Here are a few comments from clients about their coaching experiences with me.

"We have been extremely pleased with the improvements we've made, as a result of your training, in our message development and articulation.  We've not only seen results in the consistency of message reported by press and analysts but we also have seen that people within our organization have a better understanding of our product positioning and strategy.  The techniques we learned in your course have proven to be easy to employ and extremely effective."

"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!"  

“Techniques for dealing with difficult questions and bridging to established messages were great.  The on-camera interviews were invaluable in judging personal performance objectively and applying other feedback to personal improvement.” 

"Speaker knew his audience well -- helped to make presentation effective.  He used all of his techniques.  Seeing it in action was the most helpful element of learning." 

"David was an excellent instructor.  He promoted introspection on some of the most basic tasks we often take for granted or 'should just know.' I feel I took a great deal of information from the presentation and hope it helps me to become a more effective communicator.  Great job!" 

"I have not heard such positive response about a speaker since joining this organization three years ago.  Our meeting was held for two days after your presentation and everyone that attended had rave reviews about you and the material you covered."

“A very good experience.  Very worthwhile!” 

“You are an excellent, engaging presenter.  Your obvious extensive preparation made our day very valuable!” 

“The workshop was extremely well organized and the leader presented himself in a manner which kept our attention.  A very interesting seminar.  Would recommend it to anyone.” 

“You are an excellent communicator and group trainer facilitator!  It’s so clear you have a passion for and live your profession.” 

“Very talented!  Thanks for compressing the program into ½ day and still making it so rich and valuable.  I especially enjoyed the exercises – interesting to see how people act in a new setting.” 

“This was a terrific start for us.  Got us to recognize some potential problem areas and ways to solve.  Great learning experience!”

“The workshop on the whole was excellent.  Speaking in front of people was great at confronting fears that everyone has, addressing them and conquering the.” 

“I came in thinking it was going to be useful, but limited but came away with feeling more confident about myself and the job I am going to do.” 

“I found it fun and kept my attention.  Very animated, friendly tone given by facilitator helps.”

Here is a partial list of representative training/coaching modules upon which I draw to develop each client's custom training or coaching program.

• 10 commandments for answering questions
• 14 opening techniques
• 16 types of sound bites
• 27 ways to manage the fear of speaking
• 4 keys to success in public speaking
• 5 principles of great speakers
• 7 commandments of media relations
• Active listening
• Audience analysis techniques
• Bridging technique
• Creating context
• Figures of speech
• Group facilitation skills
• Handling typical challenges in groups
• How to get started preparing a presentation
• How to P.O. a reporter
• Importance of verbal communication
• Knowledge and preparation
• Listening skills
• One- and two-way communication
• Organizing a presentation
• Platform command
• Powers of observation
• Preparing for an interview
• Principles of media relations
• Rehearsal
• Closing techniques
• Techniques for anticipating questions
• Types of questions and answering them
• Understanding and preparing sound bites
• Understanding the culture of media
• Using eye contact
• Using humor
• Using names
• Using visual aids
• Why you fear public speaking

Here are of few examples of my coaching work.

• Trained the top four executives of a major software company to develop and communicate appropriate corporate and product messages in support of an IPO.
• Trained 50 executives and middle managers of a financial services company on effective employee communication techniques during a corporate re-engineering program.
• Trained 160 senior managers and executives of a large regional health system in the Communication Skills for Managers Workshop.
• Have trained more than 150 corporate executives and physicians to handle media interviews, in one-on-one and structured classroom programs.
• Provided personal coaching and presentation training to a senior corporate executive who was responsible for internal and external presentations during a corporate re-engineering program.
• Developed and delivered, to 50 Public Relations staff members of a public relations firm in New York, Philadelphia, Bethesda and Richmond, a two-day training program, How to Prepare and Deliver Effective Presentations. This program is customizable for virtually any type of client.
• Provide one-to-one coaching on personal computer skills to client executives.

Personal Coaching Services for Presentation & Media Relations

There are two approaches to presentation and media relations coaching. The differences are profound:

Skills-based coaching works exclusively with behavioral modification techniques. This approach trains people to adopt behaviors that are fundamentally opposed to those required to present effectively.

