Zoom ahead: Differentiate through excellence in communication

About this session

The ability to make an impact when presenting is no longer an optional skill for talented individuals aspiring to lead – research, projects, people. The need to inform with clarity, to motivate, and to inspire action permeates every aspect of the 21st Century world. Whether you are presenting a business case for research funding, interviewing for a promotion, speaking to an industry or community association, or delivering a keynote address at a conference, presenting with confidence and impact is a core skill and will differentiate you both personally and professionally.

It’s not easy. This is not a soft skill - it’s a hard skill, with many obstacles to overcome:

• Every audience needs a unique, tailored message
• Technical language causes audiences to ‘switch off’ quickly
• It’s difficult to make complex information simple to understand, especially in a Zoom world
• When the stakes are high, nerves and self-doubt can impact performance
• Even our personality traits can potentially be both a positive and a negative

This Zoom workshop has been developed to help you discover some of the secrets to great communication and whet your appetite for working to constantly improve your presentations, especially online.

You will learn:

• Why so many presenters have to deal with a fear factor
• How to identify and respond to the needs of different audiences
• How personality type (yours and the audience’s) impacts every presentation
• How to avoid ‘rookie’ mistakes in PowerPoint

Barry O’Sullivan is a former Senior Partner at KPMG, and now runs his own leadership coaching organisation Sustainable Change. He has been a leadership coach (of over 550 leaders) for more than 15 years, and in this role delivers leadership skills workshops, performance coaching and presentation skills development programs.

As an alumnus of The Actors Conservatory, Barry has developed a unique coaching methodology, which brings together business knowledge, coaching, acting, performance, and personality type insights. He has readied teams and individuals for major pitches, prepared leaders to present at major conferences, and to deliver TED talks, including for the prestigious annual TED event in Edinburgh.

Since 2008, he has continuously delivered presentation skills programs and coaching to UQ’s MBA students, Postgraduate students and HDR students, and prepared entrants and finalists in the 3MT competition.

Join via Zoom: https://uqz.zoom.us/j/81669570377