BELOW IS AN UNSOLICITED, “REAL- WORLD”, TESTIMONIAL FROM A PARTICIPANT IN A RECENT WORKSHOP.  WE MAKE THE POINT THAT FOR OUR TRAINING TO BE REALIZED, IT MUST BE UTILIZED!  THESE ARE SKILLS THAT ARE NOW PERMANENT.

Hello,

Just wanted to give you all some “real-world” feedback after our first

Professional Development session recently.

I had a GA Restaurant Association function which we were sponsoring.  The

function was called “On the Menu” Best Practices Forum and it was the first event of it’s kind being tailored for restaurant members of the GRA and

hosted by a successful, local chef.  As Chair of the GRA’s Membership

Committee, I am often asked to present “a slide or two” from a powerpoint

presentation that either the GRA and/or myself put together for the

Quarterly membership meetings.  What that means is that I usually stand up

in front of 100 to 150 people and read bullet points off the screen – not

much of a challenge, and the powerpoint is an easy crutch, but pretty good

experience none the less.

The “On the Menu” event was much smaller and there was no projector or

Powerpoint presentation to read from.  I knew ahead of time as one of the

event sponsors that I would be asked to present a minute or two about Royal

Cup and what we do.  What I did not know was that I had also been put on the

agenda as Membership Chair to give a testimonial about the GRA to the group

(about 40 people.)  I found this out about (30) minutes or so before I had

to deliver the testimonial while I happened to be rushing around the

restaurant brewing coffee and setting up our display as meeting sponsors.

In addition, the added stress of having to give two talks with no supporting

notes made keeping my nerves at bay a bit more challenging.

I did not have too much trouble coming up with my testimonial thoughts on

the fly, but the thought of having no prep-time to organize my thoughts was

a bit disconcerting and in the past might have translated into nerves before

and during my talk.

I immediately thought back to Moe and Nancy’s session

and told myself to try and remember just a few things from it:

- the spontaneous and “no prep time” manner in which Moe and Nancy asked us

to come up with our one minute talks during the sessions gave me the

confidence to relax and do it in this situation with relative ease.

-  holding eye contact with individuals around the room for five seconds at

a time, controlling my hand movements, posture, and speaking so that

everyone could hear me (we had no microphone.)

I can tell you that focusing on these simple things kept me from being

nervous (or at least greatly reduced my nerves) and greatly improved my

overall delivery.  I was focused on the topic and effectively delivering the

message and I believe that thanks to the session on “Effective

Presentations” I was able to do so.

Looking forward to more good stuff in

future sessions.  Thanks!

Jason

Jason Howell

Atlanta District Manager

Royal Cup Coffee, Inc.

TO SCHEDULE A WORKSHOP FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION, PLEASE CONTACT US.  WE WILL CUSTOMIZE A PROGRAM FOR YOUR NEEDS AND BUDGET.

COMMENTS FROM PARTICIPANTS OF OUR LATEST “In House Customized Workshop“.

THE FOLLOWING COMMENTS WERE SENT TO THE TRAINING MANAGER OF A NATIONAL COMPANY  BY THE PARTICIPANTS WHEN HE ASK THEM FOR FEEDBACK ABOUT OUR PROGRAM.  HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO FORWARD THE COMMENTS TO US.  RESPONSES LIKE THIS MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE!

—————————-

I really enjoyed the session on Public speaking as I have had many

occasions to speak in front of crowds and always want to improve.

This is an area that can really help us with the professional perception of our company.

——————————-

The Presentation session with Moe and Nancy Davis was excellent. I think it

had everyone step out of their comfort zone, I know I did.

This was something that I have never had in all of my leadership classes. I

find myself practicing at home or at work when I have multiple people around

me. I can see this helping me out tremendously when I have large coffee

proposal or speaking at my District meeting.

—————————-

The Presentation portion was my biggest challenge. At first I was not

overly excited about speaking and having someone critique me, but as the

class went on, I found it to be easier and realized that we all had things

that we could work on. No one in the room started out perfect, but I can

say that as the day went on, I realized that we have some very

effective speakers in the class.

