Make it relevant to your audience
The other day I attended a talk on procurement by a university lecturer who had vast experience in the corporate world. The talk could have been really interesting but wasn’t. Why? Because he assumed that his audience members all came from larger companies with full-time purchasing and procurement departments. In fact, we were the opposite…
Read MoreLet’s hear it for nerves!
I recently heard Sir Digby Jones being interviewed on BBC Radio 4. When he admitted that he still got nervouse every time he spoke he took a bit of a ribbing from interviewer John Humphries. Somehow people think that experienced speakers don’t get nervous. What a load of rubbish. Even the best speakers get nervous. …
Read MoreMemorising a script – Structure or Straitjacket?
I have been enjoying watching the first two episodes of “The Speaker”, the BBC’s new public speaking competition for teenagers. Already there have been some outstanding performances and it’s been interesting to see who and why the judges have chosen to go through to the top 20. I have also been feeling for the people…
Read MoreBBC recognises the power of public speaking
Here in the UK, the BBC is about to launch an exciting series of bi-weekly programmes aimed at finding Britain’s best young speaker. The series which launches at 7pm on Tuesday 7th April in the UK is called “The speaker”. In this epic elimination show, thousands of 14 to 18 year olds will compete in…
Read MoreDevelop your vocal range
Your voice is a powerful part of your presentation and public speaking tool kit. As you listen to lots of people you will notice just how much variation there is in the human voice. I have noticed that many presenters have fallen into the trap of using only a tiny fraction of their vocal range…
Read MoreShould I stand still or move about when presenting?
As you develop your confidence and speaking ability you will start to wonder about whether or not to move around. Some speakers seem fixed to the lectern whereas others roam around. In my opinion, you can add an extra dimension to your message by using purposeful movement but you have to be aware that random…
Read MoreHow to easily prepare an effective speech
Many people say that they don’t have time to write a good speech. Well that’s bulls***t! Here’s a simple structure that will help you write a great speech in under then minutes: This really does work and will help you construct and effective speech in less time than you could ever have thought possible. If…
Read MoreLearn how to make the most of Outlook – Our new Ebook on sale now!
I’m excited to tell you all that at long last our latest ebook has been launched. Its full of practical tips on how to make the most of Microsoft Outlook in order to help people like you get more done in less time. It includes screen captures and simple step by step instructions to show…
Read MoreGreat free online mindmapping software with Mindomo
As many of you may already know I am a keen user of Tony Buzan’s Mind Mapping concept both manually and via software applications such as Mindmanager, imindmap and freemind. well the other day I came across another application which got me very excited. It’s called Mindomo and whilst its not quite as powerful and…
Read MorePowerpoint and teaching English?
Today I had a response to my 7 minute video on preventing death by Powerpoint. The poster, a student teacher asked the following question: As a future teacher I will be using PowerPoint (e.g. for teaching grammar). As a topic for a course it could be useful for many people in my field…
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