It’s here! Everything you need to know about confident presentation and public speaking skills in one reasonably priced book. See table of contents at the bottom of this page!
For over thirty years, Alan Mars has coached individuals and groups of delegates from leading public and private businesses and organisations. He has also taught Alexander Technique and voice-work in leading performing arts schools. Alan has taken the best techniques from the world of the performing arts, Alexander Technique and NLP, and set them out in this book, with practical exercises, case studies and insights.
Price: £6.99
Confidence Tricks – Presenter
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
– CHAPTER ONE –
WHAT IF I WERE A BETTER PRESENTER?
WHAT WOULD MAKE ME BETTER?
2500 Years of Theatre
Anchoring
THE WISDOM OF INSECURITY
TOOLS FOR YOUR JOURNEY
GETTING STARTED
Terminology
Working with the exercises
Materials
A positive attitude
– CHAPTER TWO –
WHAT DOES BETTER LOOK LIKE?
STYLE
Practical Exercise
The singer and the song
Alive relaxation
Practical Exercise – Observe
VITAL INGREDIENTS FOR THE COMMUNICATION CAKE
OBSERVATION AND FEEDBACK
Visual
Vocal
Verbal
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE PRESENTERS?
Practical Exercise – Your own radio report
Case Study – Maria
Practical Exercise – Mind’s Eye, Mind’s Ears
DELIVERY
Practical Exercise – The Grand Old Duke of York
LISTEN AND LEARN
The Home Ham-let
Case Study – Interview with Robin Prior
– CHAPTER THREE –
CREATING A COMPELLING GOAL
THROUGH POISE TO PURPOSE
THE VMBR STUDIES
AN INTRODUCTION TO ALIVE RELAXATION
YOUR CENTRE OF GRAVITY
Practical Exercise – Centring
Case Study – Robert
BALANCE AND GROUNDING
Practical Exercise – Footprints in the sand
Case Study – John
PERIPHERAL VISION AND PERSONAL SPACE
Peripheral vision
Practical Exercise – Walking with an expanded visual field
Practical Exercise – Personal space
Practical Exercise – Walk of Shame or Walk of Fame?
Case Study – John Bourke and his All Ireland golf medal
PERCEPTUAL POSITIONS & PERSONAL RELATIONS
PERCEPTUAL TOOLS
The radio reporter revisited
A little black book
Mental rehearsal ingredients
First perceptual position: your own viewpoint
Second perceptual position: the audience’s viewpoint
Third perceptual position: a detached vantage point
DEALING WITH DIFFICULTIES
Come Back Home!
Case Study – Paul Marwaha
STATE YOUR GOALS IN POSITIVE TERMS
Practical Exercise – State your goal
– CHAPTER FOUR –
HOW COMMITTED ARE YOU?
GO FOR IT!
Planning — Step One – Four
KISS – Keep it Simple and Straightforward
REDUCING FEAR & INCREASING CONFIDENCE
Keep your head
Posture, Impact and Confidence
How to ‘wear your head’ skilfully
How to keep your head
The Weight of your Head
Rocking Stones
Atlas Supports the Occiput
Delicate Levers
The Skull
The Spine
The ‘Through Line’
Practical Exercise – Your Puppet String/Through Line
Keeping it Simple – Centre, centre, centre
EMOTION, BREATHING AND YOUR VOICE
Exercise 1: Observing restriction
THE SIZE OF THE PERCEIVED TASK
Your emotional state
Practical Exercise – Hasten slowly and pleasantly
Chunking
SELF-BELIEF
Internal voices – talking your walk
Practical Exercise – No nagging
PERSON AND JOB — GETTING THE FIT RIGHT
Case Study – Phyllis
– CHAPTER FIVE –
BETTER THAN WHAT?
USING YOUR SKILLS
Confidence or Assurance?
HUMAN MIRRORS
Practical Exercise – Mirroring
EYE CONTACT
How long should eye contact last?
Eye contact starts at the feet
Sight lines
ENERGY APPROPRIATE TO THE VENUE
GET TO KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
Your friends and allies in the audience
Case Study – James Lawley
FEEDBACK – ELECTRONIC AND PERSONAL
But I hate the sound of my voice when it’s recorded!
– CHAPTER SIX –
STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES
GENERATING YOUR CONTENT
Right brain: The Creative Generator
Left brain: the Editor/Organiser
Key words
Mind Maps
Index cards
Practical Exercise – Key Words
WILL ANYONE REMEMBER YOU?
STRUCTURING A PRESENTATION
Introductions: purpose, benefit and structure
The End: Summary, Conclusions and Next Steps
Case Study – Cheryl Winter
A Structure for Presentations – The 4MAT System
Bribery – without the corruption
Practical Exercise – BRIBE
QUESTION AND ANSWER STRATEGY
STYLE
Air Sculptures
Case Study – Dave
Going over the top
Practical Exercise – Air Sculptures
MOVING EFFECTIVELY ON STAGE
The stage walk
Practical Exercise – The stage walk
Practical Exercise – Walking backwards
Case Study – The stage walk and adrenaline control
SPATIAL MARKING AND ANCHORING
Timelines
Practical Exercise – Timeline
Spatial marking in business
THE POWER OF COMMUNICATION
– CHAPTER SEVEN –
PRACTICALITIES
DEVELOPING ‘NOUS’
PRESENTATION STYLES
Formal or informal?
Large or small?
Tell or sell?
Mixing sell and tell
Participative
Coaching and training
Internal or external?
USE OF VISUAL AIDS
Visibility and clarity
Visual aid or handout?
Non-verbal relationship to visual aids
Low-tech longevity – the perennial flipchart
Projectors
Popular programs – go easy
Preparing slides
The T-shirt theory (less is more)
MICROPHONES AND PA SYSTEMS
PREPARING THE ROOM
– CHAPTER EIGHT –
FEEDBACK
HOW DID YOU DO?
Case Study – Dr Brent Young
Evolving your own feedback form
– CHAPTER NINE –
BALANCING WORK WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
Rhythm and the art of management maintenance
Rest and replenishment
Timing critical appointments
Case Study – Robin Prior
– CHAPTER TEN –
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE HISTORY & BACKGROUND
What is the Alexander Technique?
The Alexander Story
Into the Looking Glass
The Principles
Direction
Sensory Appreciation
Pausing
Lesson Description
Application Technique
– CHAPTER ELEVEN –
SEMI-SUPINE POSITION BENEFITS
Preparation
Semi-Supine Position Equipment
Getting Into the Semi Supine Position
Bullet point Alexander directions
– CHAPTER TWELVE –
THE PRACTISED PAUSE
SILENCE, PAUSING AND PUNCTUATION
Who are you speaking to?
Practice Pausing
Practical exercise – The Sonnet Stepping Stone
– CHAPTER THIRTEEN –
A WORD ABOUT BREATHING
TAKE A DEEP BREATH?
Compressive forces
Expansive directions and managing the out-breath
The Diaphragm
Practical exercise – Breathing in the semi-supine position
Practical exercise – Breathing in the prone position
Summary
– CHAPTER FOURTEEN –
WILLING IT AND LOVING IT
CLOUD-WATCHING
The big picture
Planning your life
Resources
ALAN MARS
Alan Mars - coaching in Brighton & Hove 