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.
Do you feel confident and positive all the time? If you are like most people, your confidence can wax and wane depending on the circumstances. However, lack of confidence and low self-esteem can impact on every area of our lives. In this post I share my tips on how to weed out self doubt and cultivate your confidence...
During the first 30-60 seconds of your presentation, your audience will decide whether they like you and are interested in listening to what you have to say. It’s a very short time to draw people in and it’s important to ensure that you don’t waste those first few precious moments to effectively engage them so here are 9 attention grabbing ways to open your presentation...
This week I was delighted to have the opportunity to interview Neil Dorward who is known as The Legacy Man. He was the first full time civil funeral celebrant in Scotland, and has written and delivered over 2500 funerals in the past nine years. In this post he shares a bit about his work and some great tips for public speaking...
If you think about speakers who really connect and truly engage an audience, there’s a good chance it will be those who bring an authentic energy, enthusiasm and excitement to their presentations. These qualities are infectious and they enable speakers to bring their audience on a journey with them. But how do you inject energy into your presentation? Here are five ways to infuse your talk with a liveliness that will have your audience captivated...
One of the biggest fears my clients have is about forgetting what they are going to say when public speaking and I am frequently asked for advice on how to memorise a speech or presentation. In this post I explore the different schools of thought about this and provide some suggestions on how to prepare effectively to remember your presentation...
How do you react when you’re asked to ‘say a few words’? Are you one of the many who become completely tongue tied; barely managing to ‘um’ and ‘err’ through a mumbled ramble of incoherent nonsense before shuffling away hoping the ground would open up and put you (and your audience) out of misery? If so, read on for tips on ‘speaking off the cuff’ from Scotland's impromptu speaking champion, Renée Philippi...
I am often asked how many words should be included when drafting a speech. This can depend on a number of factors, not least the language being spoken and the culture in which it is spoken; speech rates can vary from region to region, person to person and even each time you speak. In this post, find out what impacts your rate of speech and how many words you should be aiming for if scripting your pitch or presentation...
Famous Russian actor and theatre director, Constantin Stanislavski was quoted saying, ‘Spectators come to the theatre to hear the subtext.’ The use of subtext is used in acting to communicate so much more than just the words and the technique can also be used to give life and meaning to your presentations and connect with your audience on another level...
We are now three weeks into January and I wonder how you’re getting on with your plans for the coming year. How is this year going to be different to the past? Have you made plans? Are you moving forward with them? Or are you letting fear hold you back? This is a guest blog post by Philippa Linane of Decision Happy, whose work is based on the best-selling book ‘Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway’ by Susan Jeffers. Philippa’s post will provide you with food for thought and some techniques for feeling the fear and making a difference to last year...
One of my favourite TED Talks is by Social Psychologist, Amy Cuddy called ‘Your body shapes who you are.’ It shows how you can reduce stress and feel more powerful simply by changing the way you hold your body, which is essential for confident and credible communication...
