You are speaking at a meeting or convention. We inform you that a person has been assigned to introduce you. What are some of the possible pitfalls? An introduction is like a launch ramp that propels you quickly and unequivocally into the heart of the matter. If the ramp is not solid, you will need to do some major course correction early! More… »Introducing speakers. 3 reasons why this did not go as planned.
Do you get the jitters when you speak in public and present in front of an audience? Don't worry, it's perfectly normal. You share this physiological phenomenon with most human beings on this planet! Professional speakers, politicians, experienced facilitators, renowned artists have stage fright like you. More… »Nervous when speaking in public? 8 ideas you’ve heard before that really don’t work.
In the coming days when watching interviews with politicians and journalists on television, count the number of times the person who is interviewed answer a question from the host starting with "Listen" or "So listen..." More… »Answering questions – A common mistake that is easy to fix.
How proficient are you at delivering a dynamic, impactful presentation to any audience – from your senior leadership team to external customers? What are your strengths as a presenter? What skills do you need to improve? Although feedback from others is invaluable, start by completing a quick, candid assessment. More… »Professional Presentations – Test Your skills!
You've probably noticed that some speakers can't help but pepper their speech with Um, ok, like, you know and other fillers. You may find this endearing and feel that the speaker sounds more human; on the other hand, you may find this so irritating that you are not paying attention to what is being said. Is this a serious offence? If you are a speaker who relies a little too often on these oratory crutches, the consequences on your effectiveness are more important than you think. More… »'Um, ok, like, you know' and other public speaking hesitations. 5 ways to eliminate these oratory crutches.
I don't know about you, but sometimes I attend sales presentations that don't sell. Ironic right? The presenter enthusiastically offers a host of details and features of a solution, recommendation or product and leaves it to the audience members to convince themself. Often the presenter will offer a plethora of details, which, if we really think for a moment, speak more to the advantages for the presenter and the organization represented than those of the audience members. Here are four ideas for making presentations that will achieve their goals: More… »The sales presentation... must sell.
Here are the 6 steps to make this impromptu speech into a demonstration of your leadership abilities:
If you're like most people, you may not appreciate when being sold to when you have just set foot in a store. Still, admit it, you like to buy! More… »The sales presentation: Would you please stop selling!
Have you ever attended a business presentation and felt like you were working harder than the speaker? I recently attended a business presentation, at the end of which, I had to develop my own conclusions to the talk as the speaker did not offer a summary of the presentation. At the end of the presentation, I saw several people in the audience hastily making notes, some frowning in frustration! No doubt were they trying to "wrap their head around" this presentation. More… »The art of the summary! A gift for your audience.
When I was at university, my statistics teacher, who was not necessarily known for his sense of humor, once told us in class that there were three kinds of liars: a liar, a damn liar, and a statistician! More… »‘Tis the numbers season! - 5 ideas to present numbers with more success.