Who is it for?
This course is effective for both experienced and inexperienced presenters who:

• Are looking to add something new to their approach in effective personal communication.
• Are in new positions of Management/Leadership who may require a broader range of communication skills.
• Have been entrusted to bring Change to their organization and are looking for a different approach in communicating these Changes.
• Are looking for the competitive edge in promoting themselves.
• Are seeking a more effective way in communicating not only what they know, but who they are.

What is it about?
Personal Impact and Presentation is a one day workshop designed to increase your personal impact and effectiveness as a speaker.

The workshop, run by an award winning actor and drama teacher whose current and past clients include Nokia, Ford, and SAP, is highly interactive, practical, innovative, and fun. It is designed to increase self confidence in any type of public speaking situation.

Personal Impact uses theatrical methods related to Status, Voice Production, and Manner of Speech to help you improve your "performance" when presenting to Senior Managers, Conference Delegates, Interview Panels, within Work related Team structures, and at meetings.

You will learn the value of non-verbal communication including body language and gesture.

Commonly asked questions such as, "What do I do when I lose my train of thought?" or "What do I do with my hands?" will be addressed. You will leave this workshop with techniques adapted to your individual needs.

This workshop offers you a chance to learn more about yourself as a speaker and how you are "coming across" to your audience. Discover how you can be more personally effective in a safe and engaging environment.

How do you benefit?
By the end of the Session you will have:
• Developed a detailed personal profile of your strengths and your areas of development as an effective communicator
• Explored a variety of tools and techniques in theory and practice to help enhance your personal impact
• Plotted a personal plan to help maximise your learning

Course overview
Participants in Personal Impact begin the day with a programme overview and introductions.

Each delegate will then present a pre-prepared short section of a presentation they have given previously (2 to 5 minutes max.) or a section of one they hope to give in future. This is the starting point for identifying individual needs and requirements for the day.

The exercises that follow focus on different individual areas of improvement in technique:

• "Active Relaxation" before speaking
• Effective Breathing techniques
• Body Language
• Projection
• Articulation
• Tempo
• Use of Humour and Metaphor
• Creative Structuring of the Presentation itself

Each individual focused area for improvement is then put into practical context with a presentation exercise. So what is being learned is then put immediately into practice.

Course leader
Charles Serio is a professional actor and drama teacher with a background in Improvisation and Devising. He works internationally across the public and private sectors both as a facilitator and role-player for a wide range of organisations.

Charles is Artistic Director for Serio Ensemble an Arts Group that focuses on new work and new techniques in performance. Many of the exercises in the Personal Impact workshop were developed over the years by Charles working with professional actors. The aim was to find more effective ways to connect and influence within improvisations and hence with other people.

In 1995 Charles began to take this type of approach in communication to a business environment to much success. His gift is to bridge the gap between the artistic and corporate environments. His exercises are designed to be effective whatever the participant's working background.
Current and past clients include: Nokia, Ford, Unilever, SAP, Royal College of Surgeons, The Arts Council (Board), The Office of Public Management (Board and Staff), and many others.

Testimonials

"I found the course hosted by Charles Serio to be interesting, beneficial and extremely well presented. The methods taught by Charles have given me a new way to focus my presentations around the key messages, to lead from topic to topic, to control the environment and to ensure that my presentations are as clear and focused as possible. The course works at multiple levels, from inexperienced presenters to those like myself who have a wealth of experience presenting in all environments from small focused groups to large auditoriums – Charles methods are applicable to all levels of presenter and come highly recommended."
Will King, Business Development & Bid Management, Morpho UK Limited - February 2012

"We found the Personal Impact course delivered exactly what it said – high impact! This course sheds a different light on public-speaking and really gets into some of the physical and psychological aspects of working with an audience....I would highly recommended it to anyone who wants to improve their performance in this area."
Nicholas Daly, Managing Director, UK & Ireland, South Asia, Eutelsat UK Limited - September 2011


"The Course Leader, Charles Serio, was very careful in ensuring that everyone attending received personal attention for their particular requirements. I would recommend this course for both the experienced presenter seeking to check their style and the new presenter who is starting out."
Gerry McAuley, UK Sales Manager, Sagemcom UK - May 2011

"Excellent, great value for money. Small group ensured we had personal attention and plenty of opportunities to put into practice new skills, absorb pointers and learn about style and communication methods."
Nigel Strutt, UK Director, Trade and Industrial Development, Lockheed Martin UK

"The presentation course with Charles Serio provides practical and memorable coaching on how to forge a stronger connection with your audience as a presenter. His course structure provided a perfect mix of practical exercises and expert insights that kept me focused and challenged all day long. Most of all, I liked the fact that he does not impose one single style on participants but instead allows the individual to shine through positively. I would not hesitate to recommend Charles' coaching to anyone; both inexperienced presenters who are striving to find their personal style and experienced presenters who want to polish their influencing skills."
Daniela Zuin, Head of Strategy Development, T-Systems Ltd

"This course was superb! Not only was it fun and engaging, but it has equipped me with a number of simple techniques that have improved my presenting skills, and thus my confidence & impact."
Kate Craig-Wood, MD, Memset Ltd

"Good fun, great value. An invitation to explore and unfold your potential as a presenter. Really positive and encouraging approach from Charles that allows you to feel safe to think and feel out of the box. Thanks a lot."
Jose Sueiras, Sales Engineer, InterSystems