action.

Your ‘ask’ has to work for them. Say enough to interest and entice. Show that both of you will benefit if s/he takes up your idea. Demonstrate that you know what’s important to them and that your project is right in line.


Paperwork and leave-behinds

Your personal presentation is just one type of communication. You should round it with what you put down on paper. This is the place for backup: the denser, more fact-laden information. It’s also where summary arguments and contact information can go.

The politician may not read this, but their staffers often will. Make it easy for them. Three pages max, strong headings, bullet points and white space will all aid readability. And of course, a picture is worth a thousand words.