Experts Grow on Trees — Ep. 1: Presentation skills with C.J. Marks
Most people who want to present better already know the advice: slow down, make eye contact, use fewer words on slides.
What they don’t get is an honest answer to the harder question:
Which skills does this actually take, in what order, and am I ready for the next one?
What is Experts Grow on Trees?
That’s what Experts Grow on Trees is for.
Each episode, someone who teaches a profession joins us live, and together we map out one important part of it as a skill tree:
The skills it takes to become proficient
What depends on what and how skills build on each other
What a beginner, a confident practitioner, and an expert look like
A Skillforest is your own collection of those trees, showing what you know and what comes next. Every tree from the show can be copied into yours.
Our First Guest: C.J. Marks – Public Speaking
Our first guest is C.J. Marks, a presentation coach and TEDx speaker trainer based in Kobe.
C.J. has coached speakers for over 25 years, worked with TEDx organisers and speakers on six continents, is an award-winning Toastmaster, and runs PechaKucha Night.
Together, we’ll explore:
What people get wrong when they try to improve their presenting skills, and what even experienced speakers don’t realise
What separates a nervous first-timer from someone who can hold a room, and where people plateau
Which skills are worth learning first, and which ones everyone skips to
Then we’ll build the skill tree live in the Skillforests app, linking C.J.’s trainings directly to the skills they teach.
Register to receive your join link.
After the Event
The full video and finished skill tree will be shared on Thursday, November 5, with Skillforests Substack subscribers.
Subscribing is free: skillforests.substack.com