Executive Coaching
We work extensively with C-suite and other executives. These individuals want and value feedback on their communication skills, but rarely get it. We give it. They have limited time and short attention spans, but are quick studies. And they have no tolerance for wasted time and esoteric concepts that are part of most presentations training. (“Tilt your head just a bit more to the right.”) Coaching these no-nonsense individuals requires a strong but deft touch (and a solid understanding of business).
Our executive coaching is highly customized to individual needs and typically takes place prior to critical presentations, such as:
Analyst Presentations
Investor communications is not for lightweights. The subject matter is more complex and the audience more sophisticated. Communicating with investors and those who advise them requires special skills – the kind we can help cultivate.
A typical assignment for a company preparing for an analyst presentation might include one-on-one coaching for each of the presenters. During these sessions, we focus on the presenter’s content and delivery, and use video extensively. When the team of presenters comes together for a complete run-through, we provide additional feedback. If we attend the analyst presentation (a frequent client request), we provide a detailed, written critique of the event, including each presenter’s performance.
Quarterly Earnings Conference Calls
For most publicly traded companies, the earnings call is an investor relations staple – an important tool to reach analysts, investors and others. Among other things, these calls help analysts develop more accurate earnings expectations. Unfortunately, many executives lack conference call savvy. The result? Presentations that are merely a recitation of facts. Missed opportunities to deliver key messages or gather intelligence during Q&A. Dull and wooden delivery.
We’ve developed a unique Conference Call Checkup that provides a written analysis of your earnings call efforts. This tool requires nothing from the client other than a thick skin – a willingness to get candid, objective feedback and suggestions for improvement. Contact us for details about this proprietary offering.
Presentations Training
Like hitting a perfect drive on the golf course, presenting is a skill. Skills can be taught, learned and applied. We help clients identify their strengths and weaknesses as presenters and offer suggestions for improvement. Someone on the outside looking in can see what you might be missing. We do this through extensive use of video – the best teaching tool ever invented for improving communication skills.
We customize and conduct half-day and full-day, one-on-one and small-group training sessions. A unique feature of our training involves asking participants to provide us with a copy of their presentation prior to the session so we can offer a detailed critique of the content, including PowerPoint visuals. In communication, content is key.
We also customize and conduct large-group training sessions in which several presentations are critiqued for learning opportunities.
Presentation
Tutorials
We’ve developed a number of unique 30- and 60-minute tutorials that can be incorporated into our presentations training sessions or can stand alone at “lunch and learns” and other large- or small-group meetings. These tutorials can be delivered in person or by videoconference.
They include:
How to Craft a Winning Presentation
The one constant in business is the presentation. Virtually everyone has to make them, but few people have been shown how to put together an effective one. For many people, it’s a time-consuming, difficult process. We’ll take the difficulty out of it by providing an easy-to-follow template that can be used to create any presentation. In short, we’ll show you how to develop a presentation with a powerful opening, a solid body and a compelling (and memorable) ending.
PowerPoint Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
PowerPoint can be a powerful tool to help convey information in a way that is clear, creative and compelling. Today, nearly everyone uses PowerPoint, but few use it effectively. That’s why we often see too many slides, slides with too many words, slides we can’t read – and a presenter who looks at the screen and reads to us. Not good. We’ll offer guidance on how to use PowerPoint to enhance your presentation, not detract from it.
Mission Possible: Turning the Technically Trained Into Effective Communicators
Conventional wisdom has it that technically trained individuals are poor presenters. And indeed many tend to be low energy, too detail-oriented, prone to using jargon, and heavily dependent on PowerPoint. Often, they fail to connect with their audience. We show left-brain thinkers how to become right-brain communicators. We take them out of their comfort zone, and get them to buy into a different style of presenting – a more effective one.
“Oh no! I have to give a speech” (aka Managing Presentation Jitters)
Surveys show that what many people fear most – more than snakes, heights, disease, financial problems or even death – is speaking before groups. Although nearly everyone experiences some anxiety before and during a presentation, for some people, public speaking causes great distress. The good news is that research is helping us better understand speech anxiety and is showing us ways to control it. We’ll examine the factors that contribute to this problem and offer specific techniques to manage presentation stress.
Q&A: It’s Not as Hard as You Might Think
Most speakers dread the Q&A portion of a presentation. We’ll show you how to nail it. We’ll provide tips on how to prepare, how to handle the toughest types of questions, how to use the technique of “bridging” as a springboard to your messages and more.
