What to do if someone strongly disagrees with your message
The question and answer section can cause a lot of anxiety for you, the presenter. You’ve been in control of your presentation content, but you can’t control the questions that…
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The Five Big Presentation Errors
A presentation that is too long, has no flow and isn’t clear how it benefits the audience is a recipe for disaster. This post looks at how we can avoid…
How to cut down your presentation at a moment’s notice
By leading with your key message, taking a layering or modularlizing approach to the structure and adjusting your slide deck, you’ll be in a position to cut down the length…
Tips for managing multitasking ‘listeners’
Help your listeners resist the temptation to multitask by following these tips. You also need to control your own behaviour and mindset aroung it as well.
The 9 Public Speaking Secrets from ‘Talk like TED’
‘Talk like TED’ by Carmine Gallo is one of my favourite books and it contains 9 public speaking ‘secrets’. In this post you’ll discover exactly what those secrets are.
Video: Why you should incorporate stories into your presentation
We’ve been hearing for a long time how stories really help people to remember the messages of your presentation. Watch this TEDtalk video and you’ll be convinced! To ensure that…
Video: Make your presentation engaging with the ‘3Is’
When giving a technical presentation we can be tempted to think it’s all about facts and giving dry information. But our audience expects more from us than just facts. To…
To Engage your Audience Think Information, Insights & Inspiration
To engage your audience you have to do more than deliver facts. Use the 3 ‘I’s – Information to talk about the facts, insights for the audience to connect the…
Should you write out a presentation script?
Writing out a script is an important part of your presentation preparation. You need to focus on the words you’ll use to communicate your messages. However, I’m not recommending that…
6 tips on how to use rhetorical questions effectively in your presentations
Using rhetorical questions in your presentations is a great way to engage the audience. This article gives you six tips on how to do it effectively.
The ‘New Normal’ – time for reinventions, learnings and reflections
The COVID-19 crisis has brought change to all our lives. It’s given me a chance to stop, think and reflect and make changes to my business that were necessary but…
Video: How to deal with latecomers to your virtual presentation
When you are giving a virtual presentation it can be a challenge to deal with those people that have joined the call on time and those who are having technical…
Video: 3 tips for virtual presenting
Virtual presenting has its own challenges. Use these three simple tips to make sure you engage your virtual audience.
Video: How long should a story last?
How long should a story last in our presentations? This question popped up in my recent webinar ‘Forget about Presenting; Tell a Story Instead’. Check out the video below to…
Video: To help me choose a story for my presentations
“What prompts can we use to figure out what story to tell?” This was one of the questions I receieved in my recent webinar ‘Forget about Presenting; Tell a Story…
Video: How to improve your storytelling skills
“What if we’re not great storytellers? How can we improve this skill”? In this video I answer this question which came up in my recent webinar about using stories to…
Are you using stories in your presentations? If not, start now!
Using story telling techniques in your presentations is one of the most effective ways to persuade your audience to take action, adopt your ideas or spread your message. And both…
The magic formula to make people remember your presentation
If you want your presentation audience to go away changed in some way after listening to your presentation, you need to ensure your communication is impactful and completely relevant to…
Leave your presentation audience on a high!
If you want your presentation to be remembered, make sure you finish with a strong conclusion that leaves the audience on an emotional high. In this post I give an…
Video: When to pause in presentations
In general, inexperienced presenters tend to speak too fast. Pausing is a powerful tool that used in the right places will make look totally confident and in control. Here are…
Video: Presentation Truth #8
One of the biggest mistakes people make is that they forget about rehearsing their presentation. Rehearsing your presentation out loud a minimum of 3 times will give you confidence and…
Video: Presentation Truth #7
In many cases, people refer to the PowerPoint slides as the presentation. In my opinion this is a big mistake. When you are presenting, YOU are the protaganist, your slides…
How to achieve great presence when presenting
In the presentation and public speaking world, we talk about having ‘presence’. But what exactly does ‘presence’ mean in this context and how do you achieve it? When you’re speaking…
Video: Presentation Truth #2
When presenting, we’re often very nervous seeing the audience in front of us, thinking they’re judging us negatively. But the fact is, the audience are really on your side, they…
The importance of ‘pacing’ your audience
If you try to lead the audience around to your point of view too soon, they will resist because of the reasons above. When we pace an audience, we let…
A simple technique to totally engage your audience
In thisTEDX talk, Mark Robinson shows us an excellent technique which combines asking questions and telling stories to deliver an engaging presentation.
