The local high school principal asks you to speak to a group of parents concerning the rising heroin problem in their school and community. Your Chief will be out of town and asks you to brief the city council on the budget situation in your agency. You have just launched a new initiative in the department that you want to kick off with an all employee rally. A crisis occurred less than an hour ago and you suddenly find yourself at a podium addressing a national audience on live television. Whether your goal is to inform, persuade, or inspire (or a combination), the ability to effectively speak in public is a critical skill for today's executive. Yet, public speaking can be difficult. Often just the notion causes stress and anxiety. And even those who enjoy speaking in public need to strengthen their capacity to craft the perfect message for the specific goals and needs of the situation. In a safe and supportive environment, we cover a variety of topics in this course from strengthening confidence to mitigating stress - from preparing ourselves emotionally to preparing the content and flow of our presentations - from employing proven speaking strategies to using effective ways to deal with problem audiences. Students will examine videos of both successful and not so successful presentations. And students will engage. You will have multiple opportunities throughout the class to speak in a variety of settings. Leaders at all levels of our organizations need the confidence and skills to successfully speak in public in a wide variety of situations. Let us help you strengthen yourself and your agency.
Public Speaking 101 Train-the-Trainer
Students in the train-the-trainer program complete the 2 1/2 day Public Speaking 101 course but instead of leaving at lunch on day three, they come back after lunch for another day focusing on how to teach the 101 course. Using the past 2 1/2 days as context, students will analyze the instructional strategies that worked well and those that did not. We will talk specifics with regard to room layout, using video equipment, and even scheduling people and topics. But we also will look at macro educational issues such as creating a safe and supportive learning environment, building rapport with your students, and addressing the varying learning preferences students bring to your class. Upon successful completion of the program, students will have learned and demonstrated the necessary skills to create and present a public speaking course to share within their agencies. Graduates will receive a Train-the-Trainer Certification in Public Speaking and Presentation Skills from the Center for Police Leadership & Education International.
The Adult Learner Advancing Faculty Development
While this course certainly will benefit the novice instructor, it is designed for those with experience in the classroom. We will address basic instructor competencies throughout the course from public speaking to preparation before the class to classroom management. But the real focus of the course will be a deep dive into the nuances of adult learning. Most adults share common learning characteristics. They generally bring a high level of motivation to the classroom but, almost ironically, are more resistant to actual change in their perspectives and behaviors. Most adults tend to value integrating their life experiences into the learning. And most adults want to see a practical application of the learning. Even though we share many commonalities as adult learners, each of us still has unique learning preferences. Some student like to sit quietly and take notes. Some like to talk and interact throughout the class. Some prefer audio cues while others like visual. Some like to learn alone and others in a group. In this three day course, we will discuss an array of individual teaching strategies as well as the incorporation of a multitude of instructional strategies such as lecture, facilitation, group breakouts and share backs, and a variety of games and exercises to get people moving and engaged. The differences in how we gather and digest information are vast. Yet, the expert instructor can craft a curriculum and deliver it in such a way to capture the attention and minds of every student in the class. Whether a novice or seasoned educator, this course promises to give you tools to become a better teacher, trainer, and facilitator.