—————————–

The speakers/trainers in this class were great. They made you feel at ease,

yet could really explain things in a way that didn’t make you feel

incompetent.

—————————-

The final session with Moe and Nancy was quite an adventure. In this day an

age with new business, communication with customers and vendors, and our

personal life public speaking is paramount.

————————–

Moe and Nancy Davis provide good training on ways to polish an individuals

professional appearance. In sales and business appearance can mean the

difference between success and failure.

—————————–

I found the “Effective Presentations” session to be of great value as well.

That was exactly the type of session I was looking for when I saw it on the

agenda. The fact that there was an element of surprise was beneficial

because it really made me think on my feet.  Also, the fact that our

presentations were videotaped and that we had three or four separate

presentations to give that required us to use what we had learned from the

previous presentations and subsequent evaluations made it a great learning

experience. Lastly, I really think that the immediate feedback from the

instructors and our peers was very impactful. I look forward to applying

the techniques that I learned in this session as I am very confident that I

will able to improve my presentation skills as a result.

——————————–

This was definitely the most enjoyable session for me. It was very

enlightening to see yourself on video and how you appear to others when you

speak. EVERYONE stayed involved with this class. We were all out of our

“comfort zone”, which is a good thing. You could see the progress that many

of the participants had made during those few hours on
Thursday morning.

——————————–

The intimate setting of the room made it even more challenging, because you

work with these folks. I have spoken in front of 10,000 people before at

the BJCC, and was nowhere near as nervous as I was to start the day Thursday.

I personally feel that Thursdays class with Moe and Nancy Davis will be the

most beneficial to me at this point. The keys to giving an effective

presentation and capturing the audience that you’re speaking to are vital

tools that I can put to use very often when speaking to tours, or even to TM

classes that may come through.

———————————-

Yesterday’s session on public speaking was outstanding. I wish I would’ve

had this training 15 years ago. I learned several techniques that have

practical application.

——————————-

Effective Presentation (Moe Davis) – At the end of class Thursday, I felt

much more confident and

aware regarding speaking in public.

————————————-

Moe and Nancy helped me identify what I needed to work on, and by the end of class I could honestly see an

improvement. I will continue to practice what I learned to improve my presentation skills and my confidence

——————————

If you want to know more about the workshop these folks participated in please contact us!

Part of having great communications skills is having the ability to tell others a little something about yourself. So let us get to know each other via this blog. So what is your story? Do you need any advice on the skills it takes to tell others this part of your life? Presentation skills is what we do here at Davis Executive Training and we are more than willing to not only help, but also listen.

One story you might want to tell is one you are asked to tell often. Sharpen your story or skills via this blog. Try us we are all ears.

Thanks for blogging with us today, we look forward to hearing what you have to say. Any comments questions or concerns are always welcome.

It is part of the cure to wish to be cured.

By: Seneca

Pulled from the shelf today: How To Listen

By: Ted Pollock

Page:45

A FINAL PEEK AT YOUR PROFITS

That’s all there is to it:

1. Consider the source.

“Who is he?”

“What are his qualifications?”

” Has he a vested interest in what he says?”

2. Hear what he really says.

Take the chips off your shoulders.

Keep an open mind.

Concentrate on ideas.

3. Listen actively.

Anticipate the speaker.

Weigh and review what’s been said.

Listen “between the lines.”

Listen with your hands.

4. Make sure you understand.

Ask questions, but don’t interrupt.

Briefly restate what he’s said.

Ted Pollock say’s most of his life has been “one long earful.”

Helpful I hope? Comments can be sent to Nancy at: nancy@davisexecutivetraining.com

In the Birmingham newspaper today. Writers Barnett Wright and Roy L. Williams  wrote the front page article titled: “Obama reshaping image of black men.” A quote by Ann Jerald DeVance said something that is so fitting to me that I had to send it out:

Obama shows the importance of preparation so that a person can be ready when opportunities arrive.