Video: Presentation Truth #1
The first ‘Presentation Truth’ of the series talks about how it’s impossible for an audience to listen to a speaker and read slides at the same time. For more details,…
Video: Presentation Truth #5
In this video we have presentation Truth # 5 which is that no audience ever complained about a presentation being too short.
Video: How to give an impromptu presentation
There are times when we have to give a presentation with very little time to prepare. In the video I give you some tips on how to structure a talk…
Video: Presentation Truth #4
Presentation Truth # 4 is about making an impact on the audience at the beginning of your presentation.
Video: Presentation Truth #3
In this video Janice talks about the importance of the ‘radio station’ WIFM in the context of presenting. WIFM stands fof ‘What’s in It For Me and is the question…
Being an Expert in your Field doesn’t make you an Expert in Presenting about it
Have you got what it takes to give an engaging presentation in English about your area of expertise? This article gives an overview of the most importants skills you need…
How to Get your Audience to Remember your Presentation Message
In the world of oral communication, when we talk about how easily an audience is able to remember our message, we talk about how ‘sticky’ the message is. In their…
How to recover from getting blocked when presenting
One of the biggest fears that some of my clients have when it comes to presenting is having and getting through a brain freeze. Here are some tips on how…
The biggest mistake you can make when presenting…
If you haven’t thought about exactly why the audience should listen to you in the presentation preparation stage, and you don’t spell it out to them when delivering it, the…
What is the ‘Big Idea’ behind your Presentation?
This post discusses how important it is to have a core message to your presention and what is sometimes known as your ‘Big Idea’. To make your big idea impactful,…
The Great Corporate Presentational Myth
Many business presentations are incredibly boring due to the fact that there is a great dependance on PowerPoint slides. This article argues for a change in this approach and advocates…
Six presentation truths you should never forget
This article highlights some aspects of presenting and public speaking that you need to know if you want to present confidently and keep your audience engaged.
The biggest presentation mistake you can make and how to avoid it
One of the golden rules of presenting and public speaking is to research your audience well. But even when we know the audience are related to our topic, we cannot…
How to prepare a presentation when you have no idea where to start
You’ve been asked to prepare a presentation. It’s a topic you know a lot about…
The One Body Language Rule when Presenting
Many people worry about their body language when presenting. Clients ask me “what should I…
Is perfection in presenting possible?
Is it possible to achieve ‘perfection’ in public speaking? I would say that we need to change the word ‘perfection’ to ‘success’. To achieve success it is vital that you…
The one thing you forgot to do to ensure your presentation’s success
Effective rehearsal and knowing that you have spent time really ‘feeling’ your presentation will do wonders for your self-confidence which feeds in directly to you giving a good performance.
Let me tell you a story…
Stories make facts in a presentation come alive; stories give facts an emotional context and when an audience is touched emotionally they will remember your message.
How to present to Senior Executives and get them to listen to you
Senior executives are short of time, exceptionally intelligent and smart, and very impatient to move onto the next big decision. They want accurate information delivered quickly, so as with all…
10 ways to make your presentation more impactful
Whatever language you are presenting in, it’s important that your presentation has impact.With an impactful presentation, the audience willl receive your message loud and clear. Here are 10 tips to…
Pausing to Pause in Presentations
Silence is a necessity in effective oral communication. Embrace, plan and practice your pausing and you will quickly see how your presentation message gains more impact.
Why is it so hard to produce simple presentations?
Audiences don’t want to have to work hard to follow your presentation, they just want you to get to your point quickly and simply
How to Connect with your Audience when Presenting
Presenting is communicating and communicating is about connecting with the person/people in front of you. Use the word ‘you’ as much as you can to connect with your audience.
How to Overcome your Fear of Presenting
If we have learnt and practised the necessary skills to present effectively, the only remaining factor which will affect our confidence to present is what we are THINKING. It is…
A simple way to make your presentation more professional
Anglosaxon audiences expect structure, it’s second nature to them. Part of giving a professional presentation is about using a clear structure so your audience can clearly understand you.
Presenting in English: how to handle questions
For many people who give presentations in English, the most nerve-wracking part is when they have to answer questions. The nervousness doesn’t come from the fear they won’t know the…
Eight tips on how to deliver a presentation in English
In this post I give you 8 tips that will help you present in English more effectively
Tips on giving a presentation in English
For many people giving a presentation is an extremely nerve wracking experience especially if they have to give it in a foreign language. Here are some tips on how to…