Public Speaking Preparation: How’s your PEP?
With the main Olympics over (and Paralympians in action soon) – and whether you liked or watched the Games – you may know that competitors often have pre-event routines. Some competitors paint their nails in specific ways. Others knit, or listen to the same piece of music. This idea ties into work I may do […]
Don’t Forget to Breathe
I spent last week in SA running workshops for both Flinders University medical workforce and Limestone Coast Regional Development. My 3rd visit, and always so rewarding. And one of the topics that came up again – for many different reasons – breathing! At the risk of banging on about this again – believe me, it […]
Do you Shrink Wrap when you Speak?
Our mind and body follow each other when public speaking, and tightly controlling your body will mean that your mind also contracts. You want to move to be able to think! Do you ever shrink-wrap yourself when you’re speaking? Our mind follows our body and vice versa. And if you are nervous, or focused very […]
Screen Apnoea
Have you heard of screen apnea? Also called email apnea, this is a very unhelpful state that can occur when we are on devices or looking at a desktop and focusing. We either hold our breath or enter very shallow breathing patterns. Of course, when this happens, we go into low-level fight-flight. Because the system […]
The Audience Takes its Cue From You
What you put out, you are likely to get back. To give you a metaphor illustrating this: If you’re the slug at the front, expect your audience to be slugs in the seats. This may be an extreme visual, but there’s so much truth in it. Your audience will respond to your energy, vibrancy, and […]
Internalise don’t Memorise
If you’re preparing for a talk or an interview, and you write down the exact words that you want to say first and then try and remember them in the event, you’ve potentially got an issue. You may get: disconnected from the meaning behind the words, because you’re so hung up on getting exact wording […]
Asking Questions
When you give a presentation, do you ask enough questions? Even if they’re rhetorical questions, many people don’t have enough questions in their presentations. It’s simply a series of statements. And the higher level thinking or the more familiar the topic, the more involved we are, the less easier it is to remember that sometimes […]
Grounded Triangle Pose
Grounded triangle pose: a technique for you if you’re nervous or know you lack presence. When you speak it’s easy to become what I call “a head on a stick”. You might rush because of enthusiasm, too much content, or nervousness. You might not want to pause in case you forget your next point… or […]
Want to be a More Powerful Speaker?
Extend your vocal range. You’d probably agree with me that one of the most crucial aspects of an audience’s ability to “hear” us is the amount of vocal contrast we use. (There are other contrast aspects too, topics for another day.) Coming across as varied enough is a key challenge that so many speakers have […]
To Sound Authentic, Use Spoken Language, Not Written
If you ever prepare a script before an event – maybe you’re doing a presentation, speech, or video voiceover – you want to make sure it’s created for your audience’s ears, not their eyes! I still come across many instances where clients speak but it doesn’t sound natural, because they sat down and wrote what […]