presentation skills

Presentation Tips for Middle Managers

Presentation Tips for Middle Managers

Sally Foley-Lewis is a multi-award winning global expert who has authored several books on leadership and productivity. She specialises in supporting middle managers to boost productivity, self-leadership and confidence, and during our recent chat, she shared some fantastic tips on how you can improve your presentation preparation and delivery.

Secrets to Energise Yourself and Your Audience

Secrets to Energise Yourself and Your Audience

Have you ever wondered how to deliver a great presentation when you really can't be bothered? Or why your online meetings and presentations seem so boring and flat? Or how to get rid of your nerves before speaking in public? In the fourth interview in my recent series, I'm in conversation with Julie Creffield, award-winning speaker, author and activator of people who shares her answers to those questions and so much more!

6 Reasons Women Need to be Confident Presenters

6 Reasons Women Need to be Confident Presenters

On International Women’s Day, I was reflecting on the importance of women’s voices in business, politics, the media and the community in general. It’s time more women took the time to develop the confidence and skills to speak in public, and in this post I share six reasons why...

Business Storytelling: Lessons from a Master

Business Storytelling: Lessons from a Master

One of the biggest buzzwords in business at the moment is ‘storytelling’. And for good reason. Stories make us think, and more importantly they make us feel. And they help us remember ideas and concepts far more effectively than facts and figures. I was privileged to have the opportunity recently to see well known Scottish businessman, Bob Keiller, delivering a Business Storytelling workshop and in this post I share his tips.

3 Public Speaking Lessons from Edinburgh Fringe Festival

3 Public Speaking Lessons from Edinburgh Fringe Festival

At this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe I’ve watched mainly theatre, cabaret and comedy performances. As usual, I have picked out a few lessons we can take and use to improve our public speaking and presentation skills.

How to L.O.V.E. Public Speaking

How to L.O.V.E. Public Speaking

Long ago I lost count of the number of people who have said to me “I HATE public speaking!” But what if I told you that you could learn to love public speaking?

If you fear or loath public speaking and avoid it at all costs, you may be missing out on opportunities to promote your business, progress your career or share a few words about a special person at an important occasion such as a wedding or a funeral.

8 Reasons Why You Should Stop Presenting From Behind a Lectern

8 Reasons Why You Should Stop Presenting From Behind a Lectern

It often surprises me how many presenters are happy to stand behind a lectern and deliver a speech; it really doesn’t do them any favours when it comes to communicating their message effectively. In this post I share 8 problems connected with presenting from behind a lectern.

Why I can’t keep quiet about my latest project!

Why I can’t keep quiet about my latest project!

Have you ever come across something that is such amazing value that you can’t wait to tell people about it?

Well, that’s the way I feel about the upcoming Boost Your Business Speaking Online Virtual Summit which I’m delighted to be part of.

5 Ways to Appear More Confident When Presenting

5 Ways to Appear More Confident When Presenting

Nerves before a presentation are normal and important. Feeling nervous means you care and, therefore, you will put extra effort into ensuring that your message is communicated to your audience in the best possible way. Nervous adrenaline is also useful for giving your presentation the energy it needs to keep your audience engaged, as long as you use your nervousness effectively rather than allow it to overpower you. So here are five easy ways to manage your nerves and to look and feel more confident when speaking in public.

25 Questions You Must Ask Before Creating Your Next Presentation

25 Questions You Must Ask Before Creating Your Next Presentation

Often when people are asked to deliver a speech or a presentation, they will start their preparation with the question “What do I want to say?” But this is the completely wrong place to begin. Here's what to do instead...

9 Public Speaking Lessons from the Theatre

9 Public Speaking Lessons from the Theatre

If you’ve been reading my posts for a while you might have gathered that I love the theatre and in particular the lessons we can learn from the theatre to enhance our public speaking. Whether you like it or not, each time you speak in public it is a performance. Here are some of the areas of performance that presenters sometimes overlook...

Dos and Don’ts for Pitching Competitions (and other important presentations)

Dos and Don’ts for Pitching Competitions  (and other important presentations)

Pitching competitions are a great opportunity for companies to raise funding and support to grow their business, but in order to win you need to be able to stand out from the competition. Based on what I observed at a Scottish EDGE fund final, here is a list of dos and don’ts to help your next presentation or pitch stand out...