Business Training Direct Blog

Presentation Skills Training for Job Interview Success

admin — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:42:38 +0000

If you’ve an important interview coming up, presentation skills training can help eliminate nerves, build your self-confidence and show you how to sell yourself.

Pre-interview, there are many thought processes at work which can have a negative effect on the psyche. Subsequently they can be detrimental to our successfulness during the interview process. Here are some examples;

Performance Anxiety – when you’re in front of an interviewer you are expected to perform. Just like an athlete, we can all succumb to the nerves and pressure of having to act a certain way at a particular moment or event.

Self-Fulfilling Prophesies – you tell yourself over and over that you’ll embarrass yourself, get tongue tied, go completely blank and guess what? - It happens.

Exaggerating its Significance - While it may be nice to get the job, the world will not end if you don’t, your wife won’t divorce you and you won’t be ridiculed for trying. You will simply learn from any mistakes you make and move on.

Self-Defeating Thoughts – You insentiently convince yourself that you’re not good enough, qualified enough, or skilled enough to fulfil the role you’ve applied for. With this mind-set – how will you ever convince anyone else to the contrary?

Fixation on Past Experiences – If you’ve had a bad experience in the past, you may fear a repeat performance. This can really cripple a person’s chances of success, especially if they’ve only ever had negative experiences and outcomes.

If any of this sounds familiar, you can overcome these patterns through training or coaching. When you are knowledgeable and familiar with the interview process, your self-confidence will soar. When you can identify the negative thought processes that cause nerves, you will be able to control them and come across as self-assured.

Business Training Direct offer presentation skills training to help you get that job. Our interview skills training is a one-to-one coaching session over half a day. It includes training to control nerves and anxiety, coaching on potential interview questions and a full mock interview with feedback. To find out more, call us on 0845 056 9696.

Public Speaking Courses for Wedding Parties

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 08:52:20 +0000

Business Training Direct now offer bespoke public speaking courses for wedding parties. Training your wedding speakers means brilliant speeches and an unforgettable reception, without any faux pas.

You may put a huge amount of effort, time and money into arranging your wedding. No matter how long you agonise over table centrepieces or napkin holders – it probably won’t make or break your big day. There are however, some aspects of your preparations that really will make a difference.

Dance lessons, for instance are something memorable for the bride and groom to share and provide great entertainment for your guests. Feeling graceful, sophisticated and confidence on the dance floor will help you enjoy the day more – so they’re surely worth investing in.

The same is true of the speeches – they’ll affect the mood and atmosphere of your wedding reception. If a relative or friend gives a boring, unfunny, offensive or lack-lustre speech – it can be a big disappointment. On the flip side – when someone makes a heartfelt, memorable, funny speech; it will be remembered for years to come.

Unfortunately, not everyone is naturally gifted at public speaking – wedding speeches can be twice as difficult as the speaker is also to expected talk about their feelings. This can be especially daunting for old-dad who doesn’t say much at the best of times and is uncomfortable at the very thought of it. It can also be risky to let a nervous best man loose on stage – imagine a 20 minute, full blown account of the Grooms exploits while they were at University together.

That’s why Business Training Direct offers tailor-made public speaking courses for wedding parties. Father of the bride, best man, groom, bride or chief bridesmaid can contact us for special rates for the coaching of 2 or more people from the same wedding party.

The party will learn how to prepare and deliver a successful speech. This is not only a great gift for the delegate who will learn many transferrable skills – it will also make for truly memorable speeches for all the right reasons.

Presentation Training in London – Why, What, Who, When, Where & How?

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:52:17 +0000

Why?

Business Training Direct offer Presentation Training in London to improve your communication skills and boost your confidence. Being a successful public speaker can benefit you in all aspects of life but especially so in your career. Poor presentation skills can hold you back and prevent you from reaching your full potential at work. Taking a training course could be the best thing you ever do; speak confidently, be persuasive and succeed.

What?

First Steps Training – This course is aimed at beginners; those with limited experience or a lack of confidence. Take your first steps to becoming a great public speaker; starting with the basics such as presentation preparation and overcoming nerves.

Intermediate Course – Over 1 or 2 days, our intermediate course will show you how to become a better presenter. The course covers the advanced aspects of public speaking including body language, vocal tone, difficult audiences and impromptu speeches.

