Public Speaking Course

Course Contents

Unlike off-the-peg public speaking courses, these classes are tailored, on the day, to reflect the needs of each delegate.

We will include many of the exercises listed below and any additional material that the trainers feel is relevant.

Delegate Input

Everyone will give a brief summary of their public speaking experience.

Ice Breaker

A light-hearted energiser to warm up delegates and help them feel more safe and comfortable with others in the room.

Presenting vs Public Speaking

We'll start with a look at the key differences between presenting and public speaking. 

• Presenters tend to be backed up by technological support.
• Public speakers are more exposed as they only have themselves and their interaction with their audience to rely on.

Nerves

What happens when you have to speak in public?

Your hands may sweat and your mouth may go dry. Your knees may shake and your voice quaver.

Your heart may race and butterflies invade your stomach.

We'll examine fear and its effect on your body.

Fear creates a fight or flight reaction, but there are things we can do to help.

Stress Graph

The symptoms of nervousness can be experienced in three stages: 

1. Anticipation of speaking
2. While speaking
3. After speaking and recalling what it was like to speak

The good news is that fear and nerves can be reduced to a manageable level.

You'll create your own 'nerves over time' graph that will be added to throughout the day. 

Talking to Many

Speaking to one person/speaking to many

Here we look at the differences between speaking to one person, two or three people, and a larger group.

More Stress

We'll spend a moment recording your most recent public speaking experience to your personal stress graph.

Building Confidence

Unless you know you're absolutely facing a hostile group of people, human nature is such that your audience wants you to succeed.

They're on your side!

Therefore, rather than assuming they don't like you, give them the benefit of the doubt that they do. 

We look at how mind reading assumptions are a confidence killer.

Stretching Exercises

A series of short exercises designed to stretch your awareness and capacity

• Posture
• Breathing
• Power poses
• Warming up the voice

Presence

An exercise in audience contact that helps with managing the fight or flight response

Connecting Without Words

We'll explore ways of setting up a positive spiral of connection with an audience.

Pressure

We can place so much pressure on ourselves that we lose sight of our choices.

There are a great many things that we can rely on as a safety net. 

Location

A brief discussion of the various arenas in which you are likely to speak.

This is to get a picture of some of the challenges that arise in certain settings.

Hot Starts

We practice ways of grabbing an audience’s attention from the start.

Everyday Objects

An exercise in overlaying an ordinary text with an extraordinary message

Simple Story

Here you'll practise using storytelling elements in your speeches, including structuring your stories around a simple universal story structure.

Levels of Understanding

How do you assess the levels of understanding within an audience and deliver information with varied emphasis, without appearing to patronise?

Symbols, Analogies and Metaphors

Delegates will practice using analogies and metaphors to explain complicated ideas.

Symbols will be used as visual aids to reinforce themes and make a point.

Tailoring Content

We all want to know ‘what’s in it for me?’

This is an exercise in adapting content to suit the audience in order to hold the listener’s attention.

Prepared Speeches

During the second part of the day, you'll work on prepared speeches.

The intention is not to rehearse the actual speech but to use it to incorporate the principles worked on earlier in the day.

As always, the session will be modified according to the level of the attendees.

Closing

Practising how to make a lasting impression.

Big Upping

A game where you can practise big upping one another while introducing the next speaker.

Before and After

Techniques for interacting with your audience before and after the talk.

How to make yourself available to as many people as you are comfortable with, and join and leave groups with ease.

Staying relaxed and dealing with last-minute anxiety.

Preparation

Delegates will explore ways of preparing speeches, managing themselves during a speech, and what to do after.

Final Challenge

A final speech from a topic selected at random, incorporating the tools you have learned throughout the day.

Opportunities to Practise

Getting better at public speaking is like building muscle. It takes time and practice.

• Chairing a meeting
• Toasting a beloved colleague at a leaving-do
• Delivering monthly financials to the board

We will identify opportunities to practise beyond the room.

Personal Take Out

We will spend a short time reviewing the coursework.

Each person to identify and talk briefly about:

• What they will take from the day that they know they will use
• What support or development they need over the coming months
• What they need to do to ensure they practise

Summing Up

We would highly recommend that people take part in some kind of presentation or public speaking event as soon as possible to reinforce the work of the programme.

You'll be given a web link to your recordings during the day.

We will give out Impact Factory documents to support the course.

You'll get copies relevant handouts to remind you of the coursework.

Ongoing Support

Two weeks after the course one of your trainers will call to see how you are getting on.

You will have email and telephone access to both of your trainers.

You'll also have access to a course web page containing

• Handouts used during the course
• New supportive material
• Impact Factory PDF documents
• Recommended reading
• Links to our favourite videos

Public Speaking Course