When you’re nervous about an upcoming presentation, it can cause stress on your body and mind which will impact on your ability to communicate your message effectively. In this article I outline a simple exercise to help combat the symptoms and instil a sense of calm; it can be done anywhere at any time you feel a little scattered, apprehensive or anxious.
What's the best piece of advice you've received about public speaking? In this article I share the two words that changed EVERYTHING for me about how I prepare and deliver presentations.
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.
Having the right speakers and break out session facilitators is crucial to the success of an event. Therefore, if you’re in charge of planning, it’s important to put time, effort (and money) into finding the right speakers who will engage and inspire your audience and ensure your event is talked about for years to come. In this post I share my top tips to help you book the ideal speaker.
Would you like to learn speaking tips from hundreds of professional speakers? October is the month for the annual Professional Speaking Association ‘Inspire’ conference which aims to support professional speakers with their speaking and the business of speaking. In this post I share some of the tips and observations that could help you to improve your speaking and your business in general.
Have you ever been to training sessions where you’re sitting in one place for long periods of time listening to the trainer drone on and on as they work their way through dozens of boring text filled PowerPoint slides? Don't be that trainer! In this post I share tips about accelerated learning techniques to keep your audience awake and engaged...
TED talks have changed the speaking landscape and I was honoured and privileged to be one of the speaker coaches once again for the Glasgow TEDx event at the SEC Armadillo. In a day that showcased 16 speakers some of them were more memorable than others, so in this post I look at some of the talks that stood out and examine the reasons why. Read on to find out how you can use the techniques to make your own communication more powerful.
Whether you are in business for yourself or working for an organisation, the ability to be seen and heard is vital to your success. If you’re someone who sometimes feels like you’re not getting noticed and you’re missing out on opportunities because of it, this post will introduce you to a simple new concept that will help you to stand out and make an impact in your personal and professional life.
Have you ever felt like you’ve lost your mojo? Most of us will at some point. Whether we’re in business for ourselves or we’re an employee in an organisation, this can impact significantly on how we present ourselves, and therefore, how others perceive us. Read on to find out how a car, a lipstick and a throwaway comment led to a simple, powerful new concept that will help you to stand out, make an impact and be remembered (for all the right reasons!)
Often people worry about whether they can use notes during a presentation and there are arguments for and against it. Having some notes to jog your memory can help ease nerves but it’s important to ensure they don’t detract from your presentation. This post covers several options for using notes and provides tips on how to use them effectively.
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.
We all love to watch a presenter who appears cool, calm and confident. In fact, if a presenter doesn’t seem confident, it is uncomfortable to watch and we will have no confidence in the message they are sharing. But how is it that they are confident in the first place? Here are seven secrets that you can use to become a confident presenter...
Though most of us have the ability to speak, many are not able to speak well when in front of a group people. Yet, being comfortable and confident when speaking in public has the potential to enrich your life both professionally and personally. Here are 19 benefits of being good at public speaking...
What does your voice say about you? Whether you like it or not, people will make judgements about you based on your voice. They’ll make assumptions about where you’re from, how well educated you are or how confident you are. Regardless of the words you speak, your voice will impact on how engaging a speech or presentation is for your audience and how well your message is received.
