Registration is now open for an online workshop, Perfecting Your Pitch, offered March 5 through the University of Maine Hutchinson Center, in Belfast.

The online program, part of the Hutchinson Center’s professional development program, is from 10 a.m. - noon via Zoom. The cost is $75 per person. More information is available on the Hutchinson Center website.

This interactive professional development program for nonprofits and entrepreneurs alike will prepare participants to deliver their pitch with confidence and make a lasting impression. Whether it happens virtually or in-person, the success of these interactions often happens in the first few moments. This program will provide specific actions, exercises and stories to help participants learn how to maximize their virtual presence, deliver an effective elevator speech or pitch, create a lasting impression and build their virtual brand.

Program presenter Tom Dowd (also known as “Transformation Tom”) received a communication degree from the University of Delaware. He is a prize-winning speaker, and an award-winning and Amazon best-selling author, trainer and coach. As a member of Toastmasters International, National Speakers Association, Maine Career Development Association, and Maine Adult Education Association, Dowd has exhibited consistent professional success with a growth mindset. Dowd utilized his more than 30 years of experience in the financial and customer service industry to start Thomas Dowd Professional Development and Coaching, LLC, where he helps people to creatively find their own paths to success. 

Participants will earn a UMaine certificate of completion and 2 contact hours are available.

For information or to request a reasonable accommodation, contact Michelle Patten, um.fhc.pd@maine.edu; 207.338.8002. For more information about upcoming professional development programs or to register, go online. Early registration is recommended as spots are limited. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available for people who live or work in Knox or Waldo County.

About the Hutchinson Center:

The Hutchinson Center is an outreach center for the University of Maine in Orono, that serves as an educational and cultural center for the Midcoast area. It is named for University of Maine President Emeritus Frederick E. Hutchinson. The mission of the Hutchinson Center is to broaden access to University of Maine academic and non-degree programs and services, lifelong learning opportunities, and professional and career development experiences using innovative approaches that increase synergy among University of Maine System entities, University of Maine departments and divisions, and that engage a wider Maine community. 

About the University of Maine: 

The University of Maine, founded in Orono in 1865, is the state's land grant, sea grant and space grant university. It is located on Marsh Island in the homeland of the Penobscot Nation.  As Maine's flagship public university, UMaine has a statewide mission of teaching, research and economic development, and community service. UMaine is the state's only public research university and among the most comprehensive higher education institutions in the Northeast. It attracts students from all 50 states and more than 70 countries. UMaine currently enrolls 11,561 undergraduate and graduate students who have opportunities to participate in groundbreaking research with world-class scholars. UMaine offers more than 100 degree programs through which students can earn master's, doctoral or professional science master's degrees, as well as graduate certificates. The university promotes environmental stewardship, with substantial efforts campuswide to conserve energy, recycle and adhere to green building standards in new construction. For more information about UMaine, visit umaine.edu.