The Rigour And Value Of Personal Presentation Training

SELFRIDGE COMMUNICATIONS provides a highly effective personal presentation training programme for pupils aged 14 to 16 and for young people preparing for university admission interviews and job interviews. The training regimes have been developed from pilot programmes conducted in schools in the South East of England. Results show greatly enhanced self-esteem and confidence in young people who are shown how to find their voice.

Training modules demonstrate how to make the most of such opportunities as interviews for university admission and work experience. The programme also covers everyday challenges such as presenting work to classmates and effective telephone technique.

“Speak For Yourself” has been devised to give young people life skills in presenting consistently, to the best of their ability, in any situation. The programme distills the experience of 30 years’ knowledge of best practice in personal presentation to produce a protocol which drills young people in the techniques, preparations and rehearsals required to achieve confidence and fluency. Added to that is detailed research amongst university admissions tutors in a wide range of faculties as well as extensive interviews with pupils about their needs and concerns. The result is a rigorous training regime.

Using video feedback for personal analysis of as-real scenarios, the programme offers a guarantee of enhanced skills:

• how to seize the initiative in interviews and presentations
• how to present to the individual’s highest ability every time
• how to prepare a personal ‘agenda’ for the interview or presentation
• how to avoid going blank or drying up
• how to use effective interview techniques to show personal strengths
• how to overcome questions we neither understand nor can answer

Each pupil also receives a copy of our ‘Foolproof Protocol’, a manual unique to SELFRIDGE COMMUNICATIONS, outlining a ritual of rehearsals and preparations for presentations.

Two styles of training programme have been devised:

1. A team of external tutors come into school and deliver a rigorous one-day training event to groups of pupils
2. Teachers are trained to deliver an hour–long lesson per week to pupils
   within the PSHE framework