It emphasizes “tips and techniques” over building relationships. This inevitably results in people who are stiffer and less comfortable speaking in public because they’ve learned “right” and “wrong” ways to do everything.

Worse, they can only draw upon a limited “bag of tricks” as opposed to adapting their behaviors naturally to changing circumstances. You’ve undoubtedly heard many of these “tips and techniques:” don’t fold your arms, look over the audiences’ heads to manage nervousness, compliment a question, picture the audience naked and so forth.

Skills-based coaching alone simply doesn’t produce effective speakers.

Relationship-based coaching, which I offer, is designed to help each individual participant to become aware of and responsible for his or her own presentation and behaviors in order to help him or her to use their unique talents, presence, quirks and skills to build stronger relationships — the foundation of “effective speaking.” Within the context of relationship-based coaching, “tips and techniques” are used to develop each individual’s unique abilities to build stronger relationships and are never presented or intended as manipulations of an audience. This approach produces speakers who can adapt seamlessly and powerfully to changing circumstances.

The Typical Process for Customized Coaching Services

I will structure a customized, individualized coaching program for your organization that includes these phases:

• Assessment
• Design
• Group session
• Individual video work and coaching
• Assessment

Assessment

I’ll use two tools to determine which of many potential elements to include in an initial group coaching session:

• A self test designed to determine which of four competence/confidence levels applies to each participant.
• Individual interviews following the self-test to review the results of the self-test and to determine the specialized objectives, needs and wants of each participant. In part, in the individual interviews I’ll work with the results of the self-test by reviewing the likely implications of each person’s test score.

Design/Group Session

During the approximate three-week design phase, I will use the information gathered from the self-assessment and individual interviews to develop a customized four- to six-hour group training session for the participants. I will design it to deliver relevant fundamentals that apply to all of the participants, to establish basic coaching and participant-support relationships and to introduce and practice common strategies that will be developed in individual coaching sessions. This session may use some of the modules I already have developed and/or entirely new modules I’ll develop for the purpose, based on a vast body of adult-education techniques, research data and other materials I have at my fingertips.

Individual Video Work and Coaching

Following the group session, I generally conduct a minimum of two, two-to three-hour, one-on-one coaching sessions with each of the participants: 

• The first session uses videotaping, mirror work, mocks, simulations and other techniques to give each participant the opportunity to discover and work with strengths and weaknesses in relationship-based presentation skills. The participants will be required to do some preparation for this session, chiefly developing simple practice materials. They also will be given specific “homework” assignments to prepare for the second session.
• The second session will use similar techniques to validate each participant’s progress since completion of the first individual session and to work on any issues that are appropriate to each participant. Depending on the degree to which media relations issues are relevant to a participant, I will, at additional cost, add an exercise that employs a mock interview with a journalist. This session generally also includes a before/after video review.

Assessment

Each participant will complete an evaluation of the program and his progress, at the conclusion of the second session. The sponsoring executive(s), of course, receives a summary of these reviews to help evaluate the effectiveness of my work. These reviews also will include identifying areas in which each person would like to do additional work. At this stage, I will give you a report that will include, if any, additional plans to address the participants’ needs.

Personal Coaching Services for Public Relations Practitioners

You're a public relations executive in need of a second opinion from a senior colleague on issues such as recruitment, department structures or staff development. Or perhaps you're tackling an organization-threatening issue with tools, staff and resources more appropriate to marketing communication and publicity. Or you have a periodic need for specialized guidance in communication specialties such as research and evaluation, investor relations or crisis management. Each year, I handle scores of short-term coaching requests from other public relations practitioners, from all sorts of organizations ranging from small not-for-profits to international corporations. If you might benefit from a coaching session, please contact me for further information.

Tricks?  Or relationships? 

There are essentially two approaches to presentation and media relations coaching.  The differences are profound:    Skills-based coaching works exclusively with behavioral modification techniques. This approach trains people to adopt behaviors that are fundamentally opposed to those required to present effectively. It emphasizes “tips and techniques” over building relationships.

