Presentations are an inevitable and important part of any career. This two-day workshop is an opportunity to plan, prepare and practise presentations. This exercise-based workshop is intended for anyone who wants to communicate more effectively to groups.

The first day of the workshop, Structure of Persuasive Presenting, takes participants through the process of planning and preparing a convincing presentation. Topics will include:

1. deciding the purpose of your presentation;
2. targeting your intended audience;
3. a top-down structured approach to planning a meaningful and persuasive message;
4. guidelines for designing effective slides and audio-visual aids;
5. anticipating and handling questions.

The second day of the workshop, Style of Persuasive Presenting, takes participants through the process of delivering a presentation which has been prepared using the principles and procedures from the first day. Participants will give short talks which will be video-recorded. They will receive feedback from the group and the video-recording. Topics will include:

1. using body language to help present yourself and your message more effectively;
2. basic voice-work for speaking to large groups at conferences and seminars;
3. working with accents and pronunciation for those whose first language is not English;
4. reducing nervousness and boosting confidence.

Some comments from participants:

• "Excellent. Taught me things I had never even thought of!"
• "This is a good course, particularly for the people who come from outside of the UK."
• "Also uncovered objectives I didn't know I had!"
• "We were asked what we wanted to do and that's what we did."
• "I appreciated very much that the course was not fixed to a script."
• "I liked the thoroughness of the ground covered and the way it was presented in an easy to understand approach."
• "Common sense approach, not the jargon-filled, buzz-worded course I had envisioned. Almost everything was useful."
• "Easy to approach, charismatic, patient, in control of the schedule without being pushy/strict. Good knowledge of subject. Catchy delivery style."
• "Interactive, friendly atmosphere that made you want to learn."
• "It did a very good job in making me realise that presentations need to have a point and need to be more carefully planned & structured to meet both mine & the audience's needs."
• "Understanding what the audience wants to know and how to match that with what I try to present."
• "Would love more! Very enjoyable. Very interesting."
• "I used to feel very insecure giving presentations - that changed."
• "Yes, everyone improved - my nerves were a lot better and I gave my first presentation without notes!"