Public Speaking for Conservationists

Transform your career by learning to speak like a TEDTalker, for greater confidence, employability and conservation impact.

Do you worry about public speaking?

When you speak in meetings, conferences, or interviews – large and small – do you sometimes feel:

You're not alone...

As a student, I was TERRIFIED of public speaking... Even in a small room, in front of six people, I would lose sleep for nights leading up to a presentation, and I’d visibly shake with nerves during my talk…

The worst thing was my brain went to jelly. I couldn’t seem to form clear and coherent sentences in such situations. To cope, I tended to try and learn a script, which just added to the pressure, and my nerves, and the vicious cycle deepened.

It’s taken 20 years of struggling through this on my own … but I now present hundreds of talks each year, and am a guest lecturer at the University of Cambridge. I even LOOK FORWARD to public speaking now, and I know you can too!

I’m thrilled to give you something I never had – the best possible training, designed and led by TEDx Speaker Coach Tara Phillips.”

Nick Askew Circle

Dr Nick Askew

Director of Conservation Careers

“Few of us are born with public speaking skills – but you can easily learn and master techniques to boost your confidence, be a better leader, develop your career and create more impact – and you don’t need to be a super extrovert to do it!”

Tara Phillips | Cause & Affect Speeches & TEDx Speaker Coach

“Few of us are born with public speaking skills – but you can easily learn and master techniques to boost your confidence, be a better leader, develop your career and create more impact – and you don’t need to be a super extrovert to do it!”

Tara Phillips | Cause & Affect Speeches & TEDx Speaker Coach

Tara Phillips | TEDx Speaker Coach

Tara Phillips is the founder of Cause & Affect Speeches, a Presentation and Communication skills company based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

As a TEDx speaker coach since 2010, Tara has worked at many events across Europe including TEDx Amsterdam, TEDx Berlin, TEDx MonteCarlo & TEDx CERN, with some talks broadcast on TED.com reaching millions worldwide.

Tara works with presenters of all levels of knowledge and experience – from students to seasoned C-suite executives. Her clients range from international companies such as Nikon, Heineken and Philips, to entrepreneurs and start-ups, to NGOs such as Médecins Sans Frontières and Greenpeace.

She is a guest lecturer at the VU University Amsterdam, for MA Science Communication students.

Tara loves the natural world and is a member of Natuurmonumenten (Natural monuments) and Vogels Beschermen NL (Bird Protection Netherlands) and volunteers with LandschappenNL (Landscape Netherlands).

Why is Public Speaking Important In Your Career?

Within conservation there is a growing realisation that we need to do much more to share our messages and encourage more support and action. As a result, conservation employers are rapidly looking for people with public speaking skills.

They want staff who can speak with confidence and clarity at meetings, conferences, events and more.

We analysed 35,857 conservation jobs, from over 100 countries, and 39% explicitly wanted people with public speaking skills.

If you want to succeed as a professional conservationist you need public speaking skills.

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... Conservation Jobs Analyzed
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... Required Presenting Skills
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... of ALL Jobs!

Introducing 'Public Speaking for Conservationists'

Public Speaking for Conservationists is a totally new online course brought to you by the team at Conservation Careers and taught by public speaking guru Tara Phillips. 

During the course you’ll learn:

  • How to start presentations well, time after time, giving focus to the content that will count.
  • Ensure that your audience connects with messages and findings both intellectually and emotionally, leaving them trusting and inspired.
  • Create helpful, clear, digestible and attractive slide decks.
  • Speak in public with confidence and ease.
  • Use non-verbal cues that will shout ‘confidence’ to the audience!
  • Clearly and concisely make points in meetings and interviews.

So you can:

  • Overcome the fear of speaking in public, and being judged.
  • Feel more confident and in control when put on the spot.
  • Worry less about being an ‘imposter’.
  • Share your ideas, skills and knowledge with greater confidence.

After completing the course you’ll be able to plan and deliver effective presentations and speak confidently at meetings, interviews and more, during your career as a conservationist. Boosting your employability, leadership and impact.

Course Outline

Through a series of six weekly live lessons, you’ll learn to convey your messages confidently – whether in person, online, live, recorded, to a small local audience or at a big global conference.

Module 1 | How to plan for success?

It’s essential that we are super clear on the goal of our presentations. It will make preparation easier and lead to greater, consistent successes. 

During this session we will work on an easy-to-follow and repeatable template that will encompass objectives, assessing the audience, and key messaging. 

