Consulting Services

"Can you believe he wore that tie with that shirt?"

"That trainer just rambled on and on. I didn't know where he was going half the time. What a waste of time!"

"Video training is boring. It just doesn't work."

If you've ever tried using video to reduce training costs, you have probably heard comments like these. Maybe you've had these same thoughts about instructional video programs. The problem is often not in the content or the medium, but in the performance. Yes, presenting on camera, like any live speaking situation, is a performance. It takes some training and a little practice to keep that audience awake and engaged. It also takes planning and preparation to create programs that deliver measurable results.   Paradigm Three ScriptBuilding services will turn your live lecture into a formal presentation delivering the same predictable, measurable content to every audience. Very few people are "naturals" when it comes to public speaking, and fewer are immediately comfortable in front of a camera.

Learning to present well, to put our best foot forward can eliminate most of the anxiety and allow us to provide a clear and concise presentation. Performance Coaching from our broadcast experienced directors will give added poise and confidence to any presenter.

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Performance Coaching

Most people are uncomfortable having their picture taken. They worry about the way they look in general without considering the combined effect of the different elements of style and performance. Our Performance Coaching provides specific instruction on clothing colors, styles and patterns that are appropriate for the best on-camera "look." We help presenters identify physical postures that will make them feel comfortable and "in authority" when in front of a group or the camera. Instruction in where to stand, when to move, and when to stay put, called "blocking" in stagecraft jargon, helps presenters formalize their programs and emphasize key points without become stiff or hiding behind a podium. Simple tips on hair and make-up where appropriate help presenters feel their best because they know they look their best. Tom Brokaw wears make-up every night on TV. It doesn't make him a sissy; it makes him look like a professional.

Learning to take cues from the technicians will mean your program starts smoothly and has the distinct advantage of sound from beginning to end.

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Scripting

Rambling, digressing and drifting off subject are all part of disorganization, lack of preparation and a too casual attitude toward the subject or the audience. Working with hundreds of presenters, we've heard all the reasons for poor presentations.

"I just talk to the slides."
- Wouldn't it be better to talk to the audience?

"I've done this program so often I can do it in my sleep."
- Are you sure you're not doing it in the audience's sleep as well?

"This material is so complex, I could never write it all down."
- So how do you know you're getting it right every time?

Without a written script, your program is never the same, and you have no way of measuring the results of the learning. Good scripting reduces overall program length and focuses on the key training "take-aways." Our Scripting Method uses your live presentation as a content model, thus saving hundreds of hours of research and data checking. Our experienced scriptwriters then edit and enhance your content for clarity and ease of delivery. Your audience gets a consistent, language appropriate presentation that delivers clear information without digression or repetition.

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Top 10 Keys to a Bad Presentation

10. Make six slides when twenty are needed. Leave each one up for ten minutes.

9. Jam every slide with unreadable, 8 point text.

8. Put up a slide, and then digress on some unrelated topic for twelve minutes.

7. Don't introduce yourself. Put up your first slide and then talk about the restroom facilities and parking vouchers for three minutes. Drift into your presentation with a vague anecdote about 'this guy I used to work with.'

6. Wander aimlessly around the room, stopping only to read the slides to the audience verbatim.

5. Stand in front of the projection screen with text written across your face.

4. Leave your microphone wires dangling down your front, catch the wire on your hand, ripping your mic off and causing an ear splitting crash over the loudspeakers.

3. Carry around a big handful of slide printouts and continuously shuffle them while you're speaking. Avoid eye contact.

2. Change your program content at the last minute, show up late, don't rehearse with the A/V equipment, and stumble through the material like it's the first time you've ever seen it.

1. Last but not least: Don't take any instruction from the A/V technician. Sound and picture is their problem; You're here to deliver content.

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