Inspiration
Could Public Speaking Make You Feel More Alive in 2019?
I was prompted to write this post after one of my friends shared an experience whilst on a Skiing Holiday over the New Year Period. My friend, whom I happened to know is an aspiring speaker, posted the following comment on FaceBook “ “Managed to ski today. Turns out I feel more alive when I…
Read MoreSelf confidence is a choice – how to dismiss your demons
Public speaking can certainly be daunting. When faced with such an opportunity, it is tempting to concede to the words of our inner demons who tell us to say “I can’t” or “I won’t”, bit the truth is that self-confidence is a choice. Recently I had the pleasure of working with a group of young…
Read MoreBetter presentations – what not to do before the night before
To be honest, I am a naturally positive kind of a guy and so my normal approach is to focus on what to do and not what not to do. Sometimes, however, there is merit in looking at the negatives first, just as long as you then turn them into positives. With that in mind,…
Read MoreOlympic Lessons for Presenters Who Want to be the Best
The dust has settled on the London 2012 Olympics and the UK can get back to normal but are there any lessons for presenters from the 2012 Games? I could be negative and have a go at the professional BBC commentators who managed to entertain us with a vast selection of bloopers, contrived alliterations, uhms…
Read MoreLife Lessons From The Movies – The King’s Speech
Can Public Speakers Learn from The King’s Speech? Every so often I watch a film that proves to be a fantastic source of learning and inspiration as well as entertainment. Recently I saw The King’s Speech and it really moved me. Afterwards, I started to wonder what it was that made it so powerful. The acting was…
Read MorePublic speaking – setting free our human voice
As a public speaking and presentation skills trainer I am passionate about helping my clients find their voice and develop the confidence and passion to share their knowledge, opinions, hopes, fears, thoughts and feelings with the world. I came across this short video via youtube and its simple yet profound message just resonated with me.…
Read MoreLeadership, music and presentations – watch this TED video
I love to watch and share presentation skills tips and especially great examples of passionate presenters. Today I am indebted to Nancy Duarte of Duarte Design and author of the fantastic new book “Resonate” for drawing my attention to this inspiring presentation. Watch it and enjoy conductor Benjamin Zander’s passion and his command of…
Read MoreBe present to influence, communicate or present well
The art of being fully present in the moment isn’t just an esoteric spiritual skill. Its a vital ability that can help you communicate, present and ell more effectively by connecting better with your clients
Read MoreMatch the pace to your content – Changing gear in a speech or presentation
I was particularly impressed with the way Rich matched his energy and pace of delivery to the story he was telling. At the start his pace was slow and measured as he described the rather boring car journey where he was too small to see much out of the car window but clouds. Then, when he arrived at his gran’s the pace picked up dramatically as he described zooming into her house (an Aladdin’s cave for a five year old boy!) with his arms outstretched behind him pretending to be a plane. The pace stayed high as he described how he explored and played and then slowed a little as he started to describe the other family members present. The pace slowed further as he brought us up to the present day and how things had changed. How his granny wasn’t as energetic as she had been, how the food wasn’t as home cooked as it had been and so on. This “gear change”change of pace brought a poignancy and a sense of reflection to this speech that worked beautifully and lead us up nicely to Rich’s take away message.
Read MoreImpromptu speaking tips – part 2
In my last post I focused on the delivery side of an impromptu speech but what about the content? How do I stop by brain going blank and running out of things to say? Well here are two further technique to help you wow your audience ; Use the PEP model Position – Start…
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