We’ll ask questions like what are the results are you after? What do you want to be different? How do you want to be perceived? What do you want to convey?

After this module you will know how to start well, time after time, giving focus to the content that will count.

Module 2 | How to bring your messages and material?

Learn how to share your knowledge and experience in a clear and compelling way; leaving your audience trusting and inspired.

  • Why and how to choose the most suitable and powerful data and information. And not a lot 😉
  • How to connect with shared values. 
  • The importance of belief. 
  • How to start confidently, grab attention and build trust.
  • How to ensure the presentation ends well -being strong and memorable (for all the right reasons!)

After this module, you will be armed with techniques and approaches that will showcase your expertise and help you reach your speaking goals.

Module 3 | How to create super slides?

Slides are a great tool for aiding understanding and helping messages land. But all too often they do the opposite: they bore and confuse. To ensure they enhance and support your presentation, we will look at:

In this session, we will look at:

  • Why slides are the LAST part of the presentation preparation.
  • How to avoid ‘death by Powerpoint’ with alternatives to sentences and bullet points.
  • How to use graphs, images, charts to help your messages land.
  • How animations and font sizes can be your best friend (honest!)

After this module, you will be able to create helpful, clear, digestible and, dare we say it, attractive slides.

Module 4 | How to control (and use!) your nerves?

Nerves are a big stumbling block to becoming the speaker you want to be. In this module, you’ll get to the core of what makes you nervous and start to dismantle it. You’ll learn tips for overcoming nerves & tricks to look like you are cool, calm and collected, even if you are not!

We’ll begin with the psychology and culture of being nervous. Then we’ll do some coaching groundwork to create the right mindset, with exercises designed to bust through limiting beliefs and sabotaging self-talk. We’ll then look at what you can do before, and while on stage, or in a meeting, to harness and channel your energy.

After this module, you will have a whole new approach to speaking in public with confidence and ease.

Module 5 | How to use presence and body language?

The dictionary describes presence as ‘the impressive manner or appearance of a person.’ How does that translate to our presentations?

We will delve into 2 non-verbal cues that enhance your presence in front of others:

  • Position of presence. We’ll guide you into a position of presence; a certain posture of the body that exudes confidence and influence.
  • Gestures.  Gestures set speakers apart. When used well, they show an extra level of competence in communication. They can also enhance your verbal cues, leading to greater comprehension by your audience or fellow meeting attendees.

Also, find out how to make the most of your virtual setting. You’ll hear tips and tricks on reducing zoom fatigue, creating a positive perception and connecting with your audience.

After this module, you will be ready to use a set of non-verbal cues that will convey ‘confidence’ to your audience whether in-person or remote!

Module 6 | How to make the most of your voice?

In this session, we enhance your non-verbal cues with verbal ones.  We explore three modes of delivery that will ensure your audience listens and is engaged.  

  • Pauses. Nothing says ‘strong speaker’ like one who has the confidence to hold the room with a pause.  In this module, we look at the various ways to use a pause and practice them ourselves.  
  • Intonation. Nothing bores an audience more than a speaker with a monotonous voice!  With a fun exercise, we look at how much variety a voice has.  
  • Pace. Nothing is more frustrating than trying to keep up with a too-fast speaker.  In this module, we will look at an ingenious way to speak at a good pace while having a super clear delivery.  

After this module, you will have a box of voice tools that will ensure you are memorable – for all the right reasons!

Bonus Module | How to impress in meetings and interviews?

Meetings and interviews are vital in your career, so it pays to know how to make them work for you.

In this bonus module, we will look at some simple and effective techniques to get your point across. You will also learn some tips and tricks to run effective meetings as a conservation professional.

After this module, you will be able to clearly and concisely make points in meetings and interviews.  

You will also be able to host and participate in meetings, to maximise efficiency and participation and minimise time-wasting and misunderstanding.

“Tara has been absolutely wonderful to work with! She took the time to explain the various concepts and she created an atmosphere that challenged the participants to improve their story, while stimulating active participation as well. The workshop was online, but she made everyone feel at ease and involved, which is not easy if you’re not physically there”.

Martijn Hoes

Martijn Hoes

Assistant Professor, Dutch Heart Foundation

What's Included?

The programme includes the training PLUS access to our private support community and world-leading conservation job board.

Training

Public Speaking for Conservationists

Learn to speak like a TEDTalker, for greater confidence, career development and conservation impact.

