High Impact Presentations - Microsoft Employees Only

Being an outstanding communicator is one of the most important and critical skills a professional can work to achieve. An effective communicator can help sort out the deluge of information the average person is surrounded with and impart it to others to lead, influence, and inspire.

The good news is that all these skills can be learned and practiced. Great presenters are not born. They take the time and the commitment to learn and practice them and make them their own.

The High Impact Presentations course focuses on structuring an effective presentation that builds credibility and engages your audience while clearly and persuasively conveying your message. Participants explore the optimum use of voice and gesture to create a lasting impression – as well as a variety of presentation styles, ranging from a formal speech to a casual meeting or contentious conversation.

Discover: Discover your unique strengths as a presenter and develop additional skills and professional characteristics that can push you to your next level of success as a leader in your organization.

Expect Thoroughly Trained Trainers: Psychological Safety is emphasized to create a safe place to try out new skills and ideas. The trainers are highly vetted and undergo intense training that is ISO9002 certified to achieve consistent results globally. While part of a global organization, they are connected to your local culture, customs and language. 

Expect Breakthroughs: Each time a new tool is introduced, it is practiced the ‘right’ way and coached in the moment.  Successful attempts with positive reinforcement and habits are changed, and new skills are ingrained. The group is small and encouraging which adds a supportive social learning aspect that makes the experience fun while stretching comfort zones.

Consider some challenges: Persuading customers to buy a new product. Getting employees to embrace a major change initiative. Urging competitors to engage in a collaborative venture. How do companies succeed at turning such communication challenges into gains for the business?

Dale Carnegie gives businesspeople the tools to successfully build their case. We excel at empowering people to communicate boldly before any constituency, under any conditions. We deliver critical methods and tools people can use to present compelling messages, connect confidently with any audience, and help generate new growth.

The experience in this program is as close as you can get to having a personal training coach.

• Participants present at least 7 times over the course of 2 days.
• Your presentations are videotaped and evaluated.
• And you get expert one-on-one coaching at the end of each presentation. 

There are two trainers who will challenge participants to overcome distracting habits and point out the strengths they possess, building on those strengths to squeeze out the weaknesses they must overcome to be high impact. After each participant has presented, their video of their presentation will be reviewed individually in the presence of a trainer. This serves several purposes:  it allows the participants to see how their audience sees them, as well as the opportunity for the trainer to ask specific questions about individual leadership needs.

Many organizations have needed to pivot to virtual or deliberately made the decision to continue with virtual teams, virtual meetings with clients, and virtual presentations. This has accelerated the necessity to deliver in-person presentations and virtual presentations with the same skills and results. Participants are asked how they typically present - in person, virtual or blended - and the trainers will coach in an individual context during the course.  

You will see measurable gains in better communication, enhanced personal and professional image, and ultimately, your bottom line.

• Create a vision for yourself as a communicator with great impact
• Communicate with enhanced credibility
• Present a positive image of your organization
• Reinforce an informative message with supportive evidence
• Lead effective Q&A sessions
• Develop flexibility in making complex material simple and understandable 
• Follow a logical progression of ideas
• Bring life and clarity to your communication with increased flexibility using expressions, pacing/pauses, gestures, and voice modulation
• Overcome barriers that restrict flexibility
• Persuade an audience to take action
• Offer reliable, verifiable evidence in the form of a personal story
• Be motivational, clear, and concise
• Communicate in a convincing manner
• Maintain professional composure under pressure
• Communicate clear, concise, positive messages
• Sell strategic ideas, self, and organization
• Communicate leadership ability to handle stressful situations
• Logically and emotionally appeal to the audience
• Use structure to gain the confidence of the audience

• Influence: Consistently directs situations and inspires mutual commitment and an all-win outcome.
• Communication: Practices active listening supported with relevant oral and written information. 
• Interpersonal Skills: Consistently builds strong, long-term relationships both inside and outside the organization.
• Professionalism: Projects an image of honesty, confidence and integrity that fosters credibility.