How to change your negative beliefs about speaking: 5 step plan
I sometimes work with clients who have seen themselves as poor speakers for a long time, often many years. They may turn up for coaching or come along to one of my courses with the attitude of “well I’ll give this a go, but it won’t really change anything”. Our beliefs run our lives – […]
Want Greater Charisma When You Speak? Have Certainty
When we speak in front of others, our goal is usually to get them to take action or think differently. We’re offering them something – ourselves and our message; an actual product or service. The audience will take their cue from us, and we need to be certain and congruent in our words, our […]
Using Peripheral Vision Impacts your Public Speaking
Using your peripheral vision – opening out your vision field to its very edges – is a helpful tool to feel more relaxed, open and ‘spacious’ in front of a group (or indeed whenever you want to feel that way). How often do you do the opposite? This is pretty much the opposite of what we […]
Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking: Playing at the Edges of your Comfort Zone
I’ve recently gone back to yoga classes after a break of 10 years or so, and one thing about doing the poses which confused me initially, was knowing how to distinguish between intensity during a stretch versus discomfort or pain. Intensity is another word for energy flow, and that’s what you’re after in yoga, and […]
A Tip to Stop Self-Doubts Before You Go On Stage
[Updated 2020] A client asked me recently about any tip to stop self-doubts; those fearful, negative thoughts which kick in like clockwork in the hours before she has to present. You may know how she feels: it’s so unhelpful, isn’t it? And yes, it’s how our brains work when we feel threatened by something, and […]
Respect, And How to Stay Calm When Challenged
We’ve come to the 7th and final skill in my C.R.I.S.P.E.R formula for good speaking (see 7 skills of every good speaker for an overview). Today’s skill is Respect, which we show in different ways when we’re in charge of a group: by respecting others’ opinions and time, and ensuring we’ve done enough preparation. In fact respect […]
How to Practise Your Presentation: Practical Tips (And What Not To Do)
There are many different ways to prepare: today I’m going to talk about practising your talk in the outer world, but working with your inner world – using mental rehearsal and relaxation techniques – are also important if you’re nervous. Practising can help in showing you: what you need to fix in order to make your […]
Low-Energy Speaker? 3 Simple Ways to Rev Yourself Up
We’ve come to the 6th of 7 essential skills of a good speaker in my C.R.I.S.P.E.R formula (see here for the overview article). The 6th skill is energy. When we speak in front of others, we need energy. Not bouncing off the walls, but enough the audience doesn’t ‘tune out’ in front of us, but instead […]
Practising Your Presentation: Why Don’t You Do It Properly?
I’ve learned over my years of experience both as a speaker and a Classical pianist, that fear about an upcoming talk – or concert – is simply telling me to prepare: to get ready for the event. To give you an example: when I was much younger and more foolish, I was booked to give a […]
3 Great Reasons From Neuroscience To Practise Your Presentation
Today’s post covers 3 great reasons to practise your presentation, taken from neuro-scientific research. Practice is No. 5 in my C.R.I.S.P.E.R series of good speaking skills (these skills are: being Clear, Relevant, Insightful, Succinct, Practised, Energetic and Respectful – the overview article is here). Reason No. 1: thicker neural pathways create precision and certainty […]