Over two days in March, Victoria visited the Swiss International School—sadly not in person, but she still had a great time with them online. During the first session, the group covered presentation skills, with people eager to learn not only how to incorporate engaging presentations into their own work but also how to encourage their students to have confidence in delivering them, too.
On a tangible level, the group explored the importance of visuals, facilitation rather than presentation, and, of course, how many slides really are too many. Victoria also gave her handy tips on how to maximise engagement and create a safe space for people to speak up and not feel under pressure in team learning situations.
Day two saw 75 primary and secondary teachers, as well as some senior leaders, look at communication skills. During the session, time was spent thinking about how difficult communication truly is - listening and understanding are often taken for granted. Yet two entirely different people with different belief systems and experiences trying to communicate ideas which don’t always translate well into words and both understand each other is well, hard!
Victoria encouraged participants to think about what good communication looks like—it’s not always standing up and speaking loudly but can be two or three people sitting in a group sharing ideas in a present and connected way. Finally, the session delivered a toolkit of methods for approaching challenging conversations and teaching communication skills from a young age through laughter and fun in the learning environment.
And despite no direct access to chocolate or cheese, Victoria enjoyed every minute with the Swiss International School.
If you’d like support to develop your presentation or communication skills, get in touch, and we’d be happy to explore how we can help - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
