Why Black Isle?
We rather rashly boast that our approach disagrees with 80% of the conventional wisdom regarding "presentation skills".
The proof that the conventional approach is wrong is all around you. We have all attended conferences, seminars and business presentations and practically all the speakers are dreadful! Yet many of these speakers have had some form of training.
Conventional training produces sausage machine solutions that are based on preconceived methods of behaviour. Black Isle uses the existing strengths of each unique character we work with to make sure that audiences see someone who looks natural, believable and above all........interesting! The public does not listen to smooth, polished presenters, only interesting ones.
Powerful spoken communication is about being genuine - nothing works better than being yourself. Black Isle's distinctive and radical approach is based on the belief that you communicate best in a relaxed, conversational style. Under the pressure of a presentation, when the focus of the meeting is on you, your personality can easily become locked in, your enthusiasm and commitment stifled. And yet, in so many business situations, it is personality that wins the day - the ability to establish rapport, to engage the listener, to win confidence.
We do not teach you to act. We focus on working with and building on your own natural style and personal strengths, believing that being natural is the key to communicating well. Our aim is to give you the skills that enable you to be yourself at your best under pressure, so that your audience will gain a sense of your competence, integrity, enthusiasm and credibility.
The skills are developed from a logical understanding of the principles which underpin effective spoken communication - why and how relaxed conversation works so well, why it is so important to be a good listener, and what an audience needs from a presenter in order to assist them to listen, understand and remember. Our emphasis is on skill. A list of tips, of "dos" and "don'ts", cannot equip you to meet the varied communication challenges and opportunities you will encounter. All Black Isle training involves much participation and practice with video review and analysis.