skip to Main Content

Testimonials

Brilliant 5 weeks – Nadia, Estate Agent

Thank you for a brilliant 5 weeks. I thoroughly enjoyed each week which was a big surprise as previously the thought of public speaking was torture!  The reason I signed up for the course was to push me out of my comfort zone and I really didn’t think I was going to enjoy it half as much as I did. The lessons were thoughtfully planned and productive and at no point did I think “I’m wasting my time here.”  Your feedback was always constructive and positive and the rest of the group were welcoming and supportive. This course has not only changed the way I speak publicly but also has made me change how I talk to people on a one-to-one basis; it has also made our internal meetings much more engaging! I would encourage anyone to give it a go as you are guaranteed to get something out of it.

 

I gained confidence as a presenter as well as refining my interview skills – Kuldip

“During a career spanning 30 years in marketing & comms, I have been called upon to present regularly. I undertook the 5 week Presenting with Confidence’ course whilst hunting for a job.

It was amazing, it gave me a novel framework to build engaging presentations plus taught me new techniques for effective delivery.

The practice sessions enabled me to experiment using different styles to arrive at what worked personally for me. Walter is able to deconstruct each performance and give honest / practical feedback that encouraged me to grow as a speaker.

I gained confidence as a presenter as well as refining my interview skills. I sincerely recommend you invest in this course”.

The ‘fear’ is already starting to pack it’s bags – Caroline

“Just 1 week in to your 5 week course and I cannot rate you highly enough. That ‘fear’ I spoke of is already starting to pack it’s bags! By week 5 it may just have moved right on out! Regardless, you have begun to give me the tools for presentation success despite the fear. Thank you!!”

New Lease of Life in my Speaking – James, Director, Property Company

I’ve just completed a fantastic 5-week Virtual Public Speaking with Walter Blackburn at Presenting Success. As an experienced speaker I’ve been speaking for a number of years to property investors about the market but was finding that by speaking about the same thing I needed a new lease of life. I definitely got this from the course.  We learnt how to construct a speech from beginning to end including how to stand and present in the ‘power position’. Walter definitely went above and beyond the call of duty on service, communication and quality. The course was excellent. I thoroughly recommend his services.

Confidence, Insights, Skills and Techniques  – Mabu, Senior IT specialist

As a senior IT specialist in a major bank I am frequently expected to present to my colleagues, so my nervousness in presenting and public speaking was something I’d wanted to improve for a long time. I normally would forget most of the text during a talk due to nervousness. The Virtual Public Speaking Course offered extensive and helpful training by giving me the confidence and the insights and techniques of how to present a talk. Walter showed us how to start and finish a talk with impact, and how to structure it using a Talk Map, and then how to rehearse the delivery. The training offered plenty of support so we were able to prepare ourselves each week for the virtual lesson. I’m now able to stand in front of a virtual group and speak with no fear. I’m sure my new confidence and skill will transfer to my standing in front of a live group. I’ve realised that showing passion and energy, and personalising the message are key for my talks.  It is the most productive course I’ve attended so far. I strongly recommend the course for anyone, who wants to improve their presenting skills.

Presentation Confidence and the Secret of a Compelling Presentation – George, Paralegal

“I went into the Public Speaking course looking to improve my presenting confidence and to understand the secret to formulating a compelling presentation. I came away feeling I had achieved both and much more. I discovered I was making key mistakes with my body language and learnt the value of using stories to deliver a key message.

The most valuable part of the course for me was learning a flexible presenting structure and being able to see significant weekly improvement. Walter took the time to give valuable feedback to every person in the group.

The course worked very well delivered virtually. We made use of the breakout rooms to practice one-on-one and setting up at home was easy. If anything, it made the course a lot more accessible”.

Speaking with Ease and Confidence – Tom, University student, 1st Year

“At the beginning I tried to keep an open mind, given that I had little presenting experience but I did have doubts to the relevance of the course to me as a university student. However Walter was welcoming and made me feel at ease from the start and we began fairly gently in order to build confidence. I gained valuable knowledge on how to give a talk with ease and confidence using the building blocks and main structure to all presentations which Walter taught us. By the end of the course I understood how the techniques that I learned for presenting would also be relevant in other aspects such as a corporate meeting. I would strongly recommend this course to anyone looking to build a number of skills regarding presenting and also grow in confidence in themselves”.

