Presentations Unleashed: Inform, Persuade, and Inspire

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Let's face it, for most of us, presentations typically aren't fun or easy. They can be nerve-wracking, overwhelming, stress-inducing, and, sometimes, downright terrifying. Yet without fail, we're all called on to make presentations from time to time.

Fear not, though! Your next trip behind the podium doesn't have to feel like something out of a nightmare. Our newest MPU course, Presentations Unleashed: Inform, Persuade, and Inspire, is designed to take your presentations from the merely functional to the utterly fantastic. You'll get exclusive behind-the-scenes access and expert advice that will make your presentations less painful and more polished, and, while we can't make you love giving a presentation, we can at least make you feel comfortable the next time you have to talk.

It's more than just being good at PowerPoint and going through your prepared slides. It's about tapping into the experiences and emotions of your audience. It's about the words you've carefully chosen. About where and how you stand. About making it effective for your audience to absorb the most. It's about all these things and so much more.

This how-to course will turn you into a presentation hero—you'll get the tools, know-how, and tactical expertise to make your next presentation the best you've ever given. Whether you're tasked with giving one presentation this year or 100, you'll walk away from Presentations Unleashed with new ideas, new techniques, and a new appreciation for the art (and science) of the presentation.

How does it work? Presentations Unleashed includes 9 classes (each 60 or 90 minutes long). The first class and final Q&A wrap-up session will be broadcast live. The 8 remaining classes are recorded and available online, anytime, on your computer or mobile device. Watch them at your convenience through January 2014 and remember to attend the live Q&A wrap-up on February 25 for your chance to ask specific questions.

For each class, you'll have access to the class lecture (streaming media), as well as several support materials: the slide deck (PDF), the audio track (MP3, so you can listen to the lectures on other devices), a transcript (PDF), and a "cheat sheet" (PDF). Once you view all of the classes, you can download a Certificate of Completion (PDF).

Presentations Unleashed includes these 9 classes (most are 60 minutes), plus the live Q&A closing session:

1. INSPIRE: Presentation Elevation—How to Educate, Inspire, and Engage
2. DELIVERY: Build, Design, and Deliver a Fire-Breathing, Wing-Flapping, Roar-Bellowing Behemoth of a Presentation
3. PERSUASION: Give a Knockout Persuasive Presentation
4. CONFERENCES: Creating Killer Conference Speeches
5. WEBINARS: How to Deliver Great Webinars
6. DESIGN: Presentation Design Secrets—How to Design Like a Pro
7. PRESENCE: How to Get Audiences to Hang on Your Every Word
8. POWERPOINT: 10 Professional PowerPoint Tricks You Can Use Today
9. CONTENT: Repurposing Presentations to Extend the Life and Value of Your Content
10. LIVE Q&A: Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Plus, you'll get these 4 bonus classes from previous courses. You can access the recordings as soon as you register.

1. MESSAGING: What's the Big Idea: Crafting Messages that Sell
2. PODCASTING: Podcasting and the Power of Audio
3. PRESENTATIONS: That Resonates With Me! How to Persuade Any Audience
4. VISUAL: The Power of Infographics

Presentation Elevation—How to Educate, Inspire, and Engage

Speaker:
Michael Weiss—Managing Director, figure18

LIVE: Thursday, February 14—12:00pm-1:30pm ET

At some point in your career, you will present to a group of people. It may be a quick debriefing in front of five people in the boardroom or an hour-long keynote in front of 500. If you hope to be remarkable, you must remember one thing: A presentation is not a meeting; it's a performance. As the speaker, you are responsible for educating, inspiring, and engaging the audience. This class will show you how to make a powerful impression on your audience and leave them energized and inspired by your ideas.

