Effective Briefing Skills and Techniques

Learn Techniques and Develop Skills to Prepare and Deliver Effective Briefings

Present key information, influence others, display confidence and poise – even with tough crowds.

Developing effective briefing skills is a must for anyone seeking to bring their career to the next level. This briefing skills workshop develops the presentation techniques professionals use to quickly deliver key information, influence others and earn respect. 

Effective verbal communications skills are of vital importance in any government or business organization. This course helps participants display confidence and poise when called upon to deliver an address.

Learn to: Make your point with clarity and brevity,

Handle tough questions,

Maintain Composure.

The briefing skills developed in this workshop will help you give clear, concise presentations to superiors, teams, customers and others. Whether your briefing is planned, or an impromptu presentation, this course will develop the skills you need.

Effective speaking skills are a coveted asset. While you may not want to make public speaking a career, your career will benefit from strong presentation skills. Participants will receive individual coaching and their final presentation can be videotaped and critiqued to help them develop and enhance their skills.

The course provides timely, relevant information and is designed to improve skills immediately for long-term results. We use interactive discussions and practical exercises to bring the training to life. New skills are practiced and everyone discovers how to apply them in various situations.

The training materials include valuable tips and checklists to equip participants with the tools to present highly professional briefings and presentations of all types.

Who Should Attend

Anyone interested in sharpening their pubic speaking and presentation preparation skills. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to develop and deliver an effective briefing with greater confidence, credibility and presence.

Training Benefits

• Overcome the jitters of public speaking
• Analyze their audience
• Use the appropriate approach for the topic and the situation
• Organize persuasive and informational presentations
• Use a template to quickly construct an effective presentation in any situation 
• Use voice and body language for greater impact
• Use visuals effectively
• And much more…

Overview of Topics Covered and Learning Points Developed

• What is a briefing? 
• Types of presentations 
• Knowing your audience 
• Briefing preparation checklist 
• Defining the objective and building the message 
• Preparing the presentation 
• Preparing and using visuals 
• Explore impact of body, voice and visual aids to enhance presentation skills 
• Do’s and Don’ts of PowerPoint and other visuals 
• Using your environment to your advantage 
• Techniques for overcoming presentation anxiety 
• Effective delivery skills 
• Using a simple model for organizing a persuasive or informational presentation 
• Giving different types of briefings
  • Informative briefing
  • Persuasive briefing
  • Call-to-action briefing 
  • Entertaining briefing 
• Making supporting statements and claims 
• Using transitions, pivots and so-what's to enhance briefing impact
• Practice writing and delivering
  • Transitions
  • Pivots
  • So-what's
• How and when to use humor
• Handling questions (including hostile questions) 
• Practicing your briefing
• Different ways to begin a briefing – what will work for you and the situation
• Opening statement 
• Apply voice and body language techniques that will work for you
• Ways to improve clarity in your briefing 
• Making it memorable and persuasive 
• Concluding with impact and a call to action
• Use an impromptu briefings checklist

Bring this briefing skills seminar to your organization and begin applying these powerful techniques immediately. Participants leave this session with necessary skills to deliver clear, concise briefings to clients, coworkers, executives and groups of all types.

To receive more information about this training call toll free at 877-385-5515. 

You may also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Presentation Skills for Technical Topics

Training to Effectively Present Technical Information and Developing Self-Confidence as a Presenter

Learn how to present technical information to non-technical people and groups of all sizes. This interactive Presentation Skills for Technical Topics seminar trains skills to deliver engaging technical presentations to clients, coworkers, executives and groups of all sizes.

Participants learn and practice time-tested presentation techniques that make presenting technical information clear, manageable and engaging. Workshop training activities are centered on building effective communication skills through presentation techniques, while strengthening the ability to structure presentations that flow seamlessly.

Learn technical presentation techniques to:

Prepare and structure the technical content that can be easily understood by non-technical people

Use technical visual aids effectively

Prepare yourself to overcome public speaking nervousness

Easily handle Q&A sessions

This onsite course is delivered in one, two and three-day formats.

Workshop activities include individual and team activities, training exercises, and individual coaching to reinforce the learning process in this technique-focused course. 

The training is often used by technical professionals used to their presentation skills to:

• Present technical product release information and training user groups
• Support marketing campaigns
• Assist field sales representatives in the sales process
• Deliver presentations to corporate directors and investors

Participants rapidly improve their presentation skills by creating and delivering real-life presentations, receiving video feedback and one-on-one professional coaching.

