When you are invited to speak or present at a conference or seminar there are certain rules and obligations that you as a speaker should observe. These obligations help the conference run smoothly, they make the organiser look good and they help you earn the respect and trust of the audience. And simply put they are just common etiquette. Over …
One of the keys to a successful presentation is to ensure that you are in rapport with you audience. Rapport is the trust and connection that a speaker creates with his/her audience. If you are asking people to adopt a new way of thinking, an alternate viewpoint or to change their behaviour then it is crucial to develop trust and …
“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” ~ Pablo Picasso. I love this quote by Picasso and every time I read it, it reminds that before I do something completely different and go out on a limb I need a good understanding of the first principals of public speaking, audience engagement and indeed …
Should you share your struggles, your weaknesses your mistakes? I was doing an online leadership course and one of the questions asked, was “should leaders reveal their weaknesses”? The majority of responses stated that good leaders must appear strong, knowledgeable, experienced and they must not show or reveal any weakness. Of course I disagreed and argued that weakness, or struggle …
In all of my public speaking workshops I emphasise the value and the importance of getting feedback, one way or the other, on your performance. One of my favorite quotes states that “Feedback is the food of champions” and it is the way we learn and grow. Feedback is important for several reasons. Feedback:- lets you know of areas where …
As a public speaking coach and trainer many people ask me if I can fix their fear, make them a better presenter and a more confident and effective speaker. They do a coaching package, or attend a workshop and then they think they are fixed. When I follow up 6 months later many people state that they have not had …