Support Community

CC Pro

Join our private CC Pro community for support, events, networking & more.

Jobs

The Conservation Careers Job Board

Enjoy full access to the world’s biggest conservation job board.

Who is the programme for?

Career Switchers

Have you always had a passion for wildlife and want to work in conservation, but don’t know where to start? You might be working in a totally unrelated field right now, and want to gain verbal communication skills to increase your confidence, employability and impact. We’re here to provide you with the public speaking skills to impress prospective employers.

Students

Are you currently at university or college, and planning to find work in the conservation sector when you finish? Do you have to give talks as part of your course? Impress your coursemates, lecturers and prospective employers by learning to present like a TEDTalker, for greater confidence, career development and conservation impact.

Professional Conservationists

Are you working as a professional conservationist, and wanting to improve your public speaking skills, be better in your role and to improve your career prospects? Through the course you'll learn how to confidently plan and deliver effective presentations as a key part of your job.

Job Seekers

Are you currently hunting for a conservation job but struggling? The course will help you to stand out from the crowd better, by learning valuable public speaking skills sought after by conservation employers. Plus learn how to impress at interviews with your newfound confidence and ability to clearly get your point across to an interview panel.

FAQs

Public Speaking for Conservationists is for students, job seekers, career switchers and professional conservationists who want to increase their confidence when public speaking – delivering clear, compelling messages and stories verbally to an audience. This will increase your leadership skills, conservation impact, career development and employability.

Public Speaking for Conservationists is a six-week course, delivered as a series of weekly live events and tasks. The total time commitment is around 10 – 15 hours. 

Can’t make a live session? Don’t worry! We’ll share all the recordings for you to watch on your own time. It’s completely flexible 🙂

You have a whole year’s access to the course and associated materials, so you can go entirely at your own pace if you wish to, or if life gets in the way.

No. Each of the six modules will have a task for you to practice a core skill. We encourage you to submit your task into CC Pro for feedback, but it’s not compulsory. At the end of the course you’ll get a certificate of completion which you can put on your CV / Resume.

No! We have a private online support community, CC Pro, which is separate from social media.

Yes! Public Speaking for Conservationists is truly international. The steps and techniques can be applied to any local/international setting and to any type of public speaking – whether presenting, meeting, interviewing or conversing. It’s flexible and can be applied to your needs and goals.

In addition to the six-week course, Public Speaking for Conservationists, you’ll enjoy a much wider experience and support, including:

  • CC Pro | You’ll get access to CC Pro – our private community of aspiring and professional conservationists. This includes access to your course leader, Tara Phillips, myself, and the wider CC Team, through weekly office hours calls where you can ask questions and get unstuck. Participate in growth challenges, share your coursework, celebrate your successes, chat with your coursemates and so much more. Best of all, it’s not on Facebook!
  • Over 15,000 live jobs! You’ll enjoy full access to the biggest conservation job board in the world, with over 15,000 conservation jobs globally. You can also search through hundreds of internships, volunteerships (if that’s a word!), expeditions, courses, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
  • Plus, career-boosting resources. Finally, you’ll have access to our full and ever-growing range of career-boosting resources including ultimate guides, application templates and a short video training series. This also includes CV & Resume templates, The Step-by-Step Applications guide, How to Switch Careers guide and many more…

The investment in the training programme is $495 / £375 / €450, including the training and support community for a full year. The programme comes with a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee. If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund. No questions asked.

Public Speaking for Conservationists comes with a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee. If, within 14 days, you are unhappy for whatever reason, just email us and you will receive a full refund. No questions asked.

Only if you want to! Public Speaking for Conservationists takes you step by step through building a final, complete presentation. But the steps and techniques we use can be applied to any public speaking setting – whether a presentation, meeting, interview, or even a conversation with a colleague or supervisor. You bring a topic or speaking goal to the course that you’ll use to apply your learning and practice.

“Tara gave everyone on the course the confidence to participate and learn. 

I believe I made a giant leap. It could not have been better!”

testimonial circle

Paul Bernardt

Managing Director, Harmony Relocation Network.

How much does it cost?

The investment in the training programme is $495 / £375 / €450, including the training and support community for a full year.

The programme comes with a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee. If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund. No questions asked.

Are you ready?

To sign up before the course closes, please choose your currency below.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, comments or problems please don’t hesitate to get in touch by mail@conservation-careers.com