Who Should Attend

IT Professional, Engineers, Executives, Managers, Sales People, and Trainers who want to learn how to present complex technical subjects and build their confidence for public speaking.  

Training Benefits

• Make the complex easily understood
• Overcome the natural fears of speaking to a group
• Always exceed your audience’s expectations
• Stand out from the crowd
• Tailor your presentation to the group
• Make presentations more interesting
• Engage your audience for any length of time
• Apply simple tips and tricks that professional speakers use
• Help people deal with complexity allowing them to make better decisions 

Overview of Training  Topics and Learning Points Delivered

• Understand how presentation skills effect audience participation  
• Understand how people communicate (what you say has a lesser importance than you thought!)
• Understanding your audience
• Enhance personal voice projection, articulation, pacing and fluency
• Enhance personal body language, eye contact and gesturing
• How to project control and confidence
• Presentation preparation, a little-known technique to outline in less than 30 minutes
• Present technical content clearly and concisely
• Use presentation approaches to make complex information simple
• Presentation structure
• Choose the best presentation tools
• Utilize visual aids and multimedia (without “overdoing” it) to reinforce points
• Preparing yourself – ignore this at your peril
• Delivering your presentation
• Getting and keeping audience attention
• Implement persuasive communication techniques
• Learning not to worry about what you are going to say
• Understand what your body language is saying – you may be surprised
• Eliminate negative or distracting mannerisms
• How to organize the room
• How to use humor without offending
• How to handle question time effectively
• Handle complex questions without getting flustered
• How to “close” your presentation
• Overcome the stress and anxiety that can accompany public speaking
• Build an action plan to enhance personal image via presentation skills

“You will be amazed at the difference this course can make! I especially enjoyed the body language and voice projection section, and the part on how to “make the complex simple.” The professional coaching I got from the facilitator really helped a lot.”
– Aaron Snedecker, Cleveland, OH

Bring this seminar to your organization and begin applying improved communication skills immediately. Participants leave this session with necessary skills to deliver engaging technical presentations to clients, coworkers, executives and groups of all sizes.

To receive more information about this training call toll free at 877-385-5515. 

You may also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Working with the Media

Learn to Interact Effectively with the Media - Develop Skills for Press-Release Writing, Being Interviewed, and Using Social Media

This Media Relationship Training Workshop helps ensure your spokesperson succeeds at presenting your company's position in a positive manner and avoids costly media relation mistakes. This media relations workshop is tailored to your organization's needs and participant's level of experience.

Many employees are faced with a sudden need to communicate with the press, even in organizations that have a public relations department. What happens when there is a crisis after hours and the only employees available are your senior executives?  Or perhaps a special task force or project team has a need to communicate with the media on certain occasions, such as when you need to put out a public awareness campaign. Ensuring that these employees have the skills they need to do it well can make the difference between a positive public image for your organization and an embarrassing disaster. 

The right kind of media exposure can help your organization. The wrong kind of media can create challenges for the organization and the spokesperson.

So, who is a current and potential spokesperson for your organization? Have they had proper media relations training?

• Are they prepared to deal with the reporter who can't wait to get a "good" story - even if it is at your company's expense. 
• Remember, even casual conversations with reporters can become headlines.
• Do they know what is public information and what is not?
• Do they know how to quickly organize facts?
• Can they deliver the message concisely and clearly?
• Is Social Media really working for you?
• Can they dodge the bullet of the "trick" question - when no answer seems to be the best answer?
• Do they know how to create an effective news release?

If the answer to any of these questions is "No" - this training is for you.

Who Should Attend

This highly interactive course is designed for non-PR professionals of any level in the organization who may have an occasional need to communicate with print, radio or television journalists, or to use social media for PR purposes. Typically designed as a two-day course, we include extensive videotaped on-camera practice sessions for all participants, and limit attendance to 15 participants.

Training Benefits

• Increase the diversity and effectiveness of the real-time communicators in the public forum 
• More effective print and broadcast interview subjects
• Avoid media relations errors
• More powerful and persuasive public speakers
• More sophisticated PR
• Improved consumer relations
• Improved engagement of social media 

Overview of concepts and deliverables provided

• What makes news?
• Overview of types of media outlets and how they work
• Building relationships with journalists
• Types of interviews
• Developing key messages, verifying accuracy of information, and other preparation tips
• Basic presentation skills for in-person interviews
• Handling the tough cases
• Practice on-camera interviews with feedback sessions
• Press releases: the case for putting it in writing
• Structure and format of a good press release
• What makes it interesting?
• Writing style (AP) and proofreading tips
• Practice press release session with feedback
• Why use social media? 
• The technical process of using Facebook and Twitter
• Handling social media “hecklers”
  
  

Bring this seminar to your organization and begin applying powerful new presentation techniques immediately. Participants leave this session with necessary skills to deliver engaging presentations to clients, coworkers, executives and groups of all sizes.