Who?

Our principal trainer is award winning speaker and qualified hypnotherapist; Ian Price. Ian was Winner of UK National Championship for Impromptu Speaking and Southern Area Finalist for Prepared Speaking. He is not only a talented public speaker but a qualified and successful trainer. You can find out more by visiting our testimonials page and reading what his course delegates had to say http://www.businesstrainingdirect.co.uk/testimonials.php

When?

Our next dates for Presentation Training in London are 8^th & 10^th May for First Steps Training and the 10^th & 11^th May for our 2 day Intermediate Course.

Where?

We use training facilities near Trafalgar Square and Victoria in London; locations are accessible easily by public transport, near to tube and train stations.

How?

You can reserve your place by calling us on 0845 056 9696 or emailing info@businesstrainingdirect.co.uk

A Collection of Quotes for Presentation Skills Training

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:47:41 +0000

We’ve put together a collection of our favourite quotes about public speaking. Presentation skills training from the ancient Greeks, contemporary comedians and literary greats – you can’t go wrong!

Public Speaking Fear

“According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” – Jerry Seinfield

"The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops, until you stand up to speak in public." – George Jessel

“The fear of being laughed at makes cowards of us all.” – Mignon McLaughlin

“Shyness has a strange element of narcissism, a belief that how we look, how we perform, is truly important to other people.” – Andre Dubus

“There are only two types of speakers in the world. 1. The nervous and 2. Liars.” – Mark Twain

That’s Life!

“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave”- Dale Carnegie

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech”- Mark Twain

“To talk well and eloquently is a very great art, but that an equally great one is to know the right moment to stop.” – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

“Much speech is one thing, well-timed speech is another.” – Sophocles

"Make thyself a craftsman in speech, for thereby thou shalt gain the upper hand." – Inscription found in a 3,000 year-old Egyptian Tomb

Perfect Preparation

“If you don't know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” – Harvey Diamond

“90% of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” – Somers White

"It takes one hour of preparation for each minute of presentation"-Wayne Burgraff

“Grasp the subject, the words will follow.” – Cato The Elder

“In making a speech one must study three points: first, the means of producing persuasion; second, the language; third the proper arrangement of the various parts of the speech.” – Aristotle

“Good communications, written or oral, begins with an understanding of the audience. If you can get inside their heads, you can find a way to connect.” – Debra Bennetts

"Great is the art of beginning, but greater the art is of ending."- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Motivational

“A stammering man is never a worthless one. Physiology can tell you why. It is an excess of sensibility to the presence of his fellow creature that makes him stammer.” -Thomas Carlyle

“Your best teacher is your last mistake.”- Ralph Nader

“Act as if it were impossible to fail.” – Dorothea Brande

"All you need is something to say, and a burning desire to say it… it doesn't matter where your hands are."- Lou Holtz

“Be who you are, and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss

“You do not need to be the best; you need to be the best you can be.” – Ian Price (Presentation Skills Training at Business Training Direct)

Addressing Performance Anxiety at our Public Speaking Courses

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:41:12 +0000

Many people think of performance anxiety as something that only applies to athletes who choke under pressure before a big game or event. The term actually refers to stage fright and applies to all sorts of situations where we’re faced with getting up and performing in front of people. Our public speaking courses will help you to overcome these anxieties, to do this; we will help you to understand basic psychological principles that cause public speaking fear.

Our working lives are a blur of pressures, demands and expectations. In a perfectionist culture we believe that only the best will do. When faced with a big presentation at work there is no room for error.

Does any of this sound familiar?

I’ve got to impress them

I must be interesting and engaging

I cannot leave anything out

I must not waffle

I can’t let them see I’m nervous

I’ve got to answer every question

I must be perfect

I must have their approval

I must succeed

Many delegates at our public speaking courses describe thought processes such as those listed. Some describe their nerves ‘start to kick in’ whilst repeating these mantras. We place such demands on ourselves, it’s no wonder we feel anxious at the thought of not performing.

You think “I’ve got to impress the directors,” then the irrational side of the brain comes into play – “My whole career depends on this presentation.” The fact is – it doesn’t – we’re all entitled to make mistakes, grow as people and develop our skills throughout of working lives. Cognitive behavioural therapy identifies these over demanding, perfectionist thought processes and helps us rationalise them.

