You are introduced as the speaker, your experience and achievements are read out to all in attendance, you head to the podium amidst the clapping, you adjust the microphone, and …. the light goes out! Your mind goes blank as your palms start to sweat.

You are not alone. Most, particularly in the early days of public speaking, go through similar experiences. The good news is that there are skills that assist you in preparing for and giving engaging and concise speeches or lectures.

The Public Speaking Skills course takes you through the process from preparing for your speaking session to stepping off the podium and networking after the session. You will learn:

• What the fundamental requirements for preparing for sessions are.

• What different skills are employed for varied sizes and types of sessions.

• How to determine the structure of your session

• How to carry out research

• How to study your audience

These will assist you in building the presentation. You then move on to developing practical tools on how to manage the session.

You are also presented with tools on how to deal with both the expected and unexpected such as dealing with difficult attendees, equipment failures, or disruptive situations.

The session wraps up with a review of lessons learned and tips on how to start your career as a Public Speaker.