The focus of this Module will be on learning how to develop a narrative for an effective presentation and how to tailor that presentation for the audience and the environment in which you are presenting (in-person, virtual or hybrid).
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MATERIALS
- Harvard Business Review, “Create a Conversation, Not a Presentation” (John Coleman, July 29, 2015) at https://hbr.org/2015/07/create-a-conversation-not-a-presentation
- Harvard Business Review, “How to Nail a Hybrid Presentation” (Sarah Gershman and Rae Ringel, May 5, 2021) at https://hbr.org/2021/05/how-to-nail-a-hybrid-presentation
- Harvard Business Review, “Crush Your Next Virtual Presentation” (Gia Storms, January 6, 2021) at https://hbr.org/2021/01/crush-your-next-virtual-presentation.
- ACC Docket, “Why In-house Counsel Need Executive Presence” (Amii Barnard-Bahn, September 5, 2022) at https://docket.acc.com/why-house-counsel-need-executive-presence
ASSIGNMENTS
- Prepare a 2-3 minute presentation about “a lesson that I’ve learned in life.” Your audience for the presentation will be other members of the class.
- Before your next cohort meeting, deliberately observe the presentation skills of speakers at meetings that include hybrid, in-person, and all-virtual channels. Use a notebook with you to capture your experience.
- How would you evaluate each speaker’s eye contact? Natural smile? Pace? Tone of voice? Volume? Ability to connect quickly with you? Hold your attention?
- How would you evaluate the overall content of their presentations?
- How did the virtual environment impact both the speaker and your ability to listen?
- Today – now removed from the presentation(s) what do you recall? What lasting impression have they had on you?
- Bring with you to your cohort meeting a past slide deck that you have used for a presentation. (If you don’t have one of your own, bring a deck from a presentation you attended.) Spend some time with your group looking at each other’s decks and talking about what stands out as effective and what challenges you see.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
- What is your current belief about yourself as a public speaker?
- Why would someone go out of their way to hear you deliver a presentation?
- What kind of feedback have you received recently about a presentation you have given?
- How do you try to differentiate yourself as a speaker?
- With regard executive presence, how do you think about that skill and how it is described in the ACC Docket? How does the concept align with the discussions we have had about being an authentic and inclusive leader?
COHORT MEETING (Meet to discuss the following BEFORE Classroom Session)
- Check in and share any additional learning from the previous session.
- Share your observations of speakers at meetings and their impact on you.
- Share your takeaways from the readings.
MODULE 7 LEARNING GOALS
- Learn the requisite non-verbal communication strategies that create positive connections
- Learn how to develop your own narrative as a context for “Why”, “How,” and “What” you want to convey in your messages
- Learn how to create engaging first impressions that get attention quickly
- Learn how to craft a powerful close that creates a lasting impression
- Practice delivering a short presentation with peer and instructor feedback
- Consider the impact of the virtual and hybrid settings on presentations
- Prepare for the final Module at which you will present a formal presentation to other members of the Class of 2023, members of the Board of Advisors, and other invited ACC NCR members
