Several pharmacy students from Oregon Health Sciences University are heading to the top of their profession.  They requested a SpeakersTrainingCamp to help them with presentations in their current classes and to prepare them for the many speaking engagements they will experience as experts in their field.  I am always thrilled to work with students, and it is lots of fun to see their eagerness – they soak in every word.  From the first presentation to the last I could see remarkable improvement.  Their levels of “coachability” were very high.  One of the things that kept coming up was my suggestion for many of the students (all female) to increase the volume of their voices.  Volume (loudness) is critical to the perception of power and confidence.  We performed some special exercises to work on this particular skill, but it is their carryover to the real world that will make all the difference.  A great presentation delivered with a weak or soft voice will be instantly diminished.

Two weeks after the training I received an email from one of the students.  She reported that in a recent class presentation she received an A, with the volume of her voice being rated a 10 – the highest score possible.  Bingo!  That’s the secret to presentation success – take it to the real world….. coachability…. the art of accepting feedback and putting it into action.