Potential Energy 7/3

A ten module online blended course comprising seven recorded and three live modules.

The only unshakeable belief that I have about presenting is that there is no right way to do it. However, there is a right way for you to do it, and ultimately you are the best judge of what that is. Choosing to take part in this course suggests that you are keen to explore what it might be, and its purpose is to support you in your search.

Background: The course is an evolution of the Presentation Skills courses that I have delivered over the past 25 years. Whilst much of the content is freely available on the Internet, it also draws on my original training in both technical and performance theatre, my work as a facilitator and the experience that I have gained throughout my career. It continues to develop each time it is delivered, and should be seen as no more than a series of opinions which are open to interpretation, challenge and constant revision.

Origins: The original design for this course started in 2015 when I knew I wanted to create some kind of online presentation skills training provision and began selecting and creating the content for it. It wasn’t until the Coronavirus Pandemic brought us home-working, videoconferencing software and a sense that the old rules no longer applied, that the shape of it became more defined. However much the course may be shaped by the current situation, it targets the world beyond Covid and aims to marry stagecraft with technology in order to help presenters be as effective and efficient as possible.

Material: The course material is made up of videos, audio recordings, exercises, examples and processes. Some videos are taken from a professionally filmed live event, others were recorded in my office and a few were made in hotel rooms and training rooms. They will have been made at various times over the past five years and reflect the fact that the content is ever-evolving. During the first trial, eight participants created and uploaded over fifty videos between them, an average of eight each, and you should expect to do much the same.

Padlet: The course’s main training room is based on Padlet, where you will have a personal participant page to which you will upload all your work. You will be able to see everyone else’s pages, and it is recommended that you have a look at what your colleagues are doing throughout the course and seek inspiration from their efforts. The Padlet is also where you will be able to access the modules of the course as well as post questions and access resources and information.

Expectations: Having run one trial of the course already, the participants on it agreed that it takes about 22 hours work to complete across a six-week period. Clearly this is a substantial commitment and should not be undertaken lightly. The course demands a great deal and you will be expected to take part fully, to work hard, to take risks, to challenge yourself, to give and receive feedback and to take part in the three live Zoom sessions.

The Main Presentation: In order for this course to be effective, you will need a presentation to work on throughout the modules, and to apply some of the exercises against. It should be work-based and could be either a presentation you have given in the past, will give in the near future or hope to give one day. For reasons of logistics I ask that it be no longer than five minutes, and as all good presentations seek to leave their audience with something they didn’t have at the start, it should seek to make the case for something; a new process, a better way of working, a brighter future. You will need to record and upload it as a part of Module One (there are technical instructions in the module to help with this) and you will record it again as part of Module Nine towards the end of the course.

Equipment: To take part in this course, you will need a good Internet connection, a Computer (Desktop preferable, but laptop is acceptable), Google Chrome Browser, Zoom App, a Smartphone or Video camera and a workspace at home where you can make videos undisturbed. Depending on the type of impact you want to make through the medium of video, it may be useful to have access to video editing software such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.

Buddy Pairs: You will find that as part of Module Two of this course, you are put into either a buddy pair or trio partnership, and the importance of the buddy relationship cannot be overstated – it is the absolute heart of the course. You will be responsible for supporting each other, agreeing on ways of working with each other remotely to allow for rehearsals, feedback, challenge and encouragement. The first trial has already shown that buddy pairs continue to enjoy and reap rewards from a supportive working relationship after the course has finished.

Feedback: In addition to the feedback that you will give and receive in your buddy pairs/trios, you will also receive feedback from me. By the end of Module One, you will have recorded and uploaded two videos to your participant page on the Padlet, and I will share with you my thoughts on which specific areas of development might be appropriate for you in order to meet your objectives. Throughout the course, where appropriate, I will add feedback comments to your participant page, and again in the final module I will assess your progress throughout the course and offer you my opinion on what might represent the best way forward for your continued development.

Objectives: Taking part in this course is a big commitment, and you should be clear about what it is that you want to achieve by doing do. I suggest that it is not enough to simply want to be better. How and in what way do you want to be better? What needs to be different? What do you need to start, stop, do more or less of in order to consider yourself better? The more clear and specific your objectives are, the better I will be able to support you and the more likely you are to meet them. As a part of Module One, you will be asked to record a video presentation that introduces yourself and articulates your objectives for taking part in this course.

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