How to Engage an Audience - Lessons from Professional Speakers

How to Engage an Audience - Lessons from Professional Speakers

The Professional Speaking Association aims to help its members to ‘speak more, speak better’. Here are some lessons we can learn from speakers at their annual conference about how to engage an audience.

8 Reasons Why You Should Stop Presenting From Behind a Lectern

8 Reasons Why You Should Stop Presenting From Behind a Lectern

It often surprises me how many presenters are happy to stand behind a lectern and deliver a speech; it really doesn’t do them any favours when it comes to communicating their message effectively. In this post I share 8 problems connected with presenting from behind a lectern.

How to Book the Best Speaker for Your Event

How to Book the Best Speaker for Your Event

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.

Why I can’t keep quiet about my latest project!

Why I can’t keep quiet about my latest project!

Have you ever come across something that is such amazing value that you can’t wait to tell people about it?

Well, that’s the way I feel about the upcoming Boost Your Business Speaking Online Virtual Summit which I’m delighted to be part of.

Pitching Tips from the Scottish EDGE Final

Pitching Tips from the Scottish EDGE Final

The Scottish EDGE round 8 saw 22 companies pitching to a panel of expert judges for up to £100K each in grant funding and loans. If you’re considering entering any kind of pitching competition, read on for my tips on how you can ensure your pitch stands out for all the right reasons.

5 Ways to Appear More Confident When Presenting

5 Ways to Appear More Confident When Presenting

Nerves before a presentation are normal and important. Feeling nervous means you care and, therefore, you will put extra effort into ensuring that your message is communicated to your audience in the best possible way. Nervous adrenaline is also useful for giving your presentation the energy it needs to keep your audience engaged, as long as you use your nervousness effectively rather than allow it to overpower you. So here are five easy ways to manage your nerves and to look and feel more confident when speaking in public.

What Dolly Parton Can Teach You About Public Speaking

What Dolly Parton Can Teach You About Public Speaking

Dolly Parton demonstrated her incredible ability to engage a 180,000 strong crowd during her popular performance at Glastonbury. The more I watched the more I realised that her techniques could be implemented in many public speaking situations. So read on to find out what Dolly Parton can teach you about public speaking.

Public Speaking lessons from a Drag Show (Part 2)

Public Speaking lessons from a Drag Show (Part 2)

Inspired by an experience I had watching a drag show whilst on holiday, this is my second post about what lessons we can learn from drag queens when it comes to public speaking. 

12 TEDx Talks: 12 Lessons in Public Speaking

12 TEDx Talks: 12 Lessons in Public Speaking

On Thursday 18 February, the TEDx University of Edinburgh (TEDxUoE) 2016 Conference was held in Edinburgh’s Central Hall for an audience of around five hundred people. I was delighted to have the opportunity to coach 10 of the 12 speakers for this event and was incredibly proud of the way each of them delivered a clear, concise and engaging talk. So, from my perspective as an audience member, this post covers public speaking lessons inspired by each of their talks.

Why Improving Your Public Speaking Should Be Your Top Priority This Year

Why Improving Your Public Speaking Should Be Your Top Priority This Year

Are you one of those people who wrote ‘Improve my public speaking skills’ on your list of new year’s resolutions? If so, well done and I trust you are well on the way to achieving your goal (if you’re not, read on!)

What Mary Poppins Can Teach You About Public Speaking

What Mary Poppins Can Teach You About Public Speaking

Whilst in Australia I had the pleasure of watching a brilliantly produced and performed amateur production of Mary Poppins. As is so often the case when I attend live theatre, I identified a number of tips that can be easily transferred to your talks and presentations. Read about them here...

The Show Must Go On: 7 Tips on How to Give a Presentation When it’s the Last Thing You Feel Like Doing!

The Show Must Go On: 7 Tips on How to Give a Presentation When it’s the Last Thing You Feel Like Doing!

or many people, the thought of delivering a presentation makes them feel sick with nerves. But what if you’ve been booked to speak at an event and you are feeling unwell?

3 Areas Most Presenters Forget To Prepare and Why You Should Make Them a Priority

3 Areas Most Presenters Forget To Prepare and Why You Should Make Them a Priority

Regardless of whether you worry like crazy when asked to do a presentation or see it as a great opportunity to share your knowledge or passion, you will probably have a certain way of preparing what you're going to say. 

And whilst what you say is fundamental, how you say it is equally, if not more important. In order to bring your words to life and ensure they have the most impact, you need to prime the elements that communicate the words – your body, your voice and your mind.

25 Questions You Must Ask Before Creating Your Next Presentation

25 Questions You Must Ask Before Creating Your Next Presentation

Often when people are asked to deliver a speech or a presentation, they will start their preparation with the question “What do I want to say?” But this is the completely wrong place to begin. Here's what to do instead...

Why Other People Are the Key to Your Success

Why Other People Are the Key to Your Success

Jim Rohn is quoted as saying, ‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.' If you want to change your situation, you need to change the people you spend time with. Here's how being in a mastermind group will contribute to your success...

11 Ways to Kill Your Credibility as a Presenter

11 Ways to Kill Your Credibility as a Presenter

During a three day conference in London I had the opportunity to watch and listen to some incredibly charismatic and engaging presenters. Amongst them all, however, there was one presenter that stood out for all the wrong reasons and she has inspired this post. Find out what this speaker did to kill her credibility and caused me to walk out of her presentation...