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Company News

Our commitment to you in the face of industrial action.

(02/11/2022)

As we are all well aware there is ongoing industrial action running in the UK with no immediate end in sight.

We want to reassure our customers that we are committed to delivering all of our scheduled training events, by deploying our well tested logistics systems. Please read on to discover:

  • How we ensure delivery reliability from the very minute you book with us
  • FAQ’s on our rescheduling terms, the most flexible in our industry

Our delivery reliability

As soon as you book with us, we are putting your investment to use to ensure our robust logistics process is applied at every step leading up to delivery of your event. Just like booking a flight, the plane is fueled, the pilots are ready and the plane will takeoff regardless of whether you make your flight or not.

You see we commit resources immediately which can include:

  • Trainer allocation – secured exclusively for your event
  • Assigning back up trainers – to cover any illness, travel disruption
  • Room allocation – where relevant, all room and setup resources are scheduled
  • Risk assessment – every delivery event presents it’s own challenges, our team assesses each event and applies whatever risk mitigation measures are necessary
  • Other operational activities – specific client content updates, client venue vetting pre-delivery, IT setup and shipment. Backup internet connections and support teams for all virtual delivery events, lunches and beverages, bespoke course materials

FAQ’s – Your rescheduling questions answered

I’m booked to attend a public scheduled course, will it still run?

Yes, we don’t cancel courses (unlike many in our industry!) and we invest course fees to ensure all courses run during the ongoing disruption. You can see live status updates here.

I’m booked to attend but need to reschedule, what’s the quickest way to do this?

Unique to our industry you can reschedule and pay online for public schedule courses up to 4pm on the very day of the course. It’s common in our industry to lose any rescheduling options if you provide 7 or less days notice.

But I can’t travel due to industrial action, do I still have to pay a reschedule fee?

Yes, as outlined above we have already invested to ensure that your course will run, and whilst we empathise with individual circumstances, we hold our side of the commitment to ensure the training will run for those who do attend. We are unable to recoup your committed costs, and hence reschedule fees will apply.

Read more here on the measures we have taken when faced with major disruptions to not let our customers down!

https://www.stl-training.co.uk/courses-never-cancelled.php#story2

I have booked a group training session at one of your venues/ at our offices, not all our people can attend due to strike action. What are my options?

Typically if we have 3-5 days notice we can (at no additional cost) pivot your training into virtual classroom delivery, this way your people don’t need to travel and can still enjoy a productive high quality training experience. All they need is suitable IT, an internet connection and they are good to go!

What to expect on a virtual classroom delivery course.

https://www.stl-training.co.uk/sharing/virtual-classroom-training-v1/92

Ideal IT setup for virtual delivery:

https://youtu.be/gUd6F0uKEcg

If you can’t take us up on the virtual delivery option, then yes you will need to reschedule your course. You can find full terms and fees here.

If some of my people can’t attend a course can they join in a hybrid session?

From experience we can’t recommend mixing face to face and virtual attendees on the same course. Sadly quality of delivery is compromised and as we won’t let you down, it’s no, we don’t deliver in hybrid format. (Remember this is interactive and engaging training which requires different facilitation techniques for different formats to ensure high quality learning outcomes. This is very different to a short “meeting” where someone might join virtually to listen).

 

I have booked a group training session at our offices, our people can attend but will your trainer make it due to planned strike actions?

We will be in touch with you to discuss the challenges and review viable solutions with you, which may well include having the trainer on overnight hotel stay to ensure they make your venue, naturally we would absorb any costs in this scenario to ensure we don’t let you down. We will assess on a case by case basis.

Read more on how we have addressed challenges and not let our customers down.

Categories
PowerPoint Training Professional Development

Improve PowerPoint Presentations with Presenter View

Whether you are hosting a PowerPoint presentation in person face to face, or for an online audience using Teams or Zoom, nerves can get the better of you and cause you to forget important points or even to seem unprepared. In this article, you will learn how to improve PowerPoint presentations with Presenter View.

In PowerPoint, the Presenter View setting sits in the Slide Show ribbon.

It is usually enabled by default, but it is worth checking this setting before you start your presentation. Presenter View only works when you connect your computer to a second monitor, a projector, or a television set.

Improve PowerPoint Presentations with Presenter View
Presenter View
How does Presenter View work?

Presenter View splits the display of the presentation in two. The presenter, or speaker, sees the Presenter View on their screen (the PC or laptop screen) while the audience sees only the current slide (the big slide in Presenter View).

Benefits of using Presenter View
  • The presenter can see the current duration of the presentation, which shows as a clock at the top of the current slide. You can pause this clock if something interrupts the presentation, e.g., a break. The clock helps the presenter deliver more concise, and therefore more efficient presentations.
  • Initially, the Presenter View fills the entire screen. However, the presenter can open the taskbar by selecting “Show Taskbar” at the top of the window. This enabled the presenter to open other files during the presentation without the audience being aware of this.
  • The presenter also sees a preview of the next slide, which prepares them for what is coming. This ensures the continuity and fluidity of the presentation. The presenter can hint at the content of the next slide, then bring it in at the right time.
  • Below the preview of the next slide, there is a box which shows the notes which the presentation creator typed below each slide. The notes help the presenter to remember the key points related to each slide. The presenter is then more relaxed and delivers a better presentation each time.
  • Presenter View has a pen tool which contains useful features. This tool is located below the big slide in Presenter View. There is a laser pointer, so there is no need to go out and buy a separate one. The presenter can control the laser pointer using the mouse or trackpad.
  • The pen tool also contains a pen and a highlighter which the presenter can use to write or annotate live on the slide. This makes for a more interactive experience and makes audience participation feel more engaging. If the presenter laptop has a touch screen, it is even easier to write on the slide. Meetings can be much more productive when you use the pen or highlighter.
  • Another useful tool in Presenter View, next to the pen tool is the “See all slides” button. When the presenter realises that they need to use a different slide to the one showing as the next slide, they simply need to select “See all slides.” This opens a view showing all slides from which the presenter can pick a different slide. The audience does not see this view.
Settings to check before starting the presentation

The presenter or setup assistant needs to make sure that they connect the computer properly to the second screen. They also need to check that the audience screen shows only the current slide and not the Presenter View.

If you wish to deliver amazing presentations, this article shows how to improve PowerPoint Presentations with Presenter View.