Ability and Confidence in Speaking – Rosie, University student, 2nd year

“Before embarking on this training course I was very apprehensive and quite nervous. I’m in my second year at Uni and don’t have much experience speaking in public, and I was worried about being the weak link in the group. However with Walter’s support and positive feedback I found my ability and confidence in speaking grow more and more as the weeks went on. It’s a very methodical course with new skills being learnt each week. Not only do I believe this course has helped me from a career point of view, but also on a personal level with how I interact with people around me. I can’t recommend this course highly enough for anyone seeking to improve their ability to talk in public and gain valuable skills to improve their confidence”.

Creating Interesting and Engaging Content – Alice, Dentist

“I recently completed the Virtual Public Speaking course on Zoom with Walter and a really great group of people! It has allowed me to develop a new skill in Lockdown that I can take out into the world after and really put to use. I am a Dentist and recently set up my work social media channels and I’ve been able to transfer some skills I’ve learnt into creating interesting and engaging content via Walters tips on story-telling and grabbing attention! The course was informative and I really appreciated the opportunity to practice and get constructive feedback to apply the following week on the tasks set. I would really recommend the course to anyone wanting to improve their communication skills. Thank you so much Walter”!

Better Presence, Structure, Making Strong Points – Andreea, Medical Device Professional

“Although I’m a medical device business professional, I never learnt how to create and deliver a strong and interesting presentation apart from talking about my product. So I was nervous and unsure what to do to improve. But since taking Walter’s Virtual Public Speaking Course, I’ve learnt how to structure a talk, what to include in it, and how to make a strong point, together with how to have a better presence using my stance and voice. It was also great to have the interactions with a very diverse and interesting group. It was very helpful to have the opportunity to practice with an audience, even though the connection was via video-conferencing. The fact that I’m living and working in Hamburg in Germany was no detriment to my involvement since I enjoyed the course from the comfort of my own home”.

“I was delighted with the sales and pre-sales training provided by Walter and his team. Quite simply, it was by far the best soft skills training I’ve ever experienced. In particular I was impressed by the way they understood our brief and were absolutely in tune with the needs of the team. They bespoke the training for us, and provided a rich body of content and interactive exercises based on our business. These helped our people realise what was needed to change in their interaction with customers and prospects, and then they had the chance to discuss and practice that. Every member of the team walked away feeling good about their involvement in the training. And subsequently we have seen the results in the ‘real world’. Without question, I recommend that if your sales and pre-sales teams need to be ‘refreshed’, talk to Walter”.

“Great course, particularly the way it dealt with the real challenges that we get in a corporate presentation. Goes way beyond the standard presentation course.”

“I would definitely recommend the programme for confidence building and discovering what is your unique way of presenting. Majority of business school offers mandatory courses that teach you the structure of presenting – how to make slides, how to structure your presentation, how to create a storyline, make charts, open presentation and finish…etc. The problem is that we all theoretically know WHAT to do without actually knowing HOW to do it. In a sense we all know how to fly a plane based on the manual but nobody really knows how to do it with a real plane…or we do it really poorly, based on learn by doing, until we hit a wall, known also as a feedback. This is space where I find real value in this programe and Walter’s coaching. Walter has immense experience and knowledge, which gives him an agile and intuitive approach in teaching others how to discover their own unique presentation strengths and how to build on them to be become a better in presenting. It still follows the structure but this helped to see nuances of each approach and to test myself, wear a different presenting persona in a sense. Best example for me is the power of voice – how often do we test in presentation how voice can make an impact and that we can control it”.

“We engaged Walter to develop and deliver a bespoke leadership course for the senior leadership team of Paint Pots children’s nurseries. Our aims in doing this were to build a more coherent management team identity, to develop vision, purpose and individual confidence, assertiveness and the ability to delegate effectively. Over the course of 4 full days, supported by practice and assignments in between sessions, Walter inspired, enthused and motivated the team, exceeding our expectations of what might be achieved. The growth we witnessed in individuals was remarkable and the development of the team was quite profound. We appreciated Walter taking the time to understand our organisation’s values and ethos and the way in which he tailored his style and content to meet our needs. We would recommend Walter unreservedly as a facilitator”.

