Presentation Skills

How would you rate your presentation
and public speaking skills?

Did you know that Effective Presentation Skills can be
developed by almost anyone with the right training?

Do you realise that you could spend just one or two days with a good trainer and be absolutely amazed at what you would be able to achieve?

And what would that then mean to your career
and your self-confidence?

OK so how do you find a good presentation skills trainer?

1	Firstly, remember that not all trainers are equal. Choose one that has a good track record in this field and has plenty of references available from (real) satisfied customers.
2	And check their list of customers. Have you heard of the companies or organisations that have undergone training with this trainer? Are there any well known companies / organisations listed? And if they haven't got a list of clients, ask yourself "why not?"
3	Are they a specialist communication, presentation skill or public speaking trainer? Or do they simply specialise in being "all things to all men"? so to speak. Chose one that is a specialist in communication skills, presentation skills or public speaking training.
4	Find out what the course class size is. If its more than 10 you probably wont get enough time to practise presenting. The ideal size is between 6 and 8.
5	Beware of the "Expert Public Speaker" Some trainers are also public speakers. A few of them also love to have a captive audience and absolutely adore the sound of their own voices. Recognise the type? Some even spend most of their evenings / weekends at speakers clubs, performing in their competitions and claiming fame as a result of this. But does this make them great trainers? Remember that you are looking for a trainer who can empathise with you, understands why you are feeling nervous about presenting and is able to give you the skills needed for your success - not an "entertainer" who probably last felt nervous 10 years ago.
6	Find out how much time is spent on actually developing your presentation and public speaking skills in the training course. If its not a very high proportion of the time, think again. You want to come away from the course with new skills - not simply with the type of knowledge you could get from a good book!
7	When you phone them for information are you able to speak to someone who actually knows about presention skills? And are they able to give you the sort of answers you'd like to hear.
8	How much time is focused on your voice? Good presentation and public speaking skills are completely dependent on your ability to speak clearly, with varying tone, emphasis and enough volume so your audience can actually hear you! Telling you you need to speak in that way is one thing, taking you through numerous exercises to give you the skills to do it is a totally different matter. Choose the latter if you get the choice. And if they do include voice coaching on their course what real experience do they have of voice coaching? Do they offer voice coaching as a separate service? Have they had any training in the voice?
9	How much time is spent working on body language to help you build up your presentation skills from the physical presence perspective? Make sure again that you get plenty of exercises in this area and not just the "theory" you could read in a book! But if they state that only 7% of communication is words - to justify the use of bodylanguage then stay clear of them as they are no more experts that you are. They've simply read it in a book which as been misquoted for years by other so called "experts". Bodylanguage and the voice are important in any presentation but so are the words you use!
10	Are you assured lots of personal feedback on your presenting skills? If this is only limited to video ask yourself, "isn't the trainer able to give me immediate feedback without having to rely on a video camera?"
11	And what happens when the course has finished? Do they offer any followup service? Do they offer more than just one level of course? Could you even get one to one coaching if you were interested?
12	Do they offer a money back guarantee with their presentation skills courses? If not why not? Or might they be inundated with requests for refunds if they did offer it? Make sure one is on offer.
13	How many types of presentation or public speaking courses do they run? If the training company offers only one course this might well imply that they are a generalist or "one man band" operation rather than a specialist presentation skills training company. Check them out! Conversely, if they are a relatively new company and claim to run lots of courses across the UK - then they might well be advertising lots of courses that never run. Find out where their courses are run and then contact the venue - to see if they have ever heard of them. You might just be surprised by the answer you get!
14	Do they recognise that confidence building and techniques to overcome your nerves are vital for beginners and intermediate level presentation and public speaking training? If not why not? And how do they demonstrate this on the course?
15	If all you get is an answer machine (or message taking service) when you telephone them time and time again, think again. How big is the training company? If you can't get an answer to your questions within a few hours think again. Likewise, if you can't speak to someone who knows what they are talking about within a couple of hours think again.
16	How much are their presentation and public speaking courses? We have found that £270 to £300 + VAT per day is a reasonable rate to expect to pay for a public course from a specialist trainer. So budget on roughly £550 - £600 + VAT for a good two day course. And remember if they dont charge VAT - it can only mean that they are a very small company.
17	Beware of trainers who have to use hypnotism to address presentation fear. If the trainer has to resort to the use of hypnotism on their courses or feels they need to offer it even as an optional extra on their courses then beware. If they haven't got the skill to help you get over the fear of presenting without having to resort to hypnosis then it doesn't say much for their training ability in the first place. There's a time and place for hypnosis but its not on a presentation skills training course.
18	Do you feel you can trust your trainer? If their photo is on their website, do you feel you can trust them? Do they look friendly, approachable and able to provide you with the training you need? If not, then (although not always the case) you're first impressions might just be right.
19	Does their website look like a a bit of a wind-up and full of hype? Does their website claims that they are simply the best and the newest training available; that they have finally discovered the hidden secret to successful presenting; and of course that all other training companies are vastly inferior? If so, you might well be correct in thinking that they are more like someone trying desparately to sell their cheap (probably copied) DVD's at a local market.
20	Choose the course on the quality of the trainers. And the quality of the company, their references, client list and whether the course outline and objectives meets your needs.

OK I'm convinced but which presentation skills company should I pick?

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Check Google for "uk presentation skills courses" as an example search phrase and you'll find a selection of companies listed.

Give a selection of them call, see what they say. Are they credible? And can they offer you what you want?

We have also included some the UK presentation skills training websites we recently found on Google, below:-

presentation skills training at the impactfactory public speaking & presentation skills courses at skillstudio presenting with steveknight training at ptp presentations with totalsuccess.co.uk presenting maynardleigh.co.uk

And remember, dont compromise. The next step is yours ... but dont forget that:-

Effective Presentation Skills can be developed
by almost anyone with the right training!