Services > Workshops > Speech Skills

Presentation Savvy

Target Participants:

Teachers, trainers, coaches

Duration:

1 session, three hours per session

No. of Participants:

Min: 10 people; Max: 30 people

Pre-Workshop Preparation:

  • Participants who are able to communicate fluently in English are welcome.
  • Please come dressed in loose, comfortable clothing so that you will not feel constricted while doing the various breathing and vocal exercises.

Notes for Organisers:

  • Please make available a fair-sized room that can easily accommodate all the workshop participants and the facilitator (seated in a circular formation). Please make sure that any other tables and chairs are stored against the wall or outside the room so that the participants have space to move freely about the space when they do the various exercises.
  • Please provide a large whiteboard and pens as well as access to computer/computer projection to show PowerPoint slides.
  • Please make copies of hand-outs that will be emailed to prior to the workshop. The hand-outs are to be given to the participants at the end of the workshop.

Mary spent hours preparing for a speech: she did copious amounts of research, she distilled her material into succinct points, she developed a witty introduction and conclusion, and she designed such wonderful PowerPoint slides. Yet the speech failed because Mary’s delivery was faulty: she was nervous, spoke too fast/in a jerky fashion, only read from her notes or slides only, sounded boring, moved in a distracting manner, failed to connect with her audience…

A familiar scenario? Have no fear. There are ways to improve your own, and your students’, oral communication skills. In this hands-on workshop, you will gain practical tips on how to:

  • increase your volume, clarity and expressiveness,
  • manage your nerves when presenting in public,
  • connect with your audience and make an impact on them.

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to enhance your own presentation skills as well as gain some techniques on how to help your students become better oral communicators.

About the Facilitator

Verena Tay has spent more than 25 years acting, directing and writing for Singaporean English-language theatre. She has three published collections of plays and is now working on her debut novel and first volume of short stories. In addition, Verena is an active storyteller-cum-storytelling coach and a co-founder of MoonShadow Stories. Possessing an MA in Voice Studies (Central School of Speech and Drama, 2005) and an MA in English Literature (National University of Singapore, 1993), she has been helping people to improve their communication skills since 2001 and currently teaches voice, speech and presentation skills at various local institutions. For more information about Verena, please visit www.verenatay.com.