How to choose a presentation training course
There are hundreds of different presentation training courses available, all of which promise to banish your nervousness and make you an accomplished public speaker. How do you choose the right course for you?
Googling “Presentation Training” at first glance will yield a very long list of different providers offering the same “Presentation Training”. But as you take a closer look, you’ll find that some trainers approach the topic from a theater perspective, some from a business perspective, and some from an educational point of view. While most courses cover the core elements of public speaking, they are all skewed towards their own area of expertise:
- Theatrical Presentations – Breathing, Vocal Exercises, Postures
- Educational presentations: how to be a trainer, learning styles, slide design
- Business presentations: influencing people, motivating, instigating change
First, consider the type of presentation you are likely to give. Is it for a sponsor’s speech, is it for business, or is it about presentation technology? If it is for business or sales, you should choose a business presentation training course. There are many aspects of giving a business presentation that may not be covered by a one-size-fits-all public speaking course.
Does the course give you the opportunity to give at least two presentations? You need to practice and get feedback on your presentations, if it’s all the speaker’s words, you won’t learn as much. However, beware of courses that are almost all hands-on. You need to have some tutoring time to make sure you are practicing the correct skills.
How many people are allowed on the course, I recommend a maximum of 6. Any more and you will spend too much time listening to other people give presentations. The larger the class, the less opportunity the speaker has to take into account any individual concerns she may have or to focus on the particular type of presentation she is most likely to be giving.
How long is the course? Most courses are one or two days. If time and cost aren’t an issue, then a 2-day course usually gives you more time to practice, but can you afford to take 2 days off your desk? A competent trainer should be able to cover all the main points on how to structure and deliver a presentation, as well as allow enough time for hands-on practice in a one-day course.
Do you use video commentary? It’s really helpful to see and hear you give a presentation. Only with video feedback can you appreciate how it really looks and sounds. Don’t shy away from courses that use video, they are usually worth it.
How are practical presentations reviewed? Is it just the speaker’s comments or are other participants encouraged to comment on your presentation? Everyone is different, and different people will notice different things, so a larger review panel is usually better.
In a business presentation, you are invariably trying to influence your audience in some way. Whether it’s trying to get them to buy a product or service or to think about something in a particular way. This adds an extra dimension to the public speaking skills you need to learn. A good business presentation skills course will address the topic of how to influence people and how to get them to think the way you want them to.
The price of presentation skills training courses varies wildly, but in my experience, price doesn’t always represent value. Just because a course is comparatively cheap does not mean that it can be of lesser quality than a much more expensive course. But consider the average number of participants and the duration of the course. Often the cheapest courses have a higher number of delegates.
Training companies themselves vary in size and structure. Some are huge organizations, with many employees training in a wide variety of different subjects. The professors of these companies are usually career trainers. Then there are the other seemingly large training companies that actually outsource all the work to smaller companies. Then there are the stuntmen and one man gangs. Almost all training companies offer some form of public speaking training, on the grounds that their trainers are always on their feet talking to people, so they should be able to teach other people how to do it. I would suggest that in the case of giving a business presentation this is not always true.
No matter how good the agenda looks, the success of any training course depends on the speaker. Who will run the course you are attending? If the training company is unable or unwilling to commit to who will deliver a particular course, be very cautious. Does the company provide customer reviews and testimonials for individual readers? Don’t trust general company-wide testimonials, they may not relate to the person who will be teaching your course. Ask for specific testimonials for your specific reader. Ask if you could speak to someone, in a similar position to you, who has been in the same course with that professor in the past. Good training companies should be able to organize this without any problem.
Look for trainers who have been there and done it, not just the ones who talk about it. If you are looking for a business presentation training course, look for one run by a business person, who has given many business presentations, not an out-of-work actor, who knows about appearing on stage but little to nothing about business.
Finally, check what you will get in terms of course materials. If it’s just a copy of the reader’s sides, then it’s pretty much useless as a source of further learning. Look for courses that provide a source of ongoing reference material, checklists, and support to ensure your future success.
I wish you every success in your choice of presentation maker and in your future presentations.