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Here are a few examples of my specialized copywriting work.

• Wrote, for a bank CEO, a one-hour equity analyst presentation for the annual analyst meeting. (This assignment, by the way, was given and completed in 5 days, including a weekend...)
   
• Ghosted a "career reminiscence" piece for the chief executive of a chemical products company for the 50th anniversary issue of Chemical Week magazine.
   
• Based on interviews with executives of a Bristol-Myers Squibb subsidiary wrote a profile piece for a leading trade magazine.
   
• Substantially re-wrote speeches, for publication, originally delivered by senior executives of Du Pont Merck and Glaxo.
   
• Wrote, for FMC, and am now licensing to other companies a full-color, illustrated 30-page manager's workbook, Managing Change: How to Plan and Implement an Effective Employee Communication Program.
   
• I have written countless feature articles, speeches, PowerPoint presentations, news releases, employee communication pieces such as Q&A documents, annual reports, brochures, direct mail pieces and Web sites

Forget tips, tricks and techniques.

Ironically, many of the skills that successful executives have learned to be successful are precisely backwards compared with the skills needed to present effectively to a group and to interact with news media.

This program, which is customized to the specific needs of each group and individual, is designed to help executives to become better presenters, chiefly by freeing them of the "public speaking techniques" they've learned along the way to the top. The workshop is grounded in a philosophy of authenticity, "audience advocacy" and personal responsibility. Rather than loading the participants with more "techniques" that inevitably make them worse presenters, participants learn to approach a presentation from the viewpoint of the audience. They also discover, through intensive group and personal coaching, how their own physical presence affects an audience and how to manage that effect.

The customization of the program includes advance interviews with each participant, group exercises that create meaningful work products that the group can use, mock presentations, videotaping and respectful but hard-hitting personal coaching.

For additional information, contact me.

Contents of the Workshop

Day One

• Audience advocacy
• Preparation
• Keys to success
• How presentations go wrong
• Brainstorm a presentation
• Right brain/left brain
• Opening techniques
• Flow structures
• Rehearsal
•  

• Day Two

• Culture of media
• Media relations
• What reporters want to know
• How to aggravate a reporter
• Preparing for an interview
• Q&A principles and models
• Types of challenging questions
• Paraphrase technique
• Structuring an answer
• Video demos
• Platform skills
• Listening
  Reading an audience Using PowerPoint

Day Three

• Role playing
• Demonstrations
• Videotaping
• Coaching

Day Four

• Individual, private coaching

"This was an exceptionally well-done workshop on a topic that I have heard and spoken about myself countless times in the past. Mr. Kirk's style was informative, humorous and easy-going. I highly recommend this kind of training to other employees. Nice job!"

"Great presentation and presenter. Was looking for a long boring day. However, it ended up being fun!"

"I would recommend it to anyone!" "An excellent, engaging presenter. Your obvious preparation made our day very valuable!"

"A very worthwhile experience!"