Robert L. Jolles
How to Run Seminars & Workshops
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Copyright © 1993, 2001, 2005, 2017 by Robert L. Jolles. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Names: Jolles, Robert L., 1957- author.
Title: How to run seminars and workshops: presentation skills for consultants, trainers, teachers, and salespeople / Robert Jolles.
Description: Fourth edition. | Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2017] | Includes bibliographical references.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016054282 | ISBN 9781119374343 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781119374336 (epub) | ISBN 9781119374282 (ePDF)
Subjects: LCSH: Seminars – Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Workshops (Adult education) – Handbooks, manuals, etc. | Meetings – Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Classification: LCC AS6 .J65 2017 | DDC 658.4/56 – dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016054282
PREFACE
About 25 years ago, I wrote the first edition of this book and invited you into the world of seminars and workshops. Whether you are a professional speaker, trainer, seminar leader, guest speaker, or just someone who occasionally must deliver an idea by addressing a group of people, this book was created for you. From marketing and preparation to all aspects of delivery, this book will guide you through the many nuances that will allow you to direct a group of strangers so that they come together as a team and accomplish a common goal.
A lot has changed over the years. More and more people are tasked with presenting information to others. These presentations are often delivered to a green dot on the top of a monitor and seen by others many miles, and sometimes continents, away.
A lot has stayed the same. The need to gain the attention of others and hold that attention, whether on a stage, in a classroom, on a conference call, on a podcast, in an online video, and more, still challenges us all. In this fourth edition, I hope to address some of the new challenges that come with the changes in technology, and how we give and receive information. The communication process hasn't changed as much as the speed with which we communicate.
There are many misunderstandings surrounding the professional speaking profession. I hope to address many of those misunderstandings. There are many opinions regarding right and wrong. As a former corporate trainer and professional speaker, I hope to give you definitive answers based on my experiences. As with any presentation I deliver, I hope you find the book both informative and fun. I hope also that you will find support and motivation within these pages. That is one of the true values of a good Presentation Skills program, and that is what this book is about.
After I had finished school at the University of Maryland, my first job was for the New York Life Insurance Company. In four days, I was taught how to be an insurance salesman. I was taught the difference between term and whole life insurance. I was taught about preexisting conditions and other key areas of health insurance. I was even taught about disability insurance and the “curse of the living death.” Very scary! Four days later, when they were all through teaching me about insurance, I was shown the door and told, “Two apps a week, ten apps a month. Go get 'em, tiger!” I was trained. But my training failed me. I was taught about my product, but no one ever told me how to sell it.
Most people who become trainers or presenters fall into the same trap. They are taught what to teach but rarely how to teach it. They appear in front of their audiences as ill prepared as I was initially selling insurance. Customers want more than product knowledge, and so do trainees. Therein lies the importance of having information not just on what to teach but on how to teach it.
I have been teaching presentation programs for over 35 years. Thirty-five years of active stand-up delivery training is kind of like dog years – that is, about 245 years of professional speaking to you and me. I have delivered these courses while employed by three major corporations as well as for myself as an entrepreneur. In those years, I have developed a love–hate relationship with a topic that I find fascinating. The love portion of training others to speak like a professional is connected to seeing thousands of presenters just like me – groping for new methods, validating and replacing old ideas, and sometimes just hanging around to get their batteries recharged. The hate portion of training others to speak like professionals centers around its unforgiving nature. In just about any program taught, it is more than acceptable to misplace a handout, forget a trainee's name, or even lose your train of thought. When teaching someone “how it is done,” however, there is very little forgiveness for errors. It is a challenge. It will also age you a bit.
I view this book, as I do a good Presentations Skills program, as a kind of vitamin. When you take a vitamin, your body absorbs only what it needs. In this book, my intention is to give you too many ideas. Each may be appropriate depending on your topic, seminar size, personality, style, and any number of other factors. Take what you need and disregard what is not suitable to your situation.
You will be reading and relating to real-world situations and solutions. Let me give you a quick taste of real world in the life of a presenter. Recently I was asked to speak in front of about 100 managers for one of the largest insurance companies in the