image credit: cartoon by Dan Roam from Seth Godin’s recent eBook What Matters Now.
Last week Drew and I gave a seminar entitled, “How to Present with Confidence and Clarity” at a leading law firm.
The attorneys responded with so many fabulous ideas. One remarked that she now felt confident about her upcoming presentation on anti-discrimination and sexual harassment law. Another mentioned that this seminar has inspired her to teach her six-year-old daughter’s class about her career as a lawyer. Her daughter’s teacher had invited all the parents to come in and teach the kids about their respective professions. Previously, she’d felt intimidated by this idea, but the ways that we recommend tailoring a message to the audience helped her lose her fear.
The ability to explain complex concepts, whether to a child or to a client, is a crucial skill in today’s international business environment.
Our presentation followed this outline:
How to Give an Effective Presentation
(1) Clarify your purpose.
(2) Analyze your audience.
(3) Narrow your message.
(4) Add examples and stories.
(5) Choose engaging visuals.
(6) Practice, practice, practice!
We showed and discussed this video, which I think is a spectacular example of following this advice. In just 4 minutes, inventor Marc Koska illustrates the urgent, human need to re-invent the syringe. It features photos of adorable but doomed children, clear visuals, and a sticky message. Enjoy!
This week we will return to the same firm for an email writing seminar.
-Leslie
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[...] to use training as a staff retention tool. Along with industry-specific lessons like email writing, presentation skills, grammar, and vocabulary, I tailor my classes to individual requests. These have included topics as [...]
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