Earlier this month, the 2019-2020 Elaine Gold Launch Pad Fellows gathered at Camp David for a Voice Coaching Session led by author Frances C Jones. The session was aptly timed for the designers to practice presentations for the next program milestone – the Design Sprint, coming up on December 2nd.

Jones is the author of “How to Wow: Proven Strategies for Selling Your (Brilliant) Self in Any Situation” and “The Wow Factor.” She helps people tell the story of their brand as effectively and memorably as possible. Jones works with a wide variety of clients, from celebrities, chefs, top executives, and fashion designers.

“I never want people to not be nervous, because nervousness is one of your biggest assets — it just matters how it manifests,” Jones told the EGLP Fellows.

She taught the designers various tools to cope with nervousness during public speaking, such as breathing and facial exercises. Jones stressed the importance of warming up as much as possible. “A presentation is a performance, essentially,” she said.

There are three main components to public speaking: verbal, vocal, and visual. According to a UCLA Study by Albert Merhabian that Jones referenced, people only remember about 7 percent of what you say – 55 percent of the impact is what your body is doing when speaking, and 38 percent is in your tonal quality.

During the session, EGLP Fellows learned tips and tricks to ensure their physicality doesn’t get in the way of their words. Jones also stressed the importance of giving the “because” behind their story and brand.

After the group coaching, the designers broke off into one-on-one sessions with Jones to rehearse their Design Sprint presentations.

Click here to learn more about Jones… There are various resources available, such as The Interview Wow App (a job interview survival kit), quick tip videos, and a newsletter. To purchase her latest book, “How to Wow,” click here.