Presentation Skills Training:

For many people, the idea of standing up and presenting in front of peers, clients or leadership teams is the stuff of nightmares, so much so that there is even a name for it – Glossophobia.

According to a 2023 YouGov survey, 15% of us admit to having an overwhelming or debilitating fear of having to stand up and speak in front of people.

Yet speaking in front of others, be that face to face or remotely, provides the opportunity to persuade and influence, get important messages across and enhance our professional reputation. If only it wasn’t so scary.

At Donovan Training Associates, we believe that public speaking doesn’t have to be scary and that it is possible to manage the nerves and deliver an impactful message. We are passionate about supporting people and providing them with the skill sets and confidence required to present in front of others.

Presentation Skills Training Tailored Specifically for Your Needs

At Donovan Training Associates, we believe that optimised and effective training cannot be achieved with an off-the-shelf, one-size-fits-all solution. As a result, our presentation skills training is bespoke, tailored to the specific needs of your organisation and the individual delegates.

How Our Presentation Skills Training Works

Whether you are an experienced presenter and you are looking for the wow factor to add to your existing skills, or you would prefer to have several teeth removed without pain relief than stand up and speak in front of others, we can offer a learning solution that is relevant to your needs.

The process begins with a no obligation consultation where we will identify your requirements, learn more about the types of presentations you will be delivering and where you would like to focus. We will then prepare a bespoke proposal which we can amend as required to ensure we meet your specific needs.

Many of our clients ask us to facilitate onsite or at a local venue of their choosing but if you prefer to come off site, we can offer facilities in our Oxfordshire offices which are designed to host workshops in a professional and comfortable environment.

Why You or Your People May Need Presentation Skills Training

Overcoming debilitating nerves when presenting
Looking for professional ideas to freshen up your presentations
Preparing for a specific presentation
Building confidence when communicating
Seeking ideas to tailor your message to your audience
Personal and professional development

Presentation Skills Training Course Outline: An Example

All our training is tailored specifically to you and considers the needs of your Organisation and the needs of your people. Where possible, we endeavour to provide examples and scenarios which are relevant to your business and therefore, which your people can relate to.

However, we understand that when comparing learning providers, it is helpful to have a better understanding of their approach and what a typical day of learning might look like, and so we have put together the following as an example which we hope you will find useful.

Course Overview

Our presentation skills training is typically facilitated over the course of a day or divided into a theory and practice session, facilitated on separate days. Depending on the number of learners, your location, and demands of the business, training can either be provided:

In-person
Face-to-face via online real-people video training

We also provide customised pre-prepared learning materials, including videos and interactive resources. These are useful for learners to utilise as reminders or to learn in their spare time.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the training, participants will:

Have shared examples of presentations that they believe to have been memorable and why
Have clarity on the purpose of presentations, linking these to outcomes before designing content
Take away practical tips for structuring presentations, ensuring they are engaging and impactful
Learn the importance of using positive language to create credibility and authenticity when presenting
Take away practical techniques for managing any nerves
Learn tips for managing questions professionally
Leave with ideas around how to exude confidence when presenting, focusing on projection, pitch and pace

Course Structure:

This example is based on a session around a one-day face to face presentation skills workshop where the morning session focuses on theory and practical tips and the afternoon provides an opportunity to put the learning into practice.

Examples of memorable presentations
Linking Formula One to how people engage with presentations
Tips for preparing for and structuring a presentation
Managing the nerves and answering unexpected questions
Pacing the presentation and making it engaging
Practice with peer to peer and professional feedback

Certification

If requested, we can offer certificates for our training.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this level of training course. It is suitable for anyone looking to improve their presentation skills, regardless of their current level of expertise. However, if you have a large number of delegates, you may prefer to create cohorts based on department or staff seniority level so that attendee’s feel more comfortable being open with discussing pain-points and challenges.

Resources:

After the workshop, we will send out resources that are specific to the needs of the audience. Typical examples include links to podcasts, TED talks, books etc.

When suitable, we also embed relevant TED talks into the workbooks that we provide which are all in an interactive PDF format.

To find out more about our bespoke presentation skills training, please call us on 01295 675506 for a free, no obligation consultation.

If you have any questions or would like an informal chat then please click below.

Make an enquiry

Case Study:

“Just wanted to say a massive thank you for today. We all found it extremely useful and your training style was perfectly pitched. We have all come away feeling more confident and have been given some useful tools to help us when presenting.”

Andy Gunn, a project manager for a charity called Freshwater Habitats Trust, Oxford, UK

We were invited to facilitate a presentation skills session for an Oxfordshire wildlife conservation charity. The participants were scheduled to be delivering an important fundraising presentation in Reading a week after the workshop, so the content was designed specifically around this.

The participants prepared a presentation in advance of the workshop, which they then presented back to us first thing. We then critiqued the presentation together, building on the many strong points and adding additional elements to maximise impact and ensure the outcomes of the presentation were achieved. The learning was then put into practice and refined to maximise confidence.

We followed up with the charity and were delighted to hear that the presentation in Reading landed well, resulting in many people signing up to volunteer for a local event, exceeding expected numbers.

Why Choose Donovan Training Associates?

We are MCIPD (Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development) Certified
All training is tailored to the specific needs of your organisation, ensuring you get the best ROI possible
We are passionate about making training enjoyable, rewarding and relatable so that your staff appreciate the investment you’ve made in them, and can see the benefit to them as an individual
Whilst we are based in Oxfordshire, we provide professional training to organisations both here in the UK, and overseas.