Peter Tilocca leads an innovation/transformation program that is reinventing the way life insurance applications are assessed.
What did Peter say after attending Michelle’s Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass?
“Thank you so much! Great stuff. I loved the pace, the interactivity, how we were always thinking and that it was fun.”
What kind of presenting do you do at work?
I present all the time. I present formally at internal and external stakeholder conferences, off-sites, and professional development days.
What prompted you to study with Michelle?
If I’m honest, it was part of a work group training session so I had to go!
How did Michelle’s teaching change your attitude to presenting in business?
So often, I would sit through conference presentations and I found it difficult to stay focused. The presentations were death by powerpoint in quantity and content. Michelle’s teaching showed me it’s not about the slides, it’s about the way you connect with your audience. I have really honed my skills so I keep presentations to a smaller number of slides and I’ve improved my ability to use storytelling to get my key messages across clearly instead.
In general, what positive outcomes have you achieved from improving your presentation skills?
My current role involves significant strategic thinking and I’m constantly needing to take my stakeholders on the journey. I can be asked to do a presentation with very short notice and now I can draw on my experience with Michelle to quickly scope out the content and key messages of the presentation.
In what specific ways have your presentation skills improved since learning with Michelle?
- I’ve become more disciplined.
- I don’t rush into the design of a presentation. Instead I really consider who is my audience. I ask myself, what are they thinking, feeling and doing before I speak? And then I work out what I want my stakeholders to be thinking, feeling and doing once I’m finished. What do I want my audience to walk away with?
- I’m also way more structured in the design of the actual message.
- And I’m careful to get as much interaction as possible now: using the audience to assist me by asking questions of the audience either as a group or singularly
What were your top three take aways from Michelle’s teachings?
- Storyboarding. Design is so important to effective delivery of your message.
- Develop your message so your audience is compelled to take action.
- Use images on slides to convey your message – not a slide full of words!