You have ideas you want to share. You have stakeholders you need to engage, or a business you want to grow. You have clients and community members and colleagues to connect with. 

Yes, you need to be a credible expert and have amazing content, but what people will remember is authenticity.

Stand and Deliver is about finding your own authentic voice in presentations and pitches, during media interviews, on video, on a podcast, in a board room, or climbing up on a real stage. 

Whether it’s in a formal setting or informally, face-to-face or online, owning it when you are ‘on stage’ takes skill and preparation and practice. And it's crucial at this time -- especially online -- to capture attention and connect with your audience, so your ideas and content are communicated and remembered!

People pay attention when someone is being real. 

I started my quest for being a memorable and engaging presenter by comparing myself to others. I wanted to be that person that seemed completely at ease, connected to their audience while delivering amazing content seamlessly. Not the polished performer but, the authentic one. Oh, and the one who didn’t use notes, and had a beautifully designed deck.

But, I have discovered that my most engaging and successful presentations have all included last-minute re-writes, switching up the stories I use, and letting go of all those comparisons. When I use notes, it actually gives me more ability to connect with my audience, because I am not worried about forgetting an important detail. And my deck? If I have one, it is always minimal and frequently changed up at the last minute.

That’s the way I own it, but there are other speakers who are equally themselves, doing it their way.  Some plant themselves firmly behind a podium and  read notes word for word. Another sits on a couch and leans forward, no notes at all. Another had an eye-popping deck. What these memorable presenters have  in common was that they had all found a way to deliver that was unique to them. 

Owning it when you are ‘on stage’ takes skill, preparation, and practice. In Stand and Deliver, we'll cover three pillars that can serve you well.

Story: This is a proven way to win trust and connection, not to mention capturing attention and making concepts and content memorable. 

Structure: “Research shows that people retain structured information up to 40% more reliably and accurately than information that is presented in a more freeform manner,” according to Matt Abrahams, from the Stanford School of Business. Equally important is that the structure gives you, the presenter, a way to organize your content beforehand, and be confident in the flow when you are speaking.

Strategy: Everything in your presentation needs to support your goal, the reason you are speaking out in the first place. When you are clear on what you want your audience to walk away with and ask yourself key questions as you develop your presentation, the result will be clarity and actionable content for your audience. It really needs to be the foundation you build everything else on.

And then there’s that thing that belongs entirely to you. Your authentic voice. And the best way to discover that and make it work for you is to put theory into action. That’s a crucial element to this workshop or series. Lots of practice and real-time feedback.

In this one-off session or workshop series, we will cover theory and skills building, focussing on the pillars of story, structure and strategy. And, most importantly, there will be hands-on practice every session with real-time feedback.

Endorsements

“Cate took my talks to another level. She guided me to become more professional and articulate, without losing my authenticity. I’ve gained so much confidence from our work together and have vastly expanded the range of talks I can deliver in terms of the type of audience, audience size, and duration of the talk.”

— Ryan Martin, CMHA, Instagram: mindcycle_canada

“I couldn’t have woven these stories and research together without you. I appreciate it so much – both because this presentation ended up going well but also because you encouraged me to “step into my own boots” and not be afraid to bring myself into my work in a more integrated way. I’ll carry this forward with me.”

— Michelle Lam, M.A., Ph.D, Director, BU CARES Research Centre