Joe Fusca is the Managing Director and co-founder of Graphite Projects, a leading specialist commercial fitout and refurbishment contractor based in Sydney and Newcastle. Joe has overall responsibility for business operations, focusing on driving strategic direction, business compliance, client engagement, and business development.
After attending Michelle’s Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass this is what Joe had to say:
“Your masterclass has made a big difference to our business Michelle. We are engaging so much better with our clients now. Your winning formulas have ensured we are securing more work for the future.”
What kind of presenting do you do at work?
Aside from chairing weekly team meetings and special occasion team gatherings, the main forum for presenting is to clients and client representatives when pitching for work or just meeting them generally.
What prompted you to study with Michelle?
We requested and received feedback on our presentations from some of our clients after we’d engaged in a pitch process.
We were told that although our presentations demonstrated a high level of technical knowledge and ability to execute, some of our competitors ‘did it better’. This was frustrating because even if their technical knowledge wasn’t as good as our they were winning the work. This lead me to seek out Michelle.
How did Michelle's teaching change your attitude to presenting in business?
Simply, our pitch is now less about the technical aspects (although that is still covered to client’s satisfaction). We have been given permission to make our pitches all about the people we will be collaborating with. Michelle’s Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass has given us the framework to have real, connected and engaging conversations.
In general, what positive outcomes have you achieved from improving your presentation skills?
It’s early days, but the impact has been immediate. Michelle’s frameworks have given us a new way of thinking about conversations and day to to day communications.
In what specific ways have your presentation skills improved since learning with Michelle?
Prior to working with Michelle I had an ad-hoc approach to presenting. The Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass has given me Confidence in the ability to deliver, Context as to why, what and how, and Clarity in the framework and structure of the message.
As a result I was asked to keynote for one of our partners in the construction industry and I received some very positive feedback about both my message, my audience connection and my delivery.
What were your top three take-aways from Michelle's masterclass?
Having a framework to:
1. Plan and structure the presentation is key.
2. Preparation and iteration is essential to make sure that you are delivering a message that the audience values.
3. and the importance of Practicing the delivery cannot be overstated.