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Public Speaking is an
Essential Leadership Function
Essential Leadership Function
Why do we speak or give a presentation? If it were just a matter of transferring information, then all we’d need to do is submit a document or show slides that summarize our thoughts. We could then stand by quietly as the audience reads the material, and be available to answer questions and clarify points of confusion.
We speak to accomplish much more than merely convey information. Speaking creates a human connection where change is possible. We speak to influence our audience, to help them understand a concept, to persuade them, to get buy-in on an idea or project, to inspire them, to move them to effect a change.
To be effective when we speak, we must have leadership presence. By this we mean the ability to communicate with confidence, authenticity, honesty, and a sense of deep connection. This is an essential leadership skill.
Our unusual approach...
Our programs begin by introducing the basics of our unique approach to
public speaking. Rather than worrying about the organization and content
of presentations, initially our emphasis is on developing a leadership
presence. This approach, combined with a valuable set of public-speaking
stress-management tools, creates a powerful learning experience.
We then build on this foundation by focusing on developing effective presentation skills with opportunities to practice the design, development and delivery of specific content in formal or informal presentation situations. Our final session is a formal presentation that will allow you to integrate all that you have learned in the program.
With multiple multiple opportunities to safely experience, practice and experiment with behaviors and attitudes that reflect leadership presence, our participants learn to:
- Connect with the audience
- Speak authentically and with confidence
- Convey their message effectively using visual aids, story and metaphor
- Design, develop and deliver a formal presentation
- Manage difficult speaking situations with grace and ease
- Learn how to slow down, using silence to engage the audience, and increase the impact of a presentation
How participants benefit...
Here are just a few of the many benefits to be gained
from our approach. Participants:
- Increase the ability to speak with authority
- Present from a place of strength, credibility and authenticity
- Learn how to think on their feet
- Begin to look forward to – and even ENJOY – speaking in front of a group
What's unique about
this program?
This program offers all of the following features:
- By meeting for 12 half-day sessions spread over a three month period, participants have the opportunity to change how they approach speaking and truly integrate what they've learned.
- After almost every session, participants will take home a videotape of their presentations to review privately on their own, thus allowing them to continue the growth and learning of this program beyond the immediate group experience.
- Over the span of the course, participants will establish a supportive relationship with each other, brainstorming ways to become more successful based on their own experiences trying out new approaches in the workplace.
- Participants will receive a manual containing valuable resources that support the learning in the class.
- As a way to supplement their learning, participants are welcome to attend any Wednesday evening SpeakingPresence session during the time they are attending the program.
Our comprehensive foundational program, Speaking with Confidence for Results, offered to individuals and within organizations, addresses each of these tools and develops the essential leadership competencies of speaking with presence, connection and confidence.
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We are centrally located in the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire close to the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. As such we are in in the heart of New England and close to Boston and all of Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York and Maine.
Travel time from:
Albany, NY — 2.75 hours
Boston, MA — 2.25 hours
Brattleboro, VT— 1.25 hours
Burlington, VT — 1.5 hours
Concord, NH — 1 hour
Hartford, CT — 2.5 hours
Portland, ME — 3 hours
Portsmouth, NH — 2 hours
