Course Outline
1. The Psychology of Effective Public Speaking
A compelling presentation begins with an awareness of how people listen, process, and retain information. This module covers the fundamentals of attention, engagement, and effective communication.
- What makes a presentation stick in the audience's mind?
- The psychology behind attention, emotion, and engagement.
- How audiences absorb information.
- Why an overload of information can hinder understanding.
- Creating relevance for the audience.
- Striking a balance between information, explanation, and engagement.
- The speaker's role in guiding audience attention.
2. Choosing What to Say: Filtering and Prioritising Information
This module speaks directly to the client's need to help participants decide what to focus on, what to simplify, and what to leave out.
- Clarifying the purpose of the presentation.
- Identifying the key message and desired takeaway.
- Separating core information from supporting material.
- Deciding what the audience needs to know versus what the speaker knows.
- Ranking information by relevance, impact, and audience needs.
- Avoiding needless detail and information overload.
- Recognising information that must not be omitted.
- Spotting common mistakes in selecting information.
- Choosing the appropriate level of detail for different audiences.
- Distilling complex information into a focused message.
- Practical approaches for reviewing and trimming presentation content.
3. Building a Clear and Powerful Message
Once the essential information has been selected, it needs to be arranged into a structure the audience can understand and remember.
- Choosing the right message and angle.
- From information to message: deciding what the audience should take away.
- Organising a presentation using suitable frameworks.
- Creating a logical flow between ideas.
- Simplifying complex messages.
- Connecting facts, arguments, and recommendations.
- Crafting effective openings.
- Creating strong conclusions and clear calls to action.
- Common structural and informational pitfalls and how to avoid them.
4. Presentation Design: Supporting Attention and Comprehension
Well-designed slides should clarify the message rather than serve as a script for the presenter.
- Designing slides to support attention and understanding.
- Selecting the right information for each slide.
- Cutting excessive text and visual noise.
- Using visual hierarchy to highlight what matters most.
- Presenting data, facts, and complex information clearly.
- Using slides as a support tool rather than a script.
- Examples of effective and ineffective slide design.
- Aligning slide content with the presentation's central message.
5. Understanding Your Audience
The same information often needs to be presented differently depending on who is listening.
- Assessing the audience and understanding its needs.
- What does the audience already know?
- What does the audience need to know?
- What does the audience care about?
- Adjusting the level of detail to the audience.
- Tailoring the same message for different audiences.
- Anticipating concerns and resistance.
- Reducing unnecessary resistance through better communication.
- Reading the room and building connection.
- Monitoring audience energy and staying agile during a presentation.
6. Practical Presentation Skills and Confident Delivery
A clear message must be delivered in a way that builds trust and holds attention.
- Identifying individual presentation strengths.
- Leveraging personal strengths rather than mimicking other speakers.
- Tone of voice, pace, and emphasis.
- Body language and posture.
- Building trust and credibility.
- Speaking naturally rather than "performing".
- Building confidence through preparation and practice.
- Short-term mindset techniques for confident delivery.
- Long-term habits for developing presentation confidence.
- Using appropriate and effective presentation language.
7. Managing Nervousness and Presentation Anxiety
Feeling nervous is a natural response to being observed and evaluated. Understanding this reaction makes it easier to manage.
- Why do we feel nervous when speaking in public?
- The fight, flight, and freeze response.
- What nervousness does to the body and communication.
- Reframing negative thoughts.
- Managing self-consciousness and fear of judgement.
- Nervous system regulation techniques.
- Practical techniques before and during a presentation.
- Transforming nervous energy into productive presentation energy.
8. Storytelling, Interaction and Audience Engagement
Storytelling and interaction can make information more meaningful, but they need to support the message rather than distract from it.
- How and when to tell a story during a presentation.
- Using examples and personal experiences.
- Selecting examples that reinforce the key message.
- Creating emotional connection without becoming overly personal.
- Using questions to encourage participation.
- Inviting audience interaction.
- Using interaction to check understanding and maintain attention.
- Balancing storytelling, information, and business purpose.
9. Handling Questions, Objections and Difficult Audiences
A presentation does not stop when the prepared slides end. Participants need to stay focused when the discussion becomes unpredictable.
- Preparing for likely questions and objections.
- Handling difficult or aggressive questions and interruptions.
- Responding when someone challenges your credibility.
- What to do when one person dominates the discussion.
- Maintaining control without becoming defensive.
- Navigating through silence.
- Distinguishing between questions that need answers and distractions that do not.
- Steering difficult discussions back to the central message.
- Maintaining composure and credibility under pressure.
10. Practical Presentation Exercises and Feedback
The course places strong emphasis on practice. Participants will apply the principles throughout the two days through short presentation exercises and structured feedback.
- Preparing and delivering short presentations.
- Applying information-filtering and prioritisation techniques.
- Practising message structure and simplification.
- Adapting presentations to different audiences.
- Practising openings and conclusions.
- Applying voice, body language, and audience engagement techniques.
- Handling questions and interruptions.
- Receiving and applying structured feedback.
- Refining the presentation based on feedback.
Requirements
No previous formal training in public speaking or presentation skills is necessary.
Participants are encouraged to bring sample presentations, reports, meetings, or other communication situations they commonly face in their work.
Target Audience and Level
This course suits professionals, managers, team leaders, subject-matter experts, and anyone who needs to share information, ideas, recommendations, or decisions with colleagues, clients, management, or other stakeholders.
The course is appropriate for participants at beginner to intermediate levels.
Testimonials (4)
Meeting efficiency is something that's fairly "basic", but not thought about a lot and with really large implications on people/company time. Understanding these best practices and keeping them top-of-mind will be of immediate help.
Dan Moffatt - Chris Courtemanche
Course - Personal Efficiency and Managing Meetings
Provided and explained very clearly a lot of foundational concepts, which fit well with the team's level of learning. The exercises were very engaging and I believe my team were comfortable and participated very well. Coordinating with the trainer as well was very seamless.
Christlan Tolentino - Canadian Blood Services
Course - Critical Thinking
I especially appreciated the instructor’s ability to give thorough, well-explained answers to questions specific to my personal situation.
HASAN TAHA URLU - Huber Turkiye
Course - Assertiveness
the exercises and the way the trainer was explaining