Putting so much pressure on yourself is bound to make you nervous. The next time you hear these unrealistic thought patterns whirling round in your head before a big speech – stop! Recognise the detrimental effect this has and ask yourself logically – what’s the worst that can happen?

You may miss something out, you may waffle a little, you may not be the best presenter ever – but so what? You’ll learn from the experience and be even better next time!

Confessions from a Presentation Skills Training Course

admin — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 09:07:07 +0000

An important part of presentation training for many people is to learn how to overcome nerves and anxiety. At our presentation skills training courses we encourage delegates talk openly and honestly about their public speaking fears. This helps them to understand that what they are experiencing is common and not something to be ashamed of. In fact 75% of people admit to being anxious about speaking in public, according to the Wiki page on Glossophobia (fear of public speaking).

Over the years, I heard some clever and amusing ways that people have used to try and avoid making presentations or speeches both at work and in social situations. From faking a nose bleed using a felt pen to pretending to be too drunk to make a wedding speech. While these excuses may solve the problem temporarily because you don’t have to make the speech, they’re not helping.

If you’ve ever phoned in sick or feigned an attack of laryngitis to avoid a situation which may involve speaking in front of people you may want to consider a different approach. Nerves and anxiety that make you avoid presentations and shy away from the limelight at work mean you’ll never reach your true potential. Why let something be such a hindrance to you when it doesn’t need to be this way?

It is just a matter of training. If poor IT skills were holding you back, you wouldn’t think twice about booking that course. There is no difference between this and improving your presentation skills.

Unfortunately, when it comes to presentation skills training, many are too scared to even attend the course because they know they’ll be forced to speak in front of other delegates. The training course means they have to face their fear head on, just like jumping out of a plane if you’re scared of heights.

If any of this sounds familiar to you here’s one last thing to bear in mind. The majority of people are not born great speakers; they have simply learnt how to speak well, developing their skills through practice. A presentation skills training course will equip you with the knowledge you need to grow in confidence and beat those nerves.

Public Speaking Courses to Alleviate your Phobia

admin — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:42:19 +0000

A public speaking phobia can be a terrible handicap when it comes to career progression. That is, unless you’re willing to do something about it.

By investing in public speaking courses through Business Training Direct, you can discover how to conquer that fear and reap the rewards.

Glossophobia is the technical name for a fear of public speaking. The word originates from the Ancient Greek glossa, meaning tongue and phobos, fear or dread.

Do any of the following apply to you?

You avoid public speaking at all costs
You feel intense fear before you have to speak in front of people
Symptoms manifest themselves physically, tremors, racing pulse, sweating
You dodge participation in group discussions
The words; ‘let’s move around the table and introduce ourselves,” make you feel physically sick
In the past, you’ve feigned illness and arranged a colleague to present on your behalf

If the answer is yes then you’re not alone, a massive 75% of people say they’re afraid of speaking in public.

Fear of public speaking is nothing to be ashamed of. The fact is, being a great speaker rarely comes naturally. For the majority of people, it’s a case of professional trainingand practice makes perfect.

Barack Obama is probably one of the greatest public speakers of our time. Bet your bottom dollar; he still gets stage fright before a big speech and that his skills have been developed with training, over time.

Like anything else in life, these skills must be learnt, developed, practised and fine-tuned. Then you’ll have the confidence to deliver a perfect presentation every time without fear.

Our public speaking courses will present you with a variety of techniques to control nerves and anxiety. We’ll focus on building your confidence through the understanding of the psychological processes that cause fear. You’ll find that once you’ve been professionally trained in the art of speech preparation and delivery, those nerves will disappear.

How Presentation Training in London can benefit your Career

admin — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 05:29:57 +0000

Improving your communication skills through presentation training can do wonders for your career. Business Training Direct’s presentation training in London can help you to be more confident and successful at work. Here are just some of the reasons to make that investment in yourself.

Change the way you feel about public speaking

Many people try to avoid situations where they’ll be expected to speak, this means they limit their potential and take back-steps in their careers. You’ll be ready and willing to make the pitch, close the deal or land that important client. Rather than nerves and fear, you’ll approach public speaking with confidence and skill. This will benefit you immensely at work and in all other areas of your life.

