5 Oct (Thu), 2pm – 3pm
Smooth Moves for Persuasive Presentations – 3 Nonverbal Presentation Techniques

Research has shown that a significant portion of communication is nonverbal. However, most presenters focus on what they are going to say and forget to work on how their facial expressions and bodies can express their thoughts. 
 
This hands-on workshop introduces 3 nonverbal techniques that will help you present a confident and authentic persona to audiences.

We will begin by addressing common anxieties about presenting in front of an audience:

1. Where do you stand in a presentation space?
2. How can your hands ‘speak’?
3. How do you look at the audience?

To address these questions, we will focus on physical, non-verbal moves that mirror and emphasise your verbal moves. We will introduce 3 specific strategies that develop effective non-verbal communication: posture, gesture, and eye contact. 

There will be opportunities to put these skills to practice throughout the session. Come prepared to give an impromptu mini presentation!

9 Oct (Mon), 2pm – 3pm
Captivating Communication: Rhetorical Strategies to Sustain Audience Attention

How do you present your findings in a presentation without boring the audience? Whether for classes or conferences, we often need to present our ideas or research, but we must contend with the fact that the average audience attention span is less than ten minutes. However, it is also around this time in the presentation that we present our findings.

This face-to-face workshop will equip you with attention-grabbing speaking strategies to hold audience attention when presenting data or findings without detracting from the content you aim to convey. Get feedback from peers and instructors on the effectiveness of the strategies you employ.

Learn:

1. How to engage an audience’s attention
2. How to sustain this engagement
3. How to ensure audience members understand and internalise your points

19 Oct (Thu), 2pm – 3pm
Punch the PowerPoint: Craft Your Deck So Your Audience Focuses on Your Message

Have you ever left a presentation without a clear idea of the speaker’s message? Do you often find yourself getting distracted? Presentations are often unfocused, resulting in noise and reduced audience comprehension. Much of the problem comes from speakers adhering to the default slide design in presentation software.

In this in-person workshop, you will learn how to:

1. Construct your talk on messages instead of topics
2. Cohesively support your messages with visual evidence
3. Explain the evidence on the spot instead of memorising a script

Sample data will be provided for the hands-on segment, but you are welcome to bring your work for an upcoming presentation. Participants should bring a laptop.

26 Oct (Thu), 2pm – 3pm
Aural Shape – Powering Your Voice for Presenting 

Aural shape is using your voice to shape or emphasise key points in your message, help your audience listen accurately for key information, stress significant words and pause for dramatic effect. The way you say your words contributes to making a convincing message. Aural shaping commonly uses pitch (stress and intonation), pace and pause reinforcing your intended meaning in the careful crafting of your speech. Learn the 3Ps of powering your presentation voice as you watch skits illustrating the key learning points, take notes on practical tips and try out practice exercises and get feedback on using your voice.  In this workshop, you will learn how to give aural shape to the words of your presentations.
 
In this workshop, you will learn:

1. How to use pitch to stress meaning 
2. How to vary pace 
3. When to pause for effect

The facilitators will use humour to teach serious points in an encouraging environment!