From time to time even the most experienced presenter gets an attack of nerves or an episode of panic.   It happened to me the other evening whilst being Toastmaster at my local public speaking club. I had prepared well for the meeting.  I had my agenda and notes but when I arrived at the meeting…

Fellow Blogger Frank Roche just posted a neat article throwing down the gauntlet for those presenters who struggle with meaningless slide headlines. Check it out here. In my experience presenters often don’t give enough thought t their headline. This is especially important if you follow the tips in Cliff Atkins Beyond Bullet Points approach. A…

As many of you may have already guessed, I am a member of Toastmasters, a worldwide association of public speaking clubs which provides the opportunity for novice and experienced speakers alike to practice and get contructive feedback. It is standard protocol in a Toastmasters meeting that a speaker starts his speech with the words “Mr…

I am always surprised by the number of presentations I see that start of well but just seem to fade out at the end leaving an awkward silence as the audience try to work out whether you have finished or not. Not only does this undermine all the good work that you did at the…

If you have a fear of public speaking let me start by reassuring you – YOU ARE NOT ALONE! The good news is that many millions of people have already found ways to dissolve, diminish are control their fears so, if they can do it so can you – Right! One of the simplest and…