Listen and Speak Under Pressure Course

Course summary

You might imagine that listening and speaking under pressure is a natural ability – you either have it or you don't. In fact, with good preparation and a structured approach you can develop the confidence to be spontaneous and articulate when presenting a proposal, public speaking, strengthening your case or selling your ideas. This lively course will show you a four-step system for doing this, so that, even under pressure, you can speak accurately, fluently and flexibly.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• demonstrate your improved skill in planning to listen and quickly understand questions
• utilise a variety of response options to handle pressured interactions and encounters
• utilise listening techniques to sharpen your focus when under pressure
• improve confidence and perceived confidence by using techniques that will help you make a strong first impression
• utilise strategies to handle fear when under pressure
• feel more confident when under pressure from repetitive practice and collegial feedback
• utilise a range of easy-to-use talk structures to respond to any question.

• The DBAE (Don’t Be Anywhere Else) technique. You never get a second chance to listen to someone the first time.
• First impressions that win over people. Learn how to enter a room with poise and confidence.
• The Open, Middle, Close speaking structure. Discover how structured speaking improves audience understanding compared to unstructured communication.
• ‘Measuring Cup’ versus ‘Water Hose’ speaking. Learn how rushed speaking can signal junior behaviour.
• The 5-step think on your feet template. A proven process to handle any type of challenging question or comment.
• Creating perceptions of confidence when listening. The pause and nod technique to convey engagement.
• The ‘Plan to Listen’ process. Learn the planning steps to take before, during, and after a one-to-one meeting.
• The SODA (Stop, Observe, Decide, Act) principle. Understand how acting without purpose can undermine credibility.

Delivery modes

• Face-to-face, presenter-taught workshop
• Online workshop via the platform Zoom

This workshop is one of a trilogy of courses that Michael Kelly delivers. It repeats the core principles and reinforces the content of the courses: Presentation Skills: Plan and Deliver Memorable Presentations and Communication Strategies for Becoming an Inspiring Leader. However, the focus of this course is on projecting confidence in any pressured interaction, including Q&A at the end of a group presentation, responding to ad hoc questions in a sit-down meeting and handling chance encounters with senior executives.

One process of the course involves ‘repeated practice attempts’ of a technique, followed by feedback. These practice attempts can seem artificial to some people. Michael’s fieldwork with his top performing clients indicates these practice attempts with feedback are critical to improving his clients behaviour in real interactions. In effect, these top performers focus and care more about improving, than about any artificialness involved in the practice attempts.

Materials

Course materials are shared electronically using Dropbox.

Extras

Watch Michael Kelly's Seven Network, body language analysis of Prince Philip’s funeral.

Getting the most from your attendance

You're making an investment of your time and money by enrolling in this course. Here are three suggestions to help you get the most from your attendance:

• Consider what work colleague/friend you could teach an idea/technique to. Schedule a five minute catch-up appointment with a work colleague/friend the next work day after your course to teach that person the most memorable idea/techniques you learned in the course. This 'teaching' will help you retain the idea/technique. Until you can teach an idea/technique to other people you don't really know it yourself.
• Plan to participate/volunteer. In all of Michael Kelly's courses, he offers various opportunities, throughout the day, for you to have additional attempts at practising techniques/interaction types. The people that volunteer for these opportunities get more worth from the course. So come prepared to participate and volunteer.
• Write down in one sentence or phrase a specific thing/behaviour/attitude etc. that you'll like to exit the day with. You'll get the opportunity to share this thing/behaviour/attitude at the start of the day.

Course Brochure