Clapperton Media Training ran filmed presentation training for eight LEAP Enterprise spokespeople ahead of the CEO’s Legal Geek talk.
The Client and the Challenge
LEAP Enterprise is a new division of LEAP Legal Software, created to serve mid-sized and large legal firms. Its leadership team is drawn largely from existing senior figures at LEAP — so the division combines an experienced team with a new go-to-market strategy aimed at a new tier of client.
Incoming marketing director Dani Pisciottano wanted that leadership team proactive and interview-ready, comfortable taking the stage and speaking to press on behalf of the new venture. She brought in specialist external help to get them there.
Enter Clapperton Media Training
Dani spoke to three companies before selecting Clapperton Media Training, because, as she explained:
“Clapperton Media Training came highly recommended and showed true professionalism from the very first engagement.
“We needed someone who would understand the technology involved, so Guy Clapperton’s experience as a tech journalist and podcaster was essential — and his connections, including an award-winning camera expert, were exactly what we needed.”
Dani put forward eight spokespeople, including herself. Guy proposed splitting them into two sessions of four. He built a three-person delivery team:
- Guy Clapperton — tech journalist, podcaster and media trainer, leading content and delivery
- Paul Angell — award-winning camera expert and long-time Clapperton collaborator, filming each practice session with full kit and lighting, bringing his own expertise as a documentary maker in getting the best out of interviewees
- Martine Croxall — long-serving BBC newsreader, brought in for her expertise presenting both on stage and on screen
Once terms were agreed and diaries co-ordinated, Dani and Guy held an in-depth briefing call to map out each delegate’s individual strengths and weaknesses.
“It’s important to know who you’re going to be working with and what they need,” said Guy. “Otherwise you could go in thinking ‘let’s build this person’s confidence up’ when actually they’re fine with that — they just need help with storytelling, or removing jargon.”
The Session
Guy and the team built a structured programme for each group:
- Foundations — Guy presented on the fundamentals of presenting: avoiding overreliance on slides, stage positioning, structuring a talk, sourcing appropriate images, and more.
- Practice, filmed — each delegate delivered the same six-minute presentation, filmed by Paul.
- Feedback, on playback — Paul, Martine and Guy reviewed the footage together with each delegate, offering pointers on repetition, body language and pacing.
- Warm-up — the session closed with a video led by opera singer and vocal trainer Charlotte Clapperton, taking the whole group through vocal warm-up exercises.
“The session exceeded our expectations,” said Pisciottano. “All of the delegates have had notes on the pace of their delivery, how to avoid moving around on stage too much, and ensuring they engage with the audience.”
The Result
A few weeks after the session, LEAP Enterprise chief executive Joe Sanderson gave a talk at Legal Geek and had great feedback from the audience. He commented:
“Guy and his team equipped us with all the tools we need to successfully communicate in a manner that is consistent, concise and authoritative in both small settings, like roundtables and client meetings, and larger ones, for instance on stage at Legal Geek, one of the largest legal tech conferences in Europe.”
Header photo: LEAP Enterprise. For more information on our presentation training, check this link.