Land that client/contract/sale

Your new-found presentation skills will give you a better chance at getting that contract or client. If you can present calmly and confidently you’ll be able to gain potential clients respect and trust and get your arguments across more efficiently. We can show you persuasive delivery techniques to make sure you never fail to impress.

Improve your Powerpoint Skills

Our courses cover the use PowerPoint, simply because the more prepared you are the more confident you’ll feel. When you’re not presenting, you’ll be able to apply these skills to other areas of your working life too.

Make yourself a more attractive prospect for promotion

Good communication skills are essential to climb up the career ladder. A confident speaker is more likely to be considered for promotion. The more responsibility your job comes with, the more likely it is that you’ll need to be able to speak authoritatively to people at all levels.

Always ace future job interviews

Even if it doesn’t work out at your current job, you’ll be armed with valuable skills you can take with you and use in the future. Job interviews are all about presenting – except that the subject is you. You’ll be able to sell yourself without hesitation and will be more likely to get that job!

Learn how to deliver effective and powerful presentations with Business Training Direct. We offer Presentation Training in London at courses held over 1 or 2 days, for more information call now on0845 056 9696.

A Cognitive Approach to Presentation Skills Training

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 05:23:44 +0000

At our presentation skills training courses we will address the issue of fear. For many delegates, overcoming nervousness is a top priority; some suffer severe physical symptoms such as trembling, dizziness, nausea, sickness. When you examine the causes and triggers of these feelings you’ll be able to resolve them.

Cognitive theorists believe that stress, anxiousness and nerves when faced with a presentation or speech are caused by irrational or illogical thoughts. Therefore, to combat nerves and fear, you must recognise these negative thought patterns and develop new ‘cognitions’ in order to change behaviour. Have you ever told yourself the following?

I’m rubbish at presentations
I always get tongue tied
I sound boring
No-one listens to me
The last time was a complete disaster
I will embarrass myself

These negative thoughts can spiral out of control to the point where you start to exaggerate the situation –

People will laugh at me
What if I open my mouth and no words come out?
What if someone falls asleep?
I will lose the contract/sale/ respect of my colleagues/my job

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy works by identifying this faulty, illogical reasoning and correcting it. For example –

I’m rubbish at presentations – this is self-defeating
I sound boring – how do you know you sound boring?
People will laugh at me – a highly unlikely outcome
I will lose my job – exaggerating the seriousness of the problem

Our approach to presentation skills training is based on these principles. We aim to change the way you feel about presentations forever using a technique called reframing. In other words, completely flipping your thought patterns about public speaking and turning dread to excitement.

At Business Training Direct we believe that the key to confidence is through developing your presentation skills. If you’re well prepared and armed with various coping tactics and presenting techniques, we guarantee you’ll feel more confident!

Teaching How to Tell Tales at Public Speaking Courses

admin — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 07:08:36 +0000

Stories are a fundamental part of human communication. The ancient art of storytelling can help you to successfully inform, persuade or entertain during a speech or presentation.

At our public speaking courses we cover how you can enhance your message by using a good yarn.

We are predisposed to enjoy stories. Caveman told them using pictures, even before they spoke in words. In ancient Greece the adventures of Hercules and Odysseus were passed down verbally through the ages.

Psychologists believe that stories affect us both emotionally and cognitively. Here’s why you should use a story in your next speech.

Rapport – A story can help you connect with the audience, you can identify with them and begin to build a rapport. If it comes from personal experience, it will help you gain their empathy and trust. Use at the beginning of your speech as an ice-breaker, a way to relieve tension or break-down barriers.

Illustration – Use a clever narrative to clarify and illustrate facts and data. It will make complex ideas easier to understand and is much more entertaining, rather than the raw data.

Captivation – A story will bring your material to life. It will make it more human, with sensory and emotional appeal, thus enabling you to capture the imagination of the audience. This will be more successful than presenting them with endless figures and diagrams.

Persuasion- It is scientific fact that people accept ideas more readily when they’re presented in story form rather than factual data. Storytelling is used prolifically in advertising as a way to convince you to buy a product.

Retention – When you appeal to the audience on an emotional level with the use of a story, they’re much more likely to remember you and your ideas.

At Business Training Direct’s public speaking courses we’ll arm you with a whole host of proven techniques, like storytelling, to get your message across. For more information, contact us on 0845 056 96 96.