If eye contact is something that intimidates you, you can choose certain chairs, rows and pillars in an auditorium and your audience will feel like you’re making eye contact with them. However, I don’t recommend that because we truly gauge whether our audience is connected through eye contact. We want to see: Are they listening? […]
It’s a very timely question! First off, don’t call it a webinar. That name, in and of itself, is so dry and boring. Call it something else. Give it a brand new title so it feels fresh and new for you and your participants. Secondly, bring a positive energy in. Start with a smile. Enjoy […]
Often we move around the stage without consciously thinking about the HOW. Here’s a few tips: Choose keywords in your content that lend themselves to expression. Whether it’s arm expression, or facial expression, or expression with your hands. When we bring messages to life with our arms intentionally, it has a big impact. Also, practise […]
If your audience is looking at their mobile phones, or they’ve disconnected from you part way through your presentation, try breaking up the energy! You can do that with humour, with a joke, you can jump into the audience (OK, maybe that’s just a me thing?). Ask your audience questions, get them engaged, bring their […]
The short answer is… NO. When I started my comedy career, I memorised everything. I rote learned. I learnt joke by joke, for a 50-minute comedy show. Even though it worked at the time, looking back it was absolutely the wrong approach! Memorising feels like a safe option, but truthfully, it’s a trap. Because if you […]
You know the old saying: If you’re scared of something, face your fears… Well, if filming on your iPhone frightens you, the answer is: DO IT. Spend as much time as possible easing into the process to reduce the fear factor that can grab hold of you. The more you film yourself at home, in a […]
Are you confused about where to look when you’re leading a Zoom or Microsoft Teams meeting? Do you look at the webcam? The box of faces? Or the cat on your keyboard? We often feel like we need to STARE at the webcam if we’re leading an online meeting. We feel pressure because, if we […]
Storytelling is a powerful way to open client pitches. We love stories. Stories inspire us, they us, they educate us, they entertain us. We connect with stories in really meaningful ways and they’re very valuable when we are doing all forms of Public Speaking and Presenting. And in fact, most of the stand-out speeches, presentations […]
If we use the word ‘rehearse’ it suggests we are acting, or playing a role. So I would change the word ‘rehearse’ for plan or prepare for all situations involving speeches and presentation skills. In order to deliver a message, authentically, we need to be truly connected and passionate about what we’re sharing because that’s […]
I answer your public speaking and presentation skills questions, at random, in less than 50 seconds! If I don’t answer in time, I get buzzed out! So many people ask “How do I get rid of nerves?” Public speaking and Presenting in front of audiences brings a lot of new fears and challenges! We can’t […]