Strong, in-person presentations are a great way to get known, build your network and attract clients.
So why is it that most people get overwhelmed about presentations?
- Live presentations are scary, and bring up many lizard fears
- It is hard to keep your audience from getting bored or overwhelmed
- There are a ton of moving parts in a presentation (content, structure, delivery, audience members, technology) and it is hard prepare and manage all of them effectively
- Finding the right visuals can be challenging
- It is hard to get information about the audience you are speaking to, and this can lead you to question if your content will hit the mark
The art of great presentations is a combination of:
A passionate person + A great topic + Engaging and well-designed content + Delivery that looks and feels authentic.
When you have an organized, systematic approach to researching, creating, designing and delivering presentations, you:
- Feel more confident
- Create compelling content
- Don’t PowerPoint your audience to death
- Prepare for natural interaction, and can handle questions
- Build trust with your audience, which makes them more likely to want to do business with you
I want to help you become a confident, engaging and powerful speaker.
Which is why I am so excited to invite you to my brand-new class, Power Presentations.
What is Power Presentations?
Power Presentations is a 4-week class, delivered in live sessions via webinar during the month of June, 2012.
Class dates are Wednesdays, June 6, 13, 20 and 27. They will be held from 4-5pm Pacific/8-9pm Eastern.
It will include instruction on the four key areas of great presentations:
- How to Choose a Compelling Topic
- How to Structure Just the Right Amount of Content
- Designing Engaging Visuals
- Managing Mental Chatter, Lizard Fears and Presentation Delivery.
Participants will be invited to work on an actual presentation during the class, and can choose to participate in a contest at the end of the class.
Who is this class for?
- Business owners of all stripes
- Corporate employees who present ideas in meetings or conferences
- Coaches
- Consultants
- Anyone who sees live presentations as a core strategy for building audience, building income and building impact
- Ignite, WDS, SXSW or TEDx presenters, or those who aspire to be!
Course Outline:
Classes will be delivered via 4 live webinars. All calls will be recorded and available the next day, if you happen to miss the live class.
Week One: How to Choose a Compelling Topic
Great presentations are framed around the deepest needs and concerns of the audience. In this class, you will learn:
- What constitutes a truly powerful presentation
- How to brainstorm effective presentation topics
- How to choose the best topic for a particular audience
- How to gather data from your audience in order to build your content
- How to balance relevant detail and big picture, so the presentation does not bog down
- How to ensure that the topic you choose is directly linked to a relevant part of your business
Week Two: How to Structure Just the Right Amount of Content
When you have a key topic in mind, you need to organize it in such a way that it moves from topic to topic naturally and tells a compelling story. In this class, you will learn:
- How to choose a content structure that works for your presentation style, and the needs of your audience
- How to tell a great story
- How and when to use data to emphasize core ideas
- How to nail your presentation opener
- How to leave a powerful and lasting impression with your presentation close
Week Three: Designing Engaging Visuals
Great speakers don’t need PowerPoint slides. But in certain cases, powerful visual images, props or backgrounds can help reinforce key ideas and engage all the senses of an audience. In this class you will learn :
- How to decide whether or not to use slides or visuals in a presentation
- Where to find great images
- The rules of great presentation design
- How to deliver a great presentation without slides
Week Four: Managing Mental Chatter, Lizard Fears and Presentation Delivery
When you know your topic, you have your great story and your visuals are freshly designed, the true test comes: stepping out from behind the curtain and in front of your audience. Your mental preparation and command of non-verbal communication will truly make or break your presentation. In this class, you will learn:
- How to “get in the zone” before a presentation
- How to deal with pesky lizard fears that make your heart race right before going live in front of an audience
- Tools to help your body and voice convey confidence and connection with your audience
- Tips for pacing your delivery, and remembering your key content
- Tips for moving and gesturing naturally
- Managing presentation logistics including room design, presentation equipment, and disaster preparedness including wardrobe malfunctions (just ask Pam about that last item!)
