Presence Is Practice
Durga Suresh-Menon
Executive Leader | Tech Educator
Your expertise gets you into the room. Learn how to move the room.
You know your subject. You’ve done the research, built the product, analyzed the data, solved the problem.
Then you walk into the room and start explaining it.
Before I understand why it matters.
Before I know where we’re going.
Before I’m invested.
And somewhere between the bullet points, technical details, and “we’ll schedule another meeting to discuss next steps,” you’ve lost the room.
What you’ll learn
Presence Is Practice is a live, hands-on 90-minute workshop for technical professionals who want their expertise to have greater impact.
Give people a reason to care before asking them to understand.
Move beyond disconnected facts and help people see where you’re going, why it matters, and how the pieces fit together.
Stop presenting at people. Draw on the expertise in the room and turn listeners into participants.
Leave people knowing what happens next, who needs to be involved, and what action or decision is needed.
Workshop agenda
0–10 min — Presence Isn’t Personality
Why expertise alone doesn’t move a room—and why presence is a set of skills you can practice.
10–20 min — The 60-Second Test
Explain something you know well. We’ll see what happens when expertise meets an audience that doesn’t have your context.
20–35 min — INVEST: Make Me Care
Give your audience a reason to care before asking them to understand.
35–50 min — ORIENT: Show Me the Big Picture
Move beyond facts and bullet points. Show where we’re going, why it matters, and how people and departments fit together.
50–65 min — INVOLVE: Bring Me Into the Work
Stop presenting at people. Learn how to turn listeners into participants and create shared ownership.
65–75 min — ACTIVATE: Make the Next Move Obvious
End with clarity: what happens next, who does what, and what decision or action is needed.
75–87 min — The 60-Second Test, Again
Take the same idea from the beginning and present it again using the framework. Experience the difference.
87–90 min — Your Presence Practice
Choose what you’ll practice in your next real meeting, presentation, or conversation.
Learn directly from Durga
Durga Suresh-Menon
Executive leader, technologist & educator turning expertise into impact.
Who this workshop is for
Emerging Technical Leaders
Technical experts gaining a seat at the table who now need to learn how to move the room.Engineers & Technical Professionals
Experts who know their work but struggle to make nontechnical colleagues understand why it matters.AI, Data & Cybersecurity Professionals
Experts who want to turn complex ideas, insights, and risks into conversations that drive action.
What's included
Live sessions
Learn directly from Durga Suresh-Menon in a real-time, interactive format.
Lifetime access
Go back to course content and recordings whenever you need to.
Community of peers
Stay accountable and share insights with like-minded professionals.
Certificate of completion
Share your new skills with your employer or on LinkedIn.
Before and After practice
Explain the same idea twice and experience how changing your approach changes its impact.
Real-Time Feedback
Get practical feedback you can use in your next meeting, presentation, or conversation.
Takeaway Practice Guide
Leave with a simple framework you can use before your next high-stakes conversation.
The Presence Is Practice Framework
Learn INVEST → ORIENT → INVOLVE → ACTIVATE, a repeatable framework for moving a room.
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Frequently asked questions
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Reimbursement
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Save 20%+ when 2 or more teammates enroll in the same cohort.
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Book a private cohort$200
USD
7–8:30pm EDT