By Greg Owen-Boger, VP and Trainer at Turpin Communication

As a communication consultant working with presenters, facilitators, and trainers, I have a lot of interesting conversations with business leaders about their employees.
The conversations may go something like this: “Greg, I know John is smart. He has great ideas and is always willing to put himself out [...]

by Dale Ludwig, President and Trainer at Turpin Communication
Last week, Greg and I were teaching a workshop for a group of Subject Matter Experts getting ready to deliver training to people new in their roles. It’s one of my favorite types of classes to teach because the challenges for an SME/trainer are so clear.
During the [...]

In this video blog Dale Ludwig, President and Trainer at Turpin Communication, discusses the reasons presenters should direct their answers to everyone in the group during Q&A.

By Sarah Stocker, Trainer and Workshop Coordinator at Turpin Communication
There is no one-size-fits-all solution; different people need to do different things to increase their enthusiasm. Here are some things to consider.
Are you disengaged?
Presenters who are disengaged can appear stiff and uncomfortable. When you are engaged your natural communication skills and enthusiasm will emerge. For more [...]

by Dale Ludwig, President and Trainer at Turpin Communication
One of the biggest problems facilitators have is very basic: failure to stay in the moment to listen and respond to what people have to say.
When we work with facilitators in our workshops, we always say that there are two primary goals in every discussion. (1) Facilitators [...]

by Greg Owen-Boger, Vice President at Turpin Communication
Followers of this blog know that we are not a fan of rules. In this video blog, Greg Owen-Boger outlines some important things to consider when creating visual aids for presentations.

By Sarah Stocker, Trainer and Workshop Coordinator at Turpin Communication
The short answer is yes. There’s nothing inherently wrong with a podium or lectern. In some situations they’re necessary. Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Move away from the podium when you need to. Purposeful movement (like going to the screen to point something [...]

by Dale Ludwig, President and Trainer at Turpin Communication
Maybe it’s just me or maybe it’s because of the work I do, but one thing that bugs me is a presenter who expects active participation from an audience without earning it. This can take many forms, but I’ll talk about a couple of really obvious ones.
First, [...]

By Sarah Stocker, Trainer and Workshop Coordinator at Turpin Communication
Question:
I’ve been told that I should use no more than X# of slides. Is that true?
Answer:
It depends. If this is a rule coming down from your bosses, then you should follow it. They probably want you to use a specific template for your presentation.
Otherwise, there is [...]

By Greg Owen-Boger, VP and Trainer at Turpin Communication

Question:
I’ve been told that when I’m nervous I should look over my audience’s heads. Is that true?
Answer:
No. You have been given some terrible advice. We hear this sort of thing all the time.
One of the things that triggers nervousness is the notion that your presentation should be [...]