“I am an experienced presenter but I had lost my confidence in presenting. The couple of hours of coaching with Walter really helped me find my confidence again. I presented at our seminar last week and I remembered his advice and techniques and used them to great effect. It went very well and I felt much less anxious and more confident. I actually enjoyed giving the presentation, which I wasn’t expecting to. I received really positive feedback from my co-trainers and the delegates and I would highly recommend Presenting Success to anyone who needs a confidence boost in presenting”.

“After a client in the construction sector asked me to source a trainer to conduct a presentation and personal impact skills workshop for a group of client facing employees, I went out to the market to seek a supplier.  What I found was a lot of organisations offering ‘off the peg’ presentation skills training courses that didn’t necessarily fit our precise requirements.  Walter really stood out for me because of his varied sector background and strong customer testimonials and after meeting him for a coffee, I had no reservations about recommending him to my client.  Walter did his research and met the senior team to understand what their expectations were in terms of desired outcomes and then tailored the course to fit the requirements.  The feedback from the two day in-house course was excellent from the delegates and there was a bit of a buzz about the place for several days afterwards as they talked with other colleagues about the experience.  My client was delighted with the results and will undoubtedly run the course again.  Really pleased to have found a valuable contact for future training needs”.

​”I was delighted with the Sales Presentation Training that Presenting Success ran for us recently. It was an outstanding two days, with all 34 participants saying how much they enjoyed and benefitted from Walter and Jem’s energy and experience in both sales and presentation skills. We’ll certainly look forward to a repeat performance next year with another group”!

“The course was really helpful. Initially I had no confidence in my ability to present and I was feeling very nervous. I quickly realised that I could do it as the trainer showed us how to create a structure and then to use a story to bring it alive. I’ve since gone on to become a very confident presenter”.

 “I’ve just completed 2 days of presentation skills training with Walter and his team. It was awesome and I’ve made massive shifts in my thoughts about both presentations and myself, and my skill as a presenter. Walter displays a mastery of his topic, working not just with the professional/corporate skills of persuasion but also genuinely responding to each individual and what they have to offer as people, not just as professionals”.

“What an incredible 2 days of learning. Not only did I sharpen my presentation skills, gaining hints and tips to open with strength; I took away so much more in personal development. This is a must attend course for those looking to build their confidence in presenting, regardless of experience. You will get feedback and coaching along the way as you build on your skills and leave the course energised and ready to make an impact”.

“There is so much to learn in this programme even if you have done a lot of presenting. So many presenters are not aware of how they come across and the actual delivery itself can make all the difference. Walter is a really flexible, inspirational and supportive trainer, allowing you to be at ease, be yourself and make things happen at your pace. Be open and go with the flow, letting Walter work the magic on you! The course is set up in a way that the group support each other throughout and it’s a very safe environment to learn in”.

“I’ve just completed a 20-minute major business presentation to 150 prospects. It’s been 5 years since I did a presentation and I was not looking forward to this one. But we’d engaged Walter to help us check the content, the approach and our own presentation skills so that going into the presentation I felt confident, knowing that I could do it well. Afterwards I was surprised and delighted to be complimented by many of the audience. Walter had shown us how to structure the presentation, and how to engage the audience immediately not just with the words but also with our presence at the front. We realised how important it is to be strong and yet create energy; how to bring the slides alive, and how to practice and support each other. I was grateful for his practical experience in running seminars, for the many tips he gave us and for his support during the whole process. I would certainly recommend Walter if you’ve got a major presentation coming up and you’d like a top-up or if you’ve never done one before”!

 

“You should be attending this course regardless of the level of experience you may have, there is always much you can learn and improve upon. You will come away feeling more confident in your abilities and have new skills that you can apply in a multitude of settings”.

 

“It is a very good introduction to presenting which will give you the confidence & some techniques to present effectively”

“You’re immediately made to feel at ease and that there’s no right or wrong way of presenting; it’s about building confidence and developing your skills to deliver a meaningful, engaging presentation”.

 

 

Back To Top
×Close search
Search