The Columbia Nanocenter is sponsoring an ongoing series of workshops designed to provide some information and techniques to help researchers deliver more effective verbal presentations. The workshops are being led by Bruce Strothenke, a Communication Skills Instructor who has trained top executives worldwide to be clear and concise in their verbal and written communications. Mr. Strothenke is a Certified Ed. D. candidate in Instructional Technology and Media at Teachers College Columbia University. The first workshop was November 14-15, 2003, the second was March 10-11, 2004, and the third was April 21-22, 2004. A fourth workshop is planned for Spring 2005.

During the workshops, participants:

• Learn and practice some physical delivery skills that will improve their ability to have a positive impact on the audience.
• Learn a straight-forward method for organizing their presentation materials so that the audience will remember key messages.
• Learn some techniques for creating and using good visual aids.
• Learn and practice how to answer questions clearly and concisely.
• Learn and use techniques for providing constructive feedback to one another.

The goal of the workshop is for participants to try new presentation techniques to see what works, and to practice those techniques until they become part of each person's natural style. Each workshop is comprised of five to six participants and one instructor. The small group size allows every participant ample opportunity to make practice presentations and to get feedback from his/her peers. Feedback is reinforced through videotape review, which can be an eye-opening experience for people who had never seen themselves speak before. Overall, the participants have felt that the Presentation Skills workshops have been valuable and that they have learned a lot from them.