Public Speaking
Public Speaking Tips – How to Make a Dull Subject Interesting
Sometimes we have to speak about topics that our audience may initially find boring or dull. Our challenge is how to make a dull subject interesting, relevant and memorable. Recently I heard a presentation on IT for small business owners that pushed all the right buttons. Afterwards, I thought I would share some of the…
Read More4 Powerful Tips for Speaking “Off The Cuff”
*POST UPDATED JAN 2017* If there is one thing that some people fear even more than public speaking, it is speaking off the cuff. Impromptu speaking can turn confident presenters into gibbering wrecks. We’ve all been there. You are sitting quietly in a meeting minding your own business, when your boss suddenly, turns to you…
Read MoreWhat Makes a Great Presentation?
“What makes a great presentation?” First of all you have to ask yourself, who is qualified to decide whether a presentation is “great” or not. Is it the experts like me? Or is it the audience for that particular presentation? Ultimately every presentation is a unique communication between the presenter and his or her audience.…
Read MoreDeliberate Practice – The Key to Improving Presentation Skill
We have all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect” but is it really true? Practice is a key part of any new skill acquisition, but there’s more to it than simple, mindless repetition. They way we practice is as important as whether we practice when it comes to improving presentation skill. The aim of this…
Read MoreHow to Come Across as Credible With Your Audience
One of the most common fears associated with presentations and speaking in public is the fear of not being taken seriously. Whether you are presenting in front of a few colleagues at an internal team meeting, or standing up in front of thousands at a major conference, credibility is essential if you are to influence…
Read MoreOvercoming Public Speaking Fear – Embrace Your Vulnerability
One of the most common reasons for public speaking nerves is our fear of making a mistake in front of others. Maybe we’ll dry up, or say something stupid or … In other words, we are scared to let others to see that we are anything less than perfect. Interestingly, some of the best…
Read MoreBoost Your Influence by Fine Tuning Your Intonation
In this post, I’d like to show you how a greater awareness of one particular area of your vocal delivery can boost your ability to influence others. Intonation is the way we change our vocal tone within a sentence, and it can dramatically alter the meaning of the words we speak. You can harness the power…
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 MoreAre You Afraid of People Looking at You?
I have had a number of presentation coaching clients who have avoided making presentations because of an acute fear of being looked or judged. The technical name for the fear of people looking at you is Scopophobia and can be a very debilitating. Whilst some cases need specialist 1:1 therapy, many find that simple techniques like…
Read MoreHow to Memorise a Speech
When it comes to mastering the art of public speaking many people ask me for help with how to memorise a speech. Some people say why bother, why not read from a script but the reality is that reading scripts tends to result in a flat and lifeless monologue that is likely to put your…
Read More