Lura Dolas



		FOR BUSINESS LEADERS Whether you’re the chairman of the board or a rising star on the sales team, you have a message to convey. Your format may be a 30-second elevator pitch or a 30-minute keynote speech, a motivational address to hundreds of employees or a persuasive talk to a small group of skeptical investors. But it’s always an opportunity to present your best, most successful self. You probably didn’t learn how to give speeches in business school. That’s where I come in. Through structured exercises, personalized assignments, and videotaped “rehearsals,” I give you the skills to make every speech dynamic, meaningful, and effective.


	Lura is a wonderful teacher with a remarkable ability to balance empathy, thoughtfulness, humor, and candid feedback. She gives clear and specific direction as she pushes you to go one step beyond your comfort zone. It’s obvious from the way she gives feedback that she believes in you and wants you to get what you paid for. Without her help, I would have never known how much my unconscious eyebrow movements confused my audience. Other teachers hadn't caught it or weren’t honest with me.
	—John Sladkus, CEO, New Union Work Systems, Inc.

	After only 2.5 hours with Lura, I had the confidence to get up and blow an audience away. I don't know exactly what she did, but it was miraculous for me!I recommend Lura's workshops or lessons to anyone who has any trepidation whatsoever with public speaking.
	—Tara Hunt, Co-Founder and CMO, Citizen Agency


	Fundamentals Eliminating nervousness and stage fright Stage actors suffer from it, too—and they learn to overcome it. So can you, through breathing and stress-reduction techniques that help you become relaxed yet fully energized. More stage-fright techniques. Identifying your objective What do you want your listeners to do? Once you know your objective, you can develop a theme and a supporting story. Expanding vocal range, volume, and resonance Find your upper and lower notes, your crescendos, and your inflections, and learn to employ them for variety and persuasive power. More vocal techniques. Making eye contact Lose your fear and use eye contact to unite and ignite your listeners. Choosing your “acting verbs” How will you pursue your objective? Your “verb choice”—“reassure,” “convince,” “incite,” even “demand”—shapes your delivery. More verb techniques. Humanizing your language Jargon doesn’t move listeners; plain language with rich sensory and emotional nuances does. Learn to choose non-technical language to support your facts. Connecting to the text How to think of every word as sounding like what it means—and using that meaning to make an emotional connection. More connection techniques. Using story People’s brains are hardwired to receive stories; the best speakers know how to use story to their advantage. Learn to drive your narrative through point of view, verb tense, personal connection, and powerful beginnings and endings. More story techniques.


	We sought Lura’s help for polishing our on-camera presence. She used a holistic approach to help us focus on the way we stand, the way we look, the tone of our voice—our whole sense of presence and what we project. She is clearly very knowledgeable and confident, and she makes the experience fun. Even people who were normally somewhat reserved felt comfortable and truly enjoyed the experience.
	—Marie Felde, director, Office of Media Relations, U.C. Berkeley


	Focused training PowerPoint pointers How to use presentation software without letting it dominate the presentation or turn you into into a robot. Sales speeches How to deliver a pitch without sounding like a huckster: techniques to make the sale honestly and effectively. Media exposure How to stand, sit, and speak when the camera or microphone are on you.

	We have found Lura's techniques to be very helpful. She worked with us on eliminating jargon and explaining our product with persuasive, memorable language and gesture.
	—Joe Maresco, President and CEO, Ravenflow

	For information call 510-524-3676

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