Presentation skills masterclass

Presentations are the most visible test of your credibility as a leader

Every time you or your team stand up to present, whether it’s in a high-stakes situation, a project update or a regular meeting, your reputation and potential are being evaluated.

IT managers need tailored training

Research by Gartner shows that CFOs only fund IT projects if they demonstrate:

~competitive advantage
~an improvement in analysis and decision-making or
~increased efficiencies and cost reduction.

If you and your team need to secure or keep budget, then these criteria need to be evident in your presentations.

We know that as IT managers move up inside an organisation, they are normally happy with the level of technical training they receive — but don’t feel the same about their communication skills.

Sadly, a lack of guidance has led to the stereotype of IT presenters as being too focused on the tech, long-winded, lacking in personality and at times even downright confusing.

It’s time to fight the stereotype!

Since our inception in 2004, it’s been our mission to help senior IT managers become business-focused, concise, warm, clear and confident presenters.

We do this by taking teams in groups of 6-8 participants through a two-day masterclass.

Two days of intensive, focused coaching

This class is not about the basics of communication or how many bullets to put on a PowerPoint slide.

It is a hands-on masterclass, in which we discover and build upon the experiences of the individual delegates, introducing new skills and techniques in order to transform their presentation skills.

Each person speaks in front of the group seven or eight times and receives individual, strengths-based coaching on how to engage a group in a planned, yet conversational way.

In addition, everyone gets to regularly monitor their progress on video in private with an experienced presentation coach.

No tricks or quick fixes

Becoming truly engaging is never going to come from acronyms and formulas.

Throughout your Cobalt class, we help you develop a thorough, durable understanding of the principles of presentation structure. We do this by taking you through a continuous cycle of planning, action and reflection.

Not only will you walk away a more experienced and confident speaker, but you’ll have better instincts as a communicator in any situation.

Practical and comprehensive

As well as gaining insight into making technical topics relevant, our graduates are able to minimise objections, increase buy-in, and raise their team’s reputation every time they speak to a group.

We are strongly opposed to manipulative ‘sales’ techniques, so we teach the concepts of authentic and ethical influence, leading presenters to become more honest, upfront and naturally persuasive.

The masterclass is a beginning ̶ not an end

Intrinsic to our method is overt instruction in how you can continue to improve after the class is over.

Not only do you leave a significantly better speaker, but just as importantly, you will have the tools, mindset and support to maintain your progress in the months and years to follow.

Is the Cobalt masterclass right for your team?

If you have an IT or technical team who:

(a) have, or soon will have, presentations as a mission-critical part of their lives, and

(b) actively want a safe way to learn how to present in a style that matches their seniority

then feel free to contact us to see if the professional guidance we offer is what you’re looking for.

(NB: We have a special offer for pilot programmes.)

Coaching for senior managers

If you urgently need some guidance on a presentation, or two days is just too much time to be away from your desk, feel free to ask about our discreet one-to-one presentation skills coaching.