"With few exceptions, the difficulty in putting together a written report or oral presentation stems not from inability to use language but from problems in thinking through what has to be said."
From "The Thought Process In McKinsey Reports and Presentations"
What is this about?
We spend more and more time listening to and creating presentations and written material. But we can produce better presentations in less time if we think before we create slides or reports.
We offer a one or two day workshop where we teach particpants to think and structure their thoughts before they start producing written material. Using performing arts practices we also teach rehearsal and performance techniques to help you become more effective on stage.
What is the format for your presentation workshop?
"The most useful training I ever attended" -- survey of past participants from Pannon.
The presentation workshop is divided into three modules -- Prepare, Produce, Present.
- Prepare. When making
presentations, most people skip the first step and start writing not
really knowing how to structure their message. I spend most time on
the first section which deals with presentation strategy, subject,
structure, style and storyline. This is where we review the Pyramid
Principle, a strong logic structure developed by McKinsey & Co.
Typically I will use a work-in-progress developed by the participants
as an example. Usually, this workshop by itself can run the course of
a day. When I did the workshop for Pannon, we spent most of our
day on this section. This section is highly interactive and involve
break-out sessions and group exercises.
- Produce. Most people
start their presentations by changing the font and inserting a company
logo on the first page. In this module, we establish a shared
production process of drafting, testing and revising. During this
phase I also talk about navigation design, non-linear presentations,
mindmapping and advanced Powerpoint techniques.
- Present. In this
section we look at the three phases of presentation: before, during
and after the presentation. We talk about rehearsal techniques. About
performance techniques -- how to act on stage with respect to language,
body and interaction with the audience. We also talk about following
up on the presentation using polling and feedback techniques.
What is the format for this workshop? The workshop consists of approx. 15 people interacting over two days. We review a presentation known by the participants and shift between joint sessions and group-exercises. Day 1 is spent working on module 1, Day 2 on module 2 and 3. Ideally the workshop takes place off-site, and day 1 and 2 does not have to be concecutive.
Do you do any followup after the workshop? Yes, we offer each group to participate in an online classroom where classmates will discuss issues, and where we will answer questions and post articles and links of relevance.
What are the major benefits? You spend less time making presentations and your output becomes shorter and easier to understand:
- Spend less time creating presentations and written material. Teams work better and faster when they have a shared process and understanding of how presentations should be made. This class will greatly help teams understand the key successfactors and process.
- Spend less time reading and listening to presentations. Spending more time thinking about the structure of a presentation makes the presentation shorter and crisper. Putting your ideas into a storyline format makes it more interesting for your audience -- and easier to understand.
- Improve thinking, learning and decisions. By ensuring a proper intellectual structure, complex issues can be grouped in a fashion which will speed up learning and understanding. Proper thinking will clear the fog and help you make better decisions because you get a more thorough grasp of the subject at hand. And you will know that issues are addressed at the right time, and that no issues will be left out.