 To receive more information about this training call toll free at 877-385-5515. 

You may also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

Meet one of our Working with Media Trainers: Anna DeBattiste

Anna DeBattiste has over 20 years of experience in oral and written communication skills training and public information. She has worked as a freelance writer for adventure sports magazines and for PR-related corporate projects, a writing instructor for the University of Vermont, and a communication/presentation skills and business writing trainer for Alliance. From 2007 to 2010 she worked as a public information officer for the Summit County Rescue Group in Summit County, Colorado, where she was responsible for all media handling, public information releases and public relations/outreach projects for a non-profit, all-volunteer mountain rescue team. She holds a Masters Degree in English from the University of Vermont.

How to Tell a Story

Learn Storytelling to Build Customer Confidence, Sell the Idea and Inspire the Buyer to Action

Practice skills and techniques to turn a worthy message into a story that is enjoyed, remembered and repeated.

This seminar teaches skills and techniques to turn a worthy message into a story that is enjoyed, remembered and repeated. This session is great for salespeople, trainers, managers and anyone wanting to improve their ability to communicate in an interesting and engaging manner.  

Tell me a fact and I will learn. Tell me a truth and I will believe.
But, tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever."   Anonymous

Did you ever prepare for your weekly meeting and realize your great new idea goes right over their heads? Are they paying attention or just looking at you? Is the message motivating or monotonous? If you have asked yourself any of these questions, this course is for you. While speaking skills cover a wide range of issues, a challenge that goes to the beginning of communication is, “How do I get the person I’m communicating with to listen to me, remember what I’m saying well enough to repeat the message, and then be excited enough to do it?”  The answer is to know how to tell a story.

  See Article: The Power of Storytelling

Whenever you make a presentation, you tell a story. The culture of your organization is defined in the stories of its past. The vision of the organization’s future is defined in the story you tell. Cultures pass their history to the next generation with stories, but tell the story well. Stories with passion are the ones we remember. Those that are remembered are most likely to be repeated, and acted upon.

Storytelling sells ideas, defines direction, creates images, instills emotion, enables buy-in and gives permission to act. Stories identify our culture, who we are, what we stand for and where we are going. This seminar will provide the participants with skills and tools to turn a worthy message into a story that can be enjoyed, remembered and repeated.

"A key, perhaps the key, to leadership...is the effective communication of a story." 

- Howard Gardner, Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership

Who Should Attend

This course is practical for executives, leaders, sales personnel, sales managers, speakers, trainers, writers – and anyone who must illustrate key concepts in a memorable and understandable manner.

Training Benefits

• Develop your ability to use stories to communicate non-tangibles when:
  • Giving sales presentations
  • Providing superb customer service
  • Defining benefits
  • Relating non-threatening (or threatening) consequences of actions
  • Showing empathy
  • Relating to corporate culture
  • Defining vision for the future
  • Problem solving
  • Explaining new ideas for growth
• Enhance your image as a communicator
• Make your ideas memorable
• Create stories for speaking, print or electronic media
• Engage your audience and keep their attention
• Deliver a payoff to your story
• Ability to train others
• Use stories to help others understand new information
• Customize a story for specific situations to enhance retention
• Teach others how to use a story
• Understand what the elements are and when to use them

Overview of Concepts and Deliverables Provided

• How to plot the emotional highs and lows of a story and use suspense
• How to create a story based on composite situations
• How to enhance a story and retain your ethics
• How to use specific examples to illustrate broad principles and protect participants
• How the delivery method impacts the story and use of visuals for each
• How to customize workbooks and worksheets – options for customized exercise situations

Presentation formats available

• Keynote address of major points – 90-120 minute motivational speech
• Half day or full day group session - use of short exercises to reinforce learning points
• Multiple day story development workshop - creative, in-depth exercises by participants
• Executive presentation consultation – individual or small group

Bring this seminar to your organization and begin applying improved communication skills immediately to make better presentations and influence others in a positive manner. Participants leave this session with necessary skills to turn a worthy message into a story that is enjoyed, remembered and repeated.

To receive more information about this training call toll free at 877-385-5515. 

You may also email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..