How the name Own The Stage evolved from Theatre Skills, and what this process says about an important aspect of a presentation.
My training sessions were originally called Theater Skills. In hindsight, that was a classic mistake. This name said more about me—my own background as an actor and director in theatre—than about the people that were looking for a presentation training.
For years, I’ve told participants they should start with their audience, with a genuine interest in the people they’re speaking to. I’ve now been working with Nedap, an international technology company headquartered in the Netherlands, for more than fourteen years. Since the beginning, my training sessions there were called Theatre Skills, until someone new joined the People Develepment team told me, “That name doesn’t work.” And she was right.
Only people in the business unit where my training was already known understood what Theatre Skills meant. Employees in all of Nedap’s other business units thought it was a theatre course—while they were looking for a presentation training. It was clear: I needed a new name.
I started by asking myself what people looking to improve their presentation skills were actually searching for. Then I put a long list of words together and tried to work out which ones best captured it. At the same time, I didn’t want to lose sight of my theatre background. I also wanted something active—a promise of what participants could achieve—because public speaking is an important skill that can help you stand out.
Finally, the name needed to appeal to both Dutch and English speakers, since I deliver the training in both languages. In the end, after exploring all these possibilities, I changed the name of my presentation training from Theatre Skills to the much beter: Own The Stage.