How clear are your communications?
Watching Matt Hancock’s “ Lumpy vaccine supply” briefing yesterday raised more concerns than it calmed. It left most of us wondering why he was there and what he was attempting to communicate.
“Vaccine supply is always lumpy.”
Responding to a question about a “significant reduction” in vaccine supplies in April, Matt Hancock said it was part of a “technical letter” sent to the NHS regularly to explain the “ups and downs of supply over the future weeks”. pic.twitter.com/Yr2ptwGiGB
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) March 17, 2021
Anyone who’s ever stood on a podium, with their heart racing and tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth for fear of saying the wrong thing, understands the importance of preparation.
Clear communication is considered, tested, practised and rehearsed. Know what you want to say. Develop clear messages that resonate with your audience.
Testing your key messages
Before committing to your messages, test them. Depending on how long you have and who your messages are aimed at you can do that with your Communications teams, trusted colleagues, focus groups, friends or family. The important thing at this stage is to make sure that your messages are clear, concise and authentic.
Rehearse your presentation
If you are going to present at a conference, event or public meeting, make sure that your presentation skills are refreshed. There’s nothing worse than floundering, sweating and lost for words in front of a large audience. You can rehearse privately or with friends and colleagues or go on a professional presentation skills course.
Refresh your presentation skills with expert trainers
If you haven’t had any presentation skills training for a while, or it’s been a long time since your last presentation, and you’re feeling a little under confident, invest in presentation skills training.
You can choose a tailored course, with only a few other people on it. You can learn a lot from watching other people and it’s good to share the learning experience too.
Alternatively, if you want completely confidential training, or need the training quickly, then our one to one remote presentation skills coaching via Zoom could be the ideal solution.
For some people this works much better than group courses, as it allows the trainer to focus only on you, your strengths and your presentation style. It also means that we can go through your current presentation(s) in complete confidence, asking you challenging questions that you may not want to practice on a public course. We will ensure that you have the right mixture of fact, relevance and human interest to make your presentation engaging and memorable.
Our aim is to ensure that you communicate clear messages with skill and confidence. Our BBC experienced media and presentation skills trainers will build your skills and confidence as well as share their tips on keeping cool under pressure and looking good on camera.
Call Media Friendly 01628 474154 now to discuss your training plans.