Art of Business Classes
PCS proudly offers special courses created specifically with business professionals in mind. Participants learn how to accentuate skills they already possess simply by bringing their natural creativity into the business arena. If you appreciate the importance of poise and presentation in the business setting, we've designed these trainings with you in mind.
The Art of Presentations
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Instructor: Laura Faye Smith
Laura is a Drammy- and OTAS-award-winning actress who has worked professionally for several Portland theaters as well as touring nationally and internationally. She has taught classes in numerous disciplines, such as improvisation, auditioning and voice over. She has a B.A. in English and Theatre from Oregon State University.
Engaging Your Audience --
To move your audience from captive to captivated, you need to help them understand quickly and clearly why they should be listening to you. The class focuses on "seeing" the audience, showing them the value of your presentation, determining the hidden needs/agendas of an audience, and to acknowledge and handle those needs.
Keeping Your Presentation "Alive"--
As audience members, we've all endured the torment of the monotone presenter, and as presenters, we've maybe feared we WERE that dreaded droner. In this session, we'll focus on keeping a flow of energy between you and your audience, building in a variety of activities to keep the audience actively involved, and finding your own comfortable and confident presenting style.
Meeting Your Monsters --
It's fine to take a class on being a great presenter, but what happens when all those...PEOPLE are out there? What about the boss who keeps interrupting to correct you? What about the person in the front row, asking the questions you can't answer? What about all the people in the back, clicking away on their Blackberrys? In this final class of the presentation section, you'll get to cast your own audience of "monster behavior," and learn hands-on survival skills to stay calm and unflappable even in a nightmarish situation.
The Art of Communication
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Instructor: B. Frayn Masters
B. Frayn Masters is co-producer and co-host of the popular storytelling series Back Fence PDX. She also produces and performs in the alt-variety show Entertainment for People. Bits of her writing can be found in Spork, Monkey Bicycle 6, Hobart, and Mountain Man Dance Moves: The McSweeney's Book of Lists--along with national magazines, websites, TV shows, and cellphone games. She is a professional scriptwriter, copywriter, and videodirector, and she has taught improv to actors and non-actors in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Portland.
Switching Off Your Automatic Pilot --
Being in the moment, even during rote dialogues, is the key to being an engaging conversationalist. Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of a sentence or worse, whole conversations? There it is, your mouth is moving and your head is nodding but what are you saying...??? Ahhhhh! Are you about to throttle the next person who says, "Hey, it's hump day!" We'll go through exercises and techniques to wake you up and reengage, even when it all seems oh-so-familiar.
Hearing is Responding --
Gaining acute listening skills means everything when aiming to improve brainstorming skills, meeting dialogue and speech-giving. Listening abilities improve drastically when your power of observation (i.e. knowledge of body language) is combined with learning to hear and respond to what others are saying in a more relaxed state.
Perception is 9/10 of the Communication Law --
Speaking of body language--how do others perceive you? How sure are you of how you're coming across? Do you walk into a room with high status (everyone turns and looks) or low status (you enter unnoticed)? Do people want to immediately engage with you, or do they feel intimidated? To communicate effectively, whether to a small group, one person, or a packed auditorium--you must learn how to adjust in the moment to fully captivate your audience. Learn how to shift status and other body language to become a malleable and effective communicator.
Pricing
Four hours of one-on-one training for $600.
Four hours of training for a group of 6 or more for $125 per student.
To register please contact Kelsey Tyler, Education & Community Programs Director, at kelseyt@pcs.org or 503.445.3793.
