The audience was electric with energy, the stars of the show took us on an engaging journey and it ended with rounds of applause and maybe a standing ovation or two. No, I’m not talking about your favorite band’s recent concert, but a corporate training like no other.
Yes, really. Rock Star Ready is not your typical corporate workshop, but an accelerated public speaking “boot camp” guaranteed to give every speaker, from the meekest to the highly confident, the added boost they need to tackle any presentation successfully. I had the pleasure of observing the two-day event, hosted by Ward Certified, a firm specializing in workplace training in San Antonio, Texas.
Day 1
Among the participants, who were all intelligent, accomplished business professionals, there was nervous laughter, averted eye contact, and fidgety restlessness. Ann Ward, communications expert, and her team quickly addressed the elephant in the room head-on. You know, the one about how people fear public speaking about as much as they do death?
The Perfect Presentation
When you think about the recipe for the makings of a perfect presentation, you have to cover all the angles - design and preparation to engagement and delivery. Expect to get hands-on at Rock Star Ready. In fact, expect to stand on your feet, dive in headfirst and put yourself all the way out there.
Nipping those nerves right in the bud, participants had multiple opportunities to practice their chops, be filmed and view themselves for critique later. It was an opportunity to see their progression from beginning to end, gain valuable and positive feedback and coaching from the expert team and fine-tune their content and presentations throughout the training.
Some participants needed help with their tone and volume, others with their movement and expressions. While all the participants came to improve their presentation and speaking skills, the training focus took on a bigger-picture theme of authenticity, accepting imperfections and embracing vulnerability.
This is a tall order for anyone, let alone a bunch of strangers. It became clear, however, that everyone had similar misconceptions about their skill level - they were better than they thought they were! They were also their worst critics. Standing shoulder to shoulder with others in the same boat as you, you couldn’t help but think, “We’ve got this!”
Day 2
The momentum continued through Day 2, as you could see newfound conviction in the participants who were raring to go. Day 2 covered managing audience members, using visual aids, storytelling and the all-important closing. The anticipation was building as participants spent the majority of the day in one-on-one coaching with the experts and polishing off their final presentations.
As “finals” rolled around, the participants were eager to get their five minutes to shine. And, shine they did. When I say “transformation,” I’m not exaggerating. Participants that once struggled were unrecognizable, expertly navigating stumbles, maintaining eye contact and demonstrating a warm and friendly attitude. Others were able to find their sweet spot by making use of powerful pauses, editing excessive content and incorporating complementary movement and gestures.
The event ended with significant improvements across the board, buzzing energy and empowered, enthusiastic participants.
The training demonstrated the decades of combined experience within the Ward Certified Team. It is also highly participant-centric, so it’s likely no two trainings will look exactly alike. But one thing is sure, the spirit of collaboration and encouragement created in only two days will get you standing, cheering and Rock Star Ready!