Frequently Asked Questions

Questions our individual clients ask

I have a presentation next week. With just a few days to go, is there anything you can do to help me?

Absolutely. There are a variety of options for people with limited time before a presentation. E-mail and phone coaching are always possibilities, especially if meeting in person is not. A couple questions for you: Is the presentation already created? Are you using visual support? Obviously, the more time you have before your presentation, the more assistance we can give. If you contact us and describe your situation, we'll work together to give you as much support as possible given the time constraint.

I am in sales. Can The Speaker’s Choice ^TM (TSC) help me improve my pitch and close?

Yes, we work with sales professionals often for a variety of reasons, including refining and polishing the pitch and close. TSC will give you feedback on your current approach, style & mechanics, and then work with you to polish all of it. Sales professionals often underestimate the importance of confident body language and a strong voice. Too often product knowledge is their sole focus and other critical areas receive little or no attention. We focus on the various aspects of interpersonal communication, ensuring you are perceived as you intend to be. Public speaking coaching is a great way to increase your productivity. If you call or email us, we would be happy to assess your coaching needs.

I am shy and scared to death of public speaking. Can you help me overcome it?

Yes, we have helped many people effectively deal with the fear of public speaking and actually start to enjoy it! While we can’t change your personality, we can certainly equip you with powerful ideas and tools to boost your confidence and reduce the fear. Often with a handful of suggestions, feedback, and some practice, our clients start to see and feel themselves being more effective and confident.

My new job requires quite a bit of speaking in front of groups. What do you recommend?

The first step would be for us to have a conversation to understand your goals, experience with speaking in front of groups, any prior training, and a myriad of other items. Next we would build a plan to make the public speaking aspect of your job incredibly successful. We would be delighted to support you in this area.

Individual coaching

What does your one-on-one and executive presentation coaching involve?

Coaching involves working with many aspects of communication. From a high- level perspective, we focus on two areas: Mindset and Mechanics. Being an extremely effective public speaker requires a lot of preparation and practice. The process begins with an inquiry into the client’s attitudes and feelings about presenting in general. This inquiry can often stir up a lot of other issues which impact the approach we take in creating a powerful mindset. We then deal with the mechanics of public speaking, such as word choice, vocal attributes, content construction, and body language. We use an intense amount of video-recording and feedback to assist in accelerating the process. We also provide a workbook to help reinforce the ideas, recommendations, and concepts that we talk about. All of the work we do is designed to improve your effectiveness in enrolling people to take action.

Whom do you coach?

TSC works with executives in a variety of industries. Our goal is to help you establish or boost your executive presence when you are in a position to speak with authority in front of others. We work with people who talk to clients or prospects (sales), large groups (such as a division in a Fortune 100 company), and teams (such as a functional area or department within a corporation). If it is part of your job to sell, motivate, teach, enroll, inform, or explain, we help you do it more powerfully. If you would like your public speaking to be more succinct, interesting, and influential, then our coaching is perfect for you. It is an investment in yourself you can’t afford not to make.

How long does it take to get ready for a presentation?

When you contact us with this question, here are a few of the questions we will ask you:

Why are you presenting?
Who will you be presenting to? (What positions do the people in the audience hold? How big a crowd?)
For how long do you expect to speak?
What is your previous public speaking experience?
What is your biggest concern with your upcoming presentation?
How much time are you willing to devote to perfecting this presentation?
What do you want from your audience?

With these answers we can create a plan to get you ready. Some people desire only a few meetings as they want to work on a few specific issues. Others want an all-inclusive coaching plan that addresses every aspect of their presentation.

Why get a coach?

Executives have to focus considerable energy on trends and demands in and out of their organization. From earning an MBA to working on a Six Sigma black belt, their positions require spending time and energy on self-improvement. Over the last decade, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of executive presence while “on stage”. Professionals use public speaking skills every single day, whether we are cognizant of it or not. By working with a coach, you can set yourself apart from competitors and colleagues. Executives that demonstrate executive presence and conduct themselves with poise and confidence, especially on stage, are perceived as competent and successful, and produce results.

Can you help me with my handling of the tools of public speaking, such as a laser pointer, slide show, and microphone?

Our coaching encompasses all of these things and more. We can give you pointers on using the pointer, as well as Powerpoint and flip charts. Practicing speaking into a microphone will be on the agenda, if you like. Public speaking tools are among the list of things we work on with our clients.

What does coaching cost?

Since each individual client need is somehow different, so is the price point. TSC determines a price based upon your stated needs and goals. Every situation is different. However, every client can expect a great value in their coaching experience with TSC.

Speaking Club

How is TSC speaking club different than other clubs?

TSC Speaking Club takes the concept of speaking clubs to the next level. Said another way, TSC Speaking Club is like those other clubs if they were on steroids. Our clients tell us that participating in The Speaking Club is a great experience. You'll find the instantaneous feedback invaluable. The practice sessions and speaking exercises will also help you to break through the barriers that stand in your way of being a great speaker. They also remark about the quality of the feedback from the participants and the facilitator: They say that having a professional speaker/trainer's expert critique at each meeting and getting video recorded is a huge advantage.

How long do meetings last?

We keep meetings to two hours. Meetings are conveniently scheduled in the evenings so as not to interfere with the conduct of business during the day. We meet one Monday a month.

Who would be a good candidate for Speaking Club?

Executives, sales people, or anyone who is looking for a confidential, neutral community to practice their presentations. The Speaking Club is also the right place to be if you want to receive feedback from peers and a professional coach, and wish to have a support network that is committed to improving their effectiveness.

What is the cost of Speaking Club?

As a club for serious professionals, The Speaking Club offers 3, 6, and 12 month subscriptions. Like our coaching service, the value is tremendous:

3 months........................$595.00
6 months........................$995.00
12 months.....................$1495.00

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