Presentation Skills  Short Courses

Being able to stand up and speak confidently to an audience is an essential skill for life. Whether the goal is to make winning presentations at work or an entertaining speech at a wedding, we all want to be memorable - for the right reasons.

The interactive and practical Presentation Skills course will help you prepare your message, and get yourself ready for the challenge. You will learn a range of new approaches for organising your presentation's content and tailoring it for your audience, and also get help for dealing with nerves which may undermine the impact you want to make.

On this Presentation Skills course there will also be plenty of opportunity to build your confidence through practising new techniques in group and through individual exercises. Throughout, you will receive constructive feedback from the tutor, guest tutors and the rest of the group.

Presentation Skills Course Information

Course Information

Start DateStart TimeDurationCostCourse CodeApply
Thursday 4 October 2012 18:30 - 21:00 8 weekly classes £350.00 CE1781 Enrollment Closed
Thursday 24 January 2013 18:30 - 21:00 8 weekly classes £350.00 CE1781 Enrollment Closed
Thursday 2 May 2013 18:30 - 21:00 8 weekly classes £350.00 CE1781 Apply Now

Tutor Info

Karen Glossop was born in Toronto, Canada. She read Classics at Cambridge University and trained as an actor at Mountview. She has also worked as a copy editor and writer for the Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music.

Since 1997, she has tutored groups and individuals in areas such as: leadership, personal impact, presentation and speech-making, communication and influencing, writing for business, and creativity.

Under the banner of Resonance Training, Karen has worked across many nationalities and cultures, as far-flung as Mongolia and Latvia. UK-based clients include Oliver Wyman; Domestic and General; NHS PASA; Johnson & Johnson; UK Film Council; Greater London Authority; IDe&A; Zurich Insurance; Oxford University Press; and Unilever. She is an Associate Tutor at Cass Business School; Said Business School, Oxford; and London Business School.

Karen has a parallel career in the theatre - writing, designing and performing for the award-winning touring theatre company, Wishbone, of which she is co-founder.

English Requirements

Good written and spoken English are required on this Presentation Skills course.

What will I learn?

  • Developing an effective preparation process;
  • Clarifying your objectives - what do you want your audience to feel, think and do?
  • Structuring a clear, concise and persuasive message;
  • Exploring creative approaches which make an impact;
  • Adapting rhetorical devices to make your message stick;
  • Handling nerves and eliminating tension, using techniques from psychology and the theatre;
  • Harnessing voice and body language to engage your audience;
  • Playing with status to build rapport and credibility;
  • Performing prepared and impromptu speeches.

Informal assessment will take place through group discussion, class room activities, and questions and answers sessions, as guided by your tutor

Recommended Reading

Patsy Rodenberg (1992) The Right To Speak, Routledge,

Ed. Brian MacArthur (1999) The Penguin Book of Twentieth Century Speeches, Penguin Books.

Professor Max Atkinson (2004) Lend Me Your Ears 
Vermillion, London,

Joseph O'Connor (2001) The NLP Workbook, Element.

Tony & Barry Buzan (BBC,1993, 2000) The Mind Map Book

Carmine Gallo (2010) The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience (McGraw-Hill Books)

Application Deadline: