Becoming a Better Presenter with the Learning Cycle
Tips for becoming a better presenter Every time we learn a new skill we go through a cycle of learning. Understanding this cycle can help us to learn better and learn faster. In this article, I’d like to apply this process to becoming a better presenter. Overview: There are four distinct stages to the learning…
Read MoreDo You Know When to Listen, and When to Pitch?
I find the Dragon’s Den TV programme presents an endless supply of pitching lessons. Recently I was watching a replay of one episode, which featured a young guy called Joe Nelson pitching for investment in his They Fit, custom condom business. It was a fascinating pitch which amazingly managed to avoid degenerating into schoolboy humour.…
Read MoreIs This the Best Presentation Skills Book You’ll Read This Year?
I hope you can excuse a little piece of shameless self-promotion, but I am delighted to say that my new book, The Presenter’s Edge, is now available globally on Amazon Kindle. It’s the first in a series of bite-sized business books and, as its name suggests, tackles the thorny subject of presenting. Now of course I may…
Read MorePresentation Slide Design – Stop Animations Spoiling Your Presentation
PowerPoint, Keynote, and Skyrocket can create some excellent visual aids. Sadly, many presenters have never been taught the principles of presentation slide design. In this post, I’d like to focus on one element of presentation slide design called animation. Animation refers to the ability to control how the words and images on your slide appear. It allows you to…
Read MoreEffective Hand Gestures for Better Presentations
Way back in May 2008 I wrote a post to answer the question posed by many nervous presenters – “What do I do with my hands?” In it, I focussed on a comfortable resting place for your hands when not gesturing. In this new article, I want to take things a step forward and look…
Read MoreBecome More Persuasive – Start Where Your Audience Are At
I was moved to write this post about how to become more persuasive as a result of a recent set of experiences. I have a friend who, due to personal circumstances, has become incredibly passionate about healthy eating. He has started expressing his zeal in many ways including multiple social media posts and a hard-hitting…
Read MorePublic 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 MoreAvoid These Common Elevator Pitch Pitfalls, and See Your Business Grow
I’ve been a regular Networker for almost 14 years, and I dread to think how many elevator pitches I’ve sat through. Sadly most just seem to drone in through one ear and out the other without making any impact.
This morning I was at another such event and, as I listened to 29 elevator pitches, I got the inspiration for this post. I spotted a number of common speaking mistakes. So here they are, along with some simple suggestions to end them…
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 More