You will learn:

• How to use your body language to capture and maintain audience focus
• When PowerPoint can actually detract from your performance
• How to field curveballs from the audience and remain the star of the show

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Build, Design, and Deliver a Fire-Breathing, Wing-Flapping, Roar-Bellowing Behemoth of a Presentation

Speaker:
Scott Schwertly—CEO, Ethos3

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

Rather than repeating the same things regarding presentation design and delivery (less is more, get rid of bullets and use images, emulate Steve Jobs, and so on), this class will provide you with practical step-by-step tips for building, designing, and delivering blockbuster presentations.

You will learn:

• How to build compelling narratives
• New presentation design styles and approaches
• Key tips for delivering a memorable presentation

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Give a Knockout Persuasive Presentation

Speakers:
Diane DiResta—Founder and CEO, DiResta Communications, Inc.

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

The ability to influence is a skill necessary for success in today's business world. Whether you're interviewing for a job, selling a service, or pitching an idea, your success depends on how you present yourself, your message, and your value to the marketplace.

You will learn:

• The number one reason people fail to influence
• When to inform and when to persuade
• 10 principles of persuasive speaking
• A six-step process for crafting a persuasive talk

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Creating Killer Conference Speeches

Speaker:
Erin Weed—CEO, Erin Weed + Company

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

In the past, good speakers were defined as those with perfect prose, Ron Burgundy hair, and lame jokes about the weather. Good news: things have changed! In this class, you'll learn a simple framework for writing and delivering memorable keynotes. You'll also get tips on maximizing conference speaking engagements for your business by building action items into your message—and turning audiences into friends, fans, and customers.

You will learn:

• How to identify and embrace your personal speaking style
• Ways to generate compelling content that's "edu-taining," never boring
• To build a storyboard that sets the flow and tone of an impactful speech

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How to Deliver Great Webinars

Speaker:
Mark Bornstein—Director of Content Marketing, ON24

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

Webinars have become a highly effective tool for marketers, but they often fall short in their ability to deliver an engaging experience that is valuable for both the presenter and the audience. This class will look at the anatomy of a successful, engaging webinar, as well as provide tips and best practices that you can put to immediate use.

You will learn:

• About webinar planning, content development, and choosing the right presenters
• How to use today's webinar technologies to enhance the audience experience
• How to engage your audience in a conversation
• To leverage analytics to increase the value of your leads

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Presentation Design Secrets—How to Design Like a Pro

Speaker:
David Margolis—Presentation Guru, Slide Guru

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

Do your eyes ever glaze over from just looking at someone's slides? Wish a presenter would just pare down the concepts so the information is easier to digest? This class will explore universal principles of slide design and provide practical guidance for creating dynamic slide decks that clearly communicate your messages.

You will learn:

• How to impact your presentation with simple, yet effective, visuals
• How to communicate ideas and concepts visually
• Ways to avoid the most common presentation pitfalls

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How to Get Audiences to Hang on Your Every Word

Speaker:
Kristi Hedges—CEO, The Hedges Company

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

Your presence—how you connect and reinforce your message—is your ultimate delivery vehicle. This class provides practical, accessible tools on the presentation delivery techniques today's professional must master. Learn what you can do to influence others and move groups to action, present to senior executives and boards, and enhance your personal brand.

You will learn:

• How to prepare with intention
• How to align your message with your voice, body language, and energy
• Tips for quieting anxiety or nervousness

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10 Professional PowerPoint Tricks You Can Use Today

Speaker:
John Bevan—Senior Consultant, BrightCarbon

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

With just a few tweaks, you can do some fantastic things with PowerPoint. In this class, you'll find your way out of bullet-point hell and learn how to craft dynamic visual stories from your raw information. You will also pick up new tactics on how to give your slides a winning edge and keep your audiences spellbound.

You will learn:

• How to use advanced visualization processes to eliminate bullet points
• Ways to harness custom animation techniques for precise and stunning "combo" effects
• How to make the most of the latest AutoShape formatting and tools
• Tips to customize the PowerPoint interface and save you time

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Repurposing Presentations to Extend the Life and Value of Your Content

Speaker:
Paula Crerar—Director, Content Marketing, Brainshark

ON-DEMAND: View at your convenience, starting February 15, 2013

You've spent significant time and energy creating unique and compelling content. How do you make sure you squeeze every bit of value from it? In this class, we'll show you techniques to extend the life of your content by as much as 600%. Learn how to identify areas for reusing content to impact audiences across functions, industries, and each stage in the buying cycle.

