Want to tell if a presenter is taking a talk seriously, and has put in the work? And would like to demonstrate that yourself? Here’s how…
Last week brought a big moment.
It was the start of the new academic year, which is significant enough in itself.
But even more excitingly, I had a new challenge.
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Last year, I effectively went through an audition.
One of the flagship courses at the Cambridge Judge Business School is the Master of Business Administration (MBA).
It draws about 220 students from around the world, and what remarkable students they are.
Some of the most brilliant, energetic, creative, downright delightful people you could ever wish to work with.
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I was asked to take a few sessions on presentation skills with last year’s cohort.
And I’m pleased to say they were a success, which meant…
I was invited to teach on the very first day of the new cohort’s year in Cambridge.
Which is a great privilege.
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The challenge, of course, is they rightly expect the highest standards…
And it’s critical to get off to a strong start, to set the tone for all they'll experience in Cambridge.
No pressure, then!
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I was teaching Commercial Communication, the first of a series of workshops, as you can see from the picture.
We begin with the foundations, then move on to writing, storytelling, and public speaking.
(Two sessions on that, as it’s usually the area students are most worried about.)
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So, Monday was the Foundations of Commercial Communication…
And being me, I prepared weeks in advance, practiced for weeks in advance, and was even still rehearsing a few minutes in advance.
So to the important point:
- How did it go?
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I’m very happy (and even more relieved) to say the workshops went extremely well.
The mix of content, entertainment, engagement and interactions felt right.
The lecture theatre was full of energy, talent, and smiles.
We had some excellent work from the students.
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But here’s the real happiness, which has kept me warm for days:
I was talking to some of the students informally the following day…
And they were wonderfully complimentary about the workshops.
They’re a lovely kind group, but I’m pretty sure they meant it!
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And here’s the clincher, the point of this blog, my favourite comment.
Several of the students said to me:
- You made it look effortless.
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Which brings us to a favourite saying, upon which I will close.
That giveaway for when a presenter is a true professional, is taking it very seriously, and has put in the work for an event:
- The more effortless a talk looks, the more effort you know has gone into it.