Overview:

Speaking in front of people in meetings and presentations can be daunting, even if someone is confident in other situations. Gaining an understanding of anxious reactions, knowing how to control the situation and answer the unspoken “what if” questions helps us to steer a safe course through choppy nerves.

One-day course outline:

• Welcome and introductions.
• Course objectives, personal objectives.
• The fear factor.
• Relationship between the rational and emotional mind.
• The effects of an amygdala hijack.
• Survival – fight / flight and freeze.
• How fear in front of a group makes evolutionary sense.
• Tactics to manage the stress –
• Analysing the anxiety.
• Making friend with the stress.
• Old scripts – do they still apply?
• Tactics to harness the stress.
• Shaping communication for groups and the appearance of confidence.
• The importance of being natural.
• The effects of anxiety on interpersonal communication.
• Visual – body language, posture, gesture, eye contact, facial expression.
• Vocal – tone, speed and pacing, pitch, clarity, inflection.
• Verbal – positive terminology and appropriate words for the audience.
• Managing questions when you want time to think or don’t know the answer.
• Managing hostile or sarcastic questions.
• Practicing the techniques.
• Summary, review and questions.
• Action plans.

Benefits of the training:

• More effective communication when we are out of our comfort zone.
• Improved confidence to speak up in challenging situations.
• Increased ability to present information with calm assurance.
• Improved clarity of thought when participating in groups.
• Enhanced proficiency in conveying information that might otherwise be lost.