This inevitably results in people who are stiffer and less comfortable speaking in public because they’ve learned “right” and “wrong” ways to do everything. Worse, they can only draw upon a limited “bag of tricks” as opposed to adapting their behaviors naturally to changing circumstances. You’ve undoubtedly heard many of these “tips and techniques:” don’t fold your arms, look over the audiences’ heads to manage nervousness, compliment a question, picture the audience naked and so forth.  Skills-based coaching alone simply doesn’t produce effective speakers.

Relationship-based coaching, which I offer, is designed to help each individual participant to become aware of and responsible for his or her own presentation and behaviors in order to help him or her to use their unique talents, presence, quirks and skills to build stronger relationships — the foundation of “effective speaking.” Within the context of relationship-based coaching, “tips and techniques” are used to develop each individual’s unique abilities to build stronger relationships and are never presented or intended as manipulations of an audience. This approach produces speakers who can adapt seamlessly and powerfully to changing circumstances.  

The Typical Process for Customized Coaching Services

I will structure a customized, individualized coaching program for your organization that includes these phases:

• Assessment
• Design
• Group session
• Individual video work and coaching
• Assessment
• Assessment

I use two tools to determine which of many potential elements to include in an initial group coaching session: 

• A self test designed to determine which of four competence/confidence levels applies to each participant.
• Individual interviews following the self-test to review the results of the self-test and to determine the specialized objectives, needs and wants of each participant. In part, in the individual interviews I’ll work with the results of the self-test by reviewing the likely implications of each person’s test score. 

Design/Group Session

During the approximate three-week design phase, I will use the information gathered from the self-assessment and individual interviews to develop a customized four- to six-hour group training session for the participants. I will design it to deliver relevant fundamentals that apply to all of the participants, to establish basic coaching and participant-support relationships and to introduce and practice common strategies that will be developed in individual coaching sessions. This session may use some of the modules I already have developed and/or entirely new modules I’ll develop for the purpose, based on a vast body of adult-education techniques, research data and other materials I have at my fingertips. 

Individual Video Work and Coaching

Following the group session, I generally conduct a minimum of two, two-to three-hour, one-on-one coaching sessions with each of the participants:
 
The first session uses videotaping, mirror work, mocks, simulations and other techniques to give each participant the opportunity to discover and work with strengths and weaknesses in relationship-based presentation skills.  The participants will be required to do some preparation for this session, chiefly developing simple practice materials. They also will be given specific “homework” assignments to prepare for the second session.

The second session will use similar techniques to validate each participant’s progress since completion of the first individual session and to work on any issues that are appropriate to each participant. Depending on the degree to which media relations issues are relevant to a participant, I will, at additional cost, add an exercise that employs a mock interview with a journalist. This session generally also includes a before/after video review.

Assessment

Each participant will complete an evaluation of the program and his or her progress, at the conclusion of the second session. The sponsoring executive(s), of course, receives a summary of these reviews to help evaluate the effectiveness of my work. These reviews also will include identifying areas in which each person would like to do additional work. At this stage, I will give you a report that will include, if any, additional plans to address the participants’ needs.

Personal Coaching Services for Public Relations Practitioners

 You're a public relations executive in need of a second opinion from a senior colleague on issues such as recruitment, department structures or staff development.

Or perhaps you're tackling an organization-threatening issue with tools, staff and resources more appropriate to marketing communication and publicity. Or you have a periodic need for specialized guidance in communication specialties such as research and evaluation, investor relations or crisis management.

Each year, I handle scores of short-term coaching requests from other public relations practitioners, from all sorts of organizations ranging from small not-for-profits to international corporations.

If you might benefit from a coaching session, please contact me for further information. If your coaching needs relate to the concerns of a sole practitioner, you may enjoy the article at the bottom this page, 15 Tips from a Veteran of Independence.

“Son,” my dad always said, “I can’t tell you in a few minutes what it’s taken me years to learn.” Dad never met the editor of PR Tactics. So with 28 years in our business, the last 10 in independent practice, here’s the pithy list of tips for independents for which he asked. My unique credentials? I’ve made every mistake.

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!"