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As communication-skills development experts, we share our
expertise by speaking at various meetings or functions. These brief
presentations, which summarize the concepts covered in our workshops, are
designed for large or small groups, and can easily be incorporated into your
existing workshops, training sessions and meetings. Some of our topics:
Oh No! I Have to Give a Speech:
Surveys show that what Americans fear most, more than snakes, heights, disease,
financial problems or even death, is speaking before groups. About 85 percent
of us feel anxious speaking in public. Even the famous aren't immune. Some of
the most successful politicians, entertainers and business people have suffered
from stage fright or speech anxiety. Among them: Winston Churchill, Barbra
Streisand, Carly Simon and Charles Schwab. Thomas Jefferson was so terrified of
speaking in public that even though he was outraged by what he considered the
Continental Congress' heavy-handed revision of his carefully written
Declaration of Independence, he was unable to speak up to defend his work.
The good news is that new research is helping us to better understand
speech anxiety, and is showing us new ways to control it. In this session, we
examine the factors that contribute to speech anxiety, offer pointers on how to
control nervousness, and identify specific techniques to manage presentation
stress.
We've Got to Stop Meetings Like
These: If you're typical of most people in the business world,
you'll spend three years of your life attending meetings - most likely
listening to business presentations. After listening to a 10-minute
presentation, the average listener has heard, understood, accurately evaluated
and retained about half of what was said. Within 48 hours, that 50 percent
drops another half to a 25 percent effectiveness level. By the end of the week,
that level goes down to about 10 percent or less.
Most business
presentations are not delivered well. Consequently, many fail to achieve their
desired result: getting people to listen to, hear, understand and act on what
is said. Delivering an effective business presentation is a skill everyone can
learn. In this session, we look at six of the most common
communications-related problems with business presentations, along with
suggestions on how to correct them.
Dealing
with Public Anger: New Approaches to an Old Problem: Public anger is
more common, more newsworthy and more damaging than it used to be. It's also
more avoidable and more manageable. Much has been learned about what causes
public anger, and what works and doesn't work when dealing with an angry
public. This session offers practical guidance for reducing public anger when
your organization is locked in controversy.
The News Media Today: Shrinking soundbites, the
convergence of tabloid and traditional reporting, and new technologies such as
the Internet and interactive TV are just a few of the developments affecting
news gathering and reporting. In this state-of-the-art briefing, we explore how
these changes are impacting a company's media relations efforts, including the
development, delivery and reception of a spokesperson's key
messages.
Nine Media Traps to Avoid:
Every media interview entails a degree of risk. That risk increases if you lack
confidence and competence in dealing with the media. For nearly 30 years, our
firm has analyzed thousands of media interviews. In this session, we identify
the nine most common (and damaging) traps encountered by those who talk to
reporters. We show examples of these traps from our extensive videotape
collection.
Mastering the Remote
(Interview): One trend in television news is the growing use of
remote interviews. Watch TV news today - network or cable, national or local,
newscast or newsmagazine - and chances are you'll see someone doing a remote
interview. There are several reasons for this trend, and why it's likely to
continue. Remote interviews present spokespersons with some unique challenges.
Doing well in the interview is tougher, simply because of how the interview
takes place. In this session, we discuss the unique challenges remote
interviews pose, and identify the suggestions we offer clients who participate
in such interviews.
Creating and Cultivating
Media-Friendly Management: Establishing a dialogue with business and
other reporters is an investment - one that can deliver results at lower cost
and with greater credibility than advertising and other forms of sales
promotion. Yet for many business people, avoiding the media is common practice.
Thus, public relations professionals frequently face the challenge of
convincing management to be accessible to the media. PR pros who can create and
develop media-savvy management are likely to generate an important return on
investment for their organizations. In this session, we discuss how to create
and cultivate media-friendly managers who view media relations as an integral
component of their marketing communications strategy.
Establishing Trust and Credibility: The overriding
goal of any communications strategy is to establish trust and credibility. If
your audience does not see you as a believable source of information, you will
not get your message across or be able to address their concerns. In this
session, we look at the most current, research-based information on how to
establish trust and credibility when communicating through the spoken
word.
The Anatomy of a Crisis: It is
the safest of assumptions that a crisis can happen to any organization. But
crises need not be the seemingly unpredictable and uncontrollable events that
their victims too often see them as or allow them to become. In this session,
we provide a critical look at the anatomy of a crisis, including: the changing
nature of crises, the costs of mishandling a crisis, five predictable stages of
every crisis, and the crucial role communication plays in controlling and
resolving a crisis. |
| How to Be A Leader Even When Nobody is
Following: Do you get so caught up in "survival of the fittest"
that you wonder why you are doing what you are doing? Are you trying to be all
things to all people? Can you describe in one sentence the reason for the
existence of your company? Learn how to create and implement a vision statement
for your company - even if you are a company of one! |
| The Good Guys Strike Back …Big
Time!: Dan Ammerman is CEO of the Ammerman Experience. This is a
motivational presentation that focuses on why we must work for good and fight
evil. It is a story about the trials and tribulations a novelist faces on the
road to publication. His first novel is about a family who, in the midst of
adversity, calls on love, faith and a little bit of the supernatural to face
their challenges. The path to publication of this novel is an entertaining
story of good versus evil that is littered with criminals, depositions, secret
tape recordings, and an alliance with the FBI. |
| Please Contact Us if
your firm or professional organization would like us to speak on one of these
or other topics. |
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