A reminder of how important it is to have great communication skills.

Thanks for bring us the news each day and keep the inspiring pieces coming.

Thanks for blogging with Nancy today.  If you find this information helpful please let me know. I always welcome suggestions, comments and new subscribers.
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The letter below is from Aaron Gresham, Associate Creative Director of o2ideas, a large advertising & marketing firm with national and international clients. We did an In-house workshop, The ART of making powerful effective presentations, for this company on August 1, 2008.

Aaron’s letter describes a real world application of the skills we teach. Not only did our workshop give him the techniques and confidence to succeed in a very challenging situation, his ability to make presentations that work are now permanent!  We are proud to know he will be a confident and effective speaker and presenter for the rest of his life.

From: Aaron Gresham
To: Davis Executive Training
Date: August 12, 2008
Subject: Aaron Gresham’s Toys R Us Story

Hey Nancy and Moe,

The Monday after the Friday workshop we did with Davis Executive Training, I was informed that Mark Ervin (our creative director) was too sick to fly to Newark, NJ and give a presentation at Toys R Us Headquarters.

So at 10 am, I am booked on a flight to Newark-(5:00 PM flight-lands at 9:30 PM).

This is important for 2 reasons: one – I have never seen the presentation I am giving and two – I am giving that presentation the next morning at the clients once a year, national meeting. So I have a hard copy of the 40 page deck I will be presenting, and a stomach full of nerves with me on the plane. (Note: Moe had asked the group if we were nervous before we did presentations–I can say for the most part no — but in this case- a definite YES). By the time I landed and got into my hotel, it was around 11:30 PM. So I spent the night practicing the presentation in the mirror and I used the lamps and chairs in the room for eye control. I was remembering all the things we had practiced, and I even envisioned myself on the videotapes, and adjusted the way I was presenting. So the next morning we show up to Toys R Us and as I get there they tell me I will be presenting to an auditorium of over 150 people (not what I was expecting). They wired me for sound and I sat through the presenter before me, who was very good by the way. Then it was my turn. As I began, I started in my neutral position and chose to present from the floor instead of the stage. I talked loud, maintained a lot of energy, used eye control (people were nodding in agreement) and I began walking slowly to each side of the room picking different people as I moved. By the time I was done the people in the audience seemed energized. I concluded the presentation asked for questions and got nothing but softball pitches, then, resounding applause.

I must say the workshop we did with Davis Executive Training has already improved my presentation skills tenfold. It has given me the presence and confidence necessary to hold an audience.

I now look forward to presenting, because I have the tools necessary to do it well.

Aaron Gresham

Associate Creative Directoro2 ideas

Familiar Quotations By: John Bartlett

From page: 475

A quote from: Thomas Carlyle ( 1795-1881 )

The Age of Miracles is forever here!

Thanks for bloging with Nancy and by the way, how timely is this quote?

If you find this information helpful please let me know. I always welcome suggestions, comments and new subscribers.
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The book I took off the book shelf today is titled: 

Why Do We Say It? The stories behind the words, expressions and cliches we use.

By: Castle ( Book Sales, Inc. ) Two pages 48 and 88

Pg: 48: Budget. How did we get the word “budget”?

It has long been the custom for the English Chancellor of the Exchequer to bring his papers regarding financial expenditures to the House of Commons in a leather bag or portfolio which he places on the table before him. The “budget” was named for this bag-for the old French word for a “bag” is bougette. To “open the budget” is a literal description of the procedure the Chancellor follows-he opens the bag and takes out his papers.

 

Page: 88: Economy. Where does the word “economy” come from?

From the Greek word for ” house manager.” The one place where we generally insist on the careful expenditure of money is in our own home. 

This tells me the true meaning, however the shape of the World today makes the meaning even more confusing.

 

Thanks for blogging today with Nancy @ Davis Executive Training.  If you find this information helpful please let me know. I always welcome suggestions, comments and new subscribers.
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