Should you Move About When you Present, or Not?
As presenters, people tend to fall into two opposing ‘choreography’ camps when they’re in front of a group – you may recognise yourself here: You stand stock-still (often hiding behind – even hanging onto – the lectern), barely twitching except to advance a slide Advantage: you feel better because you’re in a safe space (or safer […]
As a presenter, should you be interesting, or interested?
[Updated 2024] As a presenter or speaker, should you be interesting or interested? When I was younger I used to worry that I was never interesting enough; I was quite shy, and never one of the cool girls…and I used to fret that I had nothing special or exciting to say socially. Well one of […]
Why and Where to use Silence during your presentations
This topic is deceptively simple, but it’s such a crucial aid to your speaking success that it’s worth revisiting. After all, we’ve heard the basics before – but we don’t always remember to do them, right? Pauses Few presentations have enough of them – how do yours rate? Imagine that your presentation is like the ocean, each […]
4 Tips to Redefine Public Speaking Anxiety
Do you feel anxious when you have to speak to groups? Obviously you’re not alone: public speaking is one of the toughest social situations that most people have to deal with. I’ve felt it myself, many times. Yet it’s also one of the greatest opportunities to leverage your time, energy and visibility if you’re interested […]
My CRISPER Formula for Good Public Speaking
People often ask me “what makes a good public speaker?” And on my journey from dreadful to competent presenter, I’ve done a lot of thinking about this – as well as working with all my clients. A couple of years ago I had fun (yes, I’m quirky like that!) creating an acronym for good presenters which […]
Fear, and How to Build Belief around your Public Speaking
I was talking with a client this week about her fears around failure and embarrassment when she gives a presentation at work, and how she felt they weren’t normal. I commented that they were indeed normal, and that we all have these fears as human beings. It got me thinking about the different fears and […]
The Ultimate Motivation to Improve your Speaking Skills?
We’re guaranteed two things in this life: Nothing stays the same Death Now I’m not someone who has an easy relationship with the idea of death – far from it! But over the past 10 months I’ve lost my father, mother-in-law and aunt – and that’s made it much harder to push away the knowledge […]
Energy – Are you Missing this Vital Element for Speaking Success?
Having enough energy when presenting to carry your audience along with you – and get your message across – is a vital part of being a good presenter. I believe this is one reason why people are so often afraid of public speaking: because they know, even subconsciously, that they’re ultimately responsible for the energy in the […]
Easy Persuasion Technique to Try
Want to increase your persuasiveness? A large 2012 review* of 42 studies involving 22,000 people worldwide showed that when you use the easy persuasion technique I’m about to give you, it doubles the chances of someone saying yes to your request. Doubles! And I believe it can also apply to some public speaking scenarios, as […]
Practising your Speech: your Most FAQ
As a professionally trained pianist, practice has been part of my life since I was 6 years old. Time-consuming and often tedious, it’s the focused, detailed work which makes going out on stage possible – a Classical musician wouldn’t even contemplate walking out in front of a group without practising beforehand. Yet speakers frequently neglect […]