Bonus Activity: Power Presentation Challenge
To add some fun and spice to the class, I will encourage all students to participate in a fun presentation challenge where you can:
- Submit a 5-minute clip of your presentation for the Power Presentation Challenge
- A special committee will review the entries
- The top two finalists will receive a bonus
All throughout the class: Connection with peers
Why me?
I have been doing live presentations for over two decades.
I have taught presentation skills to hundreds of business professionals in companies of every size across the United States, Canada and Europe.
I have presented at Ignite, TEDx, South by Southwest and conferences of all sizes.
I have presented at scores of schools and community centers to children of all ages when I taught martial arts.
Most importantly, I love to present! It has been a big part of building my brand, and the audience for my book.
Teaching you how to be a better, more confident presenter, and therefore a better businessperson, is part of my mission.
“I have seen a thousand business speakers, but the messages of only a handful remain in my mind. Out of that handful, one stands out for her presence, her passion, and her integrity: Pam Slim. Hire Pam to speak and your audience will be engaged and moved to action — and that is the only test of a speaker that matters.” – Nick Morgan, Author of Give Your Speech, Change the World and Trust Me
Great presenters
- Respect their audience by choosing topics that are highly relevant and useful. They customize their content to maximize learning.
- Know their strengths. They choose a presentation style that fits their personality, and don’t try to become a character on stage.
- Use visuals to engage and underline key concepts, not to kill people with bullet points.
- Don’t try to squash and eliminate jitters (good luck!) but rather to work with them to ignite energy .
- Deliver. They do not care about making a quick, empty buck, they care about delivering lasting value to their customers.
Are you ready?
Sign up for the brand-new Power Presentations, and raise the bar on your presentation skills.
- Bring in more business.
- Feel more confident.
- Deliver more connection and value to your audience.
Power Presentations includes:
- 4 content-rich classes covering How to Choose a Power Topic, Presentation Structure, Graphics, Managing Mind Talk and Presentation Delivery. Each class is 60 minutes.
- Chance to compete in Power Presentation Challenge
- Participation in Private Group on Facebook with feedback from Pam and fellow participants
Signup to be notified when Power Presentations is open for registration
Power Presentations Plus includes (limited to 20 signups):
- 4 content-rich classes covering How to Choose a Power Topic, Presentation Structure, Graphics, Managing Mind Talk and Presentation Delivery. Each class is 60 minutes.
- Chance to compete in Power Presentation Challenge
- Participation in Private Group on Facebook with feedback from Pam and fellow participants
- Bonus content on how to capture business leads from a live presentation, how to write a great presentation title and blurb (Once you start to get known as a great speaker, all your contacts will request a pithy title and blurb that describes the highlight of the presentation) and how to set up a speaking page that gets you booked.
And …
FEEDBACK
- 30 minute private, individual Skype coaching session with Pam, where she will 1) review all your presentation visuals before the call, 2) review 5-minute video clip of your presentation before the call, and spend 30 minutes giving you feedback and coaching on your presentation. (Your presentation could be any length — from 5 minutes to one hour)
Signup to be notified when Power Presentations is open for registration
Frequently asked questions
- Do I have to already have a speaking gig booked to get the most benefit from the class?
No. I recommend choosing an ideal location for your talk, and pitching it at the end of class. - What if I am totally terrified of presenting?
My aim is to give you a structure to organize content and plan your presentation that will make the thought of presenting less daunting. In the fourth class, I will teach strategies and techniques for managing stage fright and mind chatter. - What if my business is totally online? Are in-person presentations still valuable?
I think so! Events like BlogWorld and SXSW are filled with people who primarily operate online, but have the chance to gain exposure and human connection with a live audience. When your live presentations are as strong as your virtual voice and words, your power and brand is amplified. And, of course, the opposite is true. Hence, the wisdom of planning, practicing and executing a great live presentation. - Does this presentation structure apply to webinars?
Yes! While in-person presentations have the benefit of face to face connection, webinars are almost as good, with a combination of well-designed content, great visuals, and an engaging voice.
I hope to work on your presentation with you soon!
