7:30am – 9:00am Registration and Coffee

9:00am – 9:15am Opening, agenda for the day and information about…
Deborah (Moschella) Saks, Director of ITS- User Services, Framingham State University
Maureen Scoones, Associate Director, IT Process Improvement & Education, Hamilton College

9:15am – 10:00am Fear to Fun: Why you freak when you speak in public, and how to calm your nerves and wow the crowd
Speaker: Andy Saks, owner, Spark Presentations and author, The Presentation Playbook

Public speaking is an invaluable skill for IT professionals in higher education. From staff meetings to tech training to budget requests, speaking with clarity, confidence and style can help you get noticed, get heard and get results.
Yet most people avoid public speaking at all costs, and anxiety is usually the reason. In fact, public speaking is the single most common fear among Americans, more than heights, animals, even death itself.

But what if you could conquer your fear of public speaking and love taking the stage? Where could your job, your department and your life go with this rare, coveted skill?

Take the first step toward finding out with this engaging, inspiring, interactive primer that tackles your fear of speaking head-on. You’ll discover:
• Where those butterflies and sweaty palms come from
• How worrying about your content and environment compounds your anxiety
• Fast, easy, free ways to calm your mind and body, so you can enjoy giving a great performance

10:00am - 10:30am Hands on activity for Fear to Fun led by Andy Saks

10:30aam – 10:45am Break

10:45am – 11:30am Ways to Engage the Audience and keep them with you
Speaker: Jim Helmer, Director, Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College

Swear off dull and confusing presentations! This session will teach you how to make your presentation clear and interesting through key strategies of structure, content, and delivery. In this session you'll learn how to:
• Get off to a strong start
• Make points your audience will remember
• Break the "um" habit
• Engage your audience by using the 3 Es of effective delivery

11:30am -12:00pm Hands on activity led by Jim Helmer

12:00pm – 1:00pm Lunch

1:00pm – 1:45pm Bulletproof slideshows: Creating clear, concise, compelling slides 
Speaker: Andy Saks, Owner, Spark Presentations and author, The Presentation Playbook

You've seen them countless times: slides cluttered with extraneous text, clashing colors and distracting graphics. These slides steal focus from the speaker, muddy their message, and leave audience members aching for visuals they can understand and relate to.

Make sure your next slide deck paints a clear, concise, compelling picture with this interactive primer. You'll discover:
• What slides do best, and shouldn't do at all
• A step-by-step approach to building slides you'll take pride in
• Practical pointers on using words, images, bullets, animations and transitions

1:45pm – 2:15pm Slide Makeovers
Speaker: Jim Helmer, Director, Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College

Think of this as “trash to treasure” for your slide decks. We’ll share before and after versions of real slide decks, giving participants practical tips and advice on how to makeover their own slides and avoid common problems found in presentations.

2:15pm – 2:45pm Open Session Q& A
Speakers: 
Jim Helmer, Director, Oral Communication Center, Hamilton College
Andy Saks, owner, Spark Presentations and author, The Presentation Playbook

2:45pm - 3:00pm Wrap up

3:00pm End