You Found Me
I know exactly what happens when you type “Presentation Skills Training” into Google.
Irrespective of where I sit amongst that exhaustive list – you’ve found me and I want your search to end.
Let’s keep this simple.
I've no interest in turning you or anyone else into a speaker remembered only for a series of engineered tricks.
I don't recite textbooks or watch hours of Ted Talks.
You're a much better presenter than you've ever been told and you tell a far better story than a deck of slides!
Let’s work with you.
You want the sale, you want the support or you need the funding!
'Presentation Mode' isn't always the prescription!
I want you to find your Public Speaking strengths then inspire you to communicate with confidence and impact.
What I Do
You may have noticed a lot of people doing my kind of work are actors.
Yep - me too! (but as an actor – I’m a much better Presentation Coach)
So why are so many actors working in Presentation Training?
Process!
An actor’s process is to understand the experience of others.
Actors are storytellers; and we take our audience with us. To have empathy and see things from the perspective of others is by far the most powerful way of connecting with them.
What might it feel like to be presented to – by you?
Delivering a bad presentation might not qualify your audience for a refund, but it won't encourage them to buy a ticket for your next performance either.
Good presentation and good presenters don't have to be big and loud, they just need to connect, and actors understand that.
I’m not offering you theatrical training, I’m simply using what I know to help you find your presentation strengths. Sometimes it really does take someone else to highlight the obvious. I want you to realise what you are capable of and then give you the confidence to back yourself.
Let’s work together to discover what might help you better connect with your customers, clients and colleagues.
Whatever your communication challenge, let me remind you
You’re – 'Perfectly Presentable’!
So What’s On Offer?
Every day we connect with people, share thoughts and exchange information.
Why then, when called upon to present, do we forget what we do naturally?
I don’t have a training manual and working with me will be anything but formulaic. I offer individuals and companies a bespoke and challenging experience tailored to address actual need. I work with your ability, not measure it against others.
Click on the pictures of me for examples of how we may find ourselves working together to enhance your presentation and public speaking capacity.
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Just You?
Sometimes it’s up to us to invest in ourselves.
Your search for “Presentation Training” threw up an abundance of courses and classes – but when standing up in front of lots of people to speak is the most confronting thing; standing up in front of lots of people to speak is not necessarily the best solution.
Some of us are comfortable working and learning in a group because we find the experience and feedback useful but others want something more personal. Working one to one enables you to make discoveries with absolute support and undivided attention.
Everyone is different and my approach is to challenge you in relation to your individual areas of concern.
Let’s build on qualities you may not even realise you have.
Prepare in private – perform in public. -
Where Do I Begin?
A client of mine delivered a very successful speech starting with exactly what she told me in response to this.
“Tell Me A Story”
You know your business better than I do and logically, a presentation or speech delivered by you, will better if it’s created by you.
I won't have all the answers but I will have questions – lots of them – and so will your audience.
Speech writing can be really personal but collaborating with someone prepared to offer an honest viewpoint and an alternative perspective might be just what you need to fill that blank page.
Something important to say – no idea where to begin? -
Two Minds Are Better…
"I've worked really hard on this speech, committed it all to memory and my slide transitions are fantastic but if I run this by the other half and they're overly critical I'll ......."
I'm not offering you counseling – I’m offering you an honest and encouraging perspective before you go live in front of your audience.
I run regular pitch clinics for London's Tech Start Up Community – Short, direct, objective consultations – frequently on the cusp of securing financial backing!
What is this speech really worth? What will get you the result you want?
Call it a pressure test – a dress rehearsal.
How might a couple of hours and a few incisive questions before opening night reveal the glaringly obvious?
Get a check up and keep it civil with the other half. -
Working Together
A supportive and well-convened workshop is an effective way to energise your staff.
Designed with groups from the same company in mind, this single-session, light-hearted and interactive forum includes discussion around presentation development and delivery.
The first half of the workshop encourages individuals to present a pre-prepared 'elevator pitch’ while the second half sees participants work in small groups on a presentation challenge.
With an emphasis on confidence and team building, this workshop will highlight the importance of strong personal and corporate messaging.
As a follow on from the workshop, participants might benefit from one to one coaching sessions. This additional component provides an opportunity for individuals to focus privately on their own presentation abilities or concerns. -
What Now?
I keep saying Let’s Talk, and I really do mean it.
Public Speaking and Presentation can be incredibly rewarding and finding the right person to work toward that is important. You need to feel secure in your choice of trainer and your investment so to ensure we are a good fit, let’s catch up for a chat.
Working with me will be challenging, but I do promise to make it fun.
People Said Nice Things
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Fraser Balsillie
Project Manager, Plant Integrity Management Ltd
Despite our initial impressions, given by the colourful ties on your website, I think we all found the workshop extremely useful.
As a group of Engineers we had a preconceived notion of what this workshop would be like… and then we saw the juggling balls. I’m really pleased that the format was not what many of us were expecting; it resonated well, provoked thought and discussion and all of us have looked at framing our presentations in a different way as a result.
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Ash Rama
Global Head of Training at Trustpilot
The first impressive thing about Doug is that he found us… we didn’t find him! He made such an impact on one of our team members that she proactively advised management to explore more about his services. This told me one something quite powerful; Doug can walk the walk. He made an impact and we ended up wanting to use his services - this is exactly what we want our sales teams to be doing everyday. We had a select group of senior sales people to train. In a vibrant, fun, hard working atmosphere, Doug challenged, taught and extracted from each person. They walked away feeling more confident and able in approaching and presenting to C Level groups and individuals. The unique aspect of Doug’s approach is that he didn’t necessarily teach ‘his way’; he instead unlocked the best in each individual. He drew out their strengths, making it a natural step-up in skill and ability, not a ‘how to present’ manual that you can find everywhere online. The Sales people who attended Doug's training regularly talk about how they’re applying what they’ve learnt, and how an aspect of a meeting was exactly as practiced with Doug, not to mention the fun they had in his sessions!
Expect the unexpected - in the best possible way.
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Phillip Thompson
Director, International Business Development
When I was advised I'd be sent on a training course in order to assist me with my presentation skills. I thought to myself, what was someone with 20yrs experience going to learn, it'll probably be a total waste of my time and my companies money. Honestly, I couldn't have been further from the truth...Thank you Doug for your honesty, energy, direction and belief. But most importantly, thank you for educating someone who was averse to change and trying something new. Sometimes in life you come across some extraordinary characters. Doug Knight is one of those people and he has taken me on a real journey!
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Daniel Shaw
Business Analyst supporting Business Development
Doug gave me invaluable insight into how I present myself: he deconstructed the message I was trying to portray and rebuilt it in a way that made complete sense to me. He guided me on verbal and non-verbal cues and made me question the tangible and intangible worth of every aspect of my content. I would highly recommend Doug to anyone wishing to refine their presentation skills.