Outline
This course is highly interactive and practical throughout. You will work on real material, receive individual feedback, and leave with both new techniques and a clearer understanding of your own presenting strengths. Presentations are recorded for learning and reflection.
The split two-day format gives you time to absorb and reflect on your learning, prepare a presentation, and then return to put it fully into practice. Day One covers the skills, techniques, and tools you need to create and deliver a great presentation. You then have two weeks to write and prepare a real presentation that you might genuinely give in your working life. Day Two is devoted to delivering, watching, reflecting, and improving your skills, with individual feedback and the opportunity to rework and re-present on the day. The result is a practical learning experience that delivers lasting improvements in presentation effectiveness.
We also recognise that many professionals now use AI tools to support the development of presentations. While this is not a course on AI, we will consider where these tools can add value, where they may introduce risks, and how to use them effectively as part of the presentation development process. Particular attention will be given to ensuring that AI is used to enhance rather than replace the speakers authentic voice and personal presence.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the training course, you will:
- Understand how to enhance your personal impact and influence when presenting
- Be able to create persuasive and memorable content in your own voice
- Understand how to use AI tools in careful and considered ways within the process, while keeping your own voice intact
- Know how to handle the unexpected with confidence, including difficult or sceptical audiences
- Have delivered a real presentation, received structured feedback, and had the chance to improve it on the spot
- Have a clear and personal set of goals to take forward
Jackie is very inviting and engaging, putting you at ease whilst also pushing you to dive deeper into your skills and how they could be improved - a difficult balance to pull off.
Course Content
Day One - Building the Skills
A full day of teaching, discussion, and interactive exercises. No formal presentations, with a focus on learning and experimenting in a low-stakes environment.
What Works and Why
- Psychological theories of presentation engagement: the key attributes of speakers who genuinely land their message
- The power of emotion, story, and specificity (and why AI-generated content so often lacks all three)
- Using psychological persuasion techniques to structure content and improve engagement
- Creating vocal and visual images of competence: how you come across before you’ve said a word
Writing Your Material
- Structuring content to engage and hold an audience’s attention from opening to close
- Simplifying complex information without losing meaning or credibility
- Using AI tools selectively to support preparation while ensuring the final presentation reflects your own voice and expertise
- Using slides to enhance your message rather than carry it
Performing at Your Best
- Banishing nerves and building confidence
- The difference between reading, scripting, and speaking, and finding your own approach
- Notes, ad-lib, and slide dependency: practical techniques and advice
Engaging Your Audience
- Reading the room and adapting in the moment
- Handling difficult or probing questions with confidence
- Defending your ideas when challenged, without becoming defensive
Between the Two Days
Before Day Two, you will prepare and practice a short presentation on a topic relevant to your real work. You are welcome to use AI tools in the preparation process and to bring notes on how you used them including what helped, what you changed, and what you chose to ignore. This becomes part of the Day Two reflection.
Day Two - Delivering, Reflecting, and Improving
A full day of presenting, feedback, and deliberate improvement. The emphasis is on learning in the moment, not just performing and moving on.
Delivering Your Presentation
- Each delegate delivers their prepared presentation to the group
- Structured observation by the facilitator and peers during each presentation
- Video recording for individual review and reflection (recordings are for personal use only)
Feedback and Discussion
- Detailed individual feedback from the facilitator after each presentation
- Structured peer observation and group discussion
- Identifying what landed, what didn’t, and specifically why
- Reflecting on the AI-assisted preparation process: what it contributed and where your own judgement made the difference
Reworking and Re-Presenting
- Time built into the day to rewrite, restructure, or rehearse a section of the presentation in response to feedback
- Participants given the opportunity to re-present the reworked section, demonstrating improvement in real time rather than simply noting it for later
- Discussion of what changed and why it works better
Personal Goals and Next Steps
- Identifying your own presenting patterns: what you default to, what you avoid and what to prioritise
- Creating a concrete set of personal goals to take into real-life presentations moving forward
Jackie was amazing. Very clear in the explanations, promoting discussion and narrowing down particular recommendations for each of us.
Open Course Information
| Duration | 2 days (split format), 09.30-16.30 |
|---|---|
| Next Session | 3rd & 17th November 2026 |
| Member cost pp | £675+VAT |
| Non-member cost pp | £1012.50+VAT |
| Details | Free parking, lunch provided |
In-House Course Information
This course is available for in-house delivery at a cost of £2,350+VAT for members, reflecting their learning discount. Please contact us for more information about non-member pricing.
The only additional cost is facilitator expenses, such as travel, where applicable. The course can be delivered in person or virtually for up to 8 delegates.
To learn more or discuss your specific requirements, please get in touch with us.
The Trainer
This course is facilitated by Jackie Wrout. A highly skilled and experienced facilitator, Jackie specialises in helping individuals improve their ability to communicate effectively in front of an audience. She brings a wealth of knowledge and practical techniques to support learners in building confidence, engaging their listeners, and delivering impactful presentations. With a background in art and design, Jackie is also a Therapeutic Counsellor and Clinical Supervisor, working with individuals and groups.