You will learn:

• The benefits of repurposing presentation content
• Actual examples of converting one piece of content into 10
• How to "personalize" core content so it can be used for multiple audiences

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Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Panelists:
A panel of instructors from this course. Check back for updates!

LIVE: Monday, February 25, 2013—12:00pm-1:00pm ET

Have a question that wasn't answered in class? Something that you found confusing? Just want to chat with our instructors? Now's your chance to pick the brains of some of the smartest marketers out there. They'll spend an hour answering your questions, clarifying anything that might be causing you stress, and giving you even more of the great information you've come to expect from MarketingProfs University. No agenda—it's all up to you!

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What's the Big Idea—Crafting Messages that Sell

Speaker:
Bill Schley—Author, Speaker, Marketer

This is a Best of MPU recording. You can play it as soon as you register!

No writing craft is more specialized than writing for marketing. While literary writers want people to think and feel something, as a marketing writer you need your audience to DO something. Every day you must craft messages that move customers to pick up the phone, reach for a product, or change their minds. Only a real idea—a selling idea—at the core of whatever you're writing holds such power. Learn how to harness this power and become a true communicator.

You will learn:

• Five simple ingredients every selling idea must have
• Four fundamental rules for marketing writers
• The three greatest copywriting tips
• Six ways to turn a common benefit into a unique difference
• How to bring your core message to life—in a sentence or less

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Podcasting and the Power of Audio

Speaker:
Matthew Grant—Managing Editor, MarketingProfs

This is a Best of MPU recording. You can play it as soon as you register!

Everyone is a publisher nowadays, but so few are broadcasters. Why? Maybe it's because they don't know how fun and easy it can be to produce a podcast! In this class, we'll explore the wonderful world of podcasting, from show concept to production and beyond. Along the way, we'll take a look at the myriad ways you can put your podcast to work for your business and how to integrate the podcast into your content marketing mix.

You will learn:

• How to plan and produce your podcast
• How to promote your podcast
• How your podcast can serve as a content engine

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That Resonates With Me! How to Persuade Any Audience

Speaker:
Nancy Duarte—Founder, Duarte Design

This is a Best of MPU recording. You can play it as soon as you register!

If you say, "I have an idea for something," what you really mean is, "I want to change the world in some way." Look around you. Your clothes, language, furniture, house, city, and nation all began as ideas—visions of change—in someone's mind.

Presentations are the currency of business communications, and those who master communicating with them rise faster than their peers, reach more customers than their competitors, and turn grassroots causes into a groundswell.

This class will demonstrate how to apply the methods from the book Resonate: Presenting Visual Stories That Transform Audiences to build meaningful connections with audiences that compel them to action. This class will show you a new way of structuring a presentation and connecting with an audience.

Changing the world starts with transforming an audience and an audience will change only if you resonate with them. This session is for leaders who are tasked with communicating clearly and persuading through verbal communications.

You will learn:

• How to leverage the hidden story structures inherent in great communication
• How to connect with your audience empathetically
• How to create captivating content and craft ideas that get repeated
• How to inspire enthusiasm and support for your vision

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The Power of Infographics

Speaker:
Mark Smiciklas—President, Intersection Consulting

This is a Best of MPU recording. You can play it as soon as you register!

In an era of information overload, we've become "grazers" of content, skimming digital channels for nuggets of information. As such, it's important for your organization to be able to present ideas in a manner that can be quickly consumed, understood, and remembered by your customers and prospects. This class will address important best practices, using several examples to highlight the key concepts you need to know.

You will learn:

• A basic understanding of infographics and their importance to your brand
• How organizations can learn to present their ideas visually
• How infographics can help you communicate more effectively with your audiences

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