One of the questions I get asked by clients is: should I read my speech or presentation from notes or a script? There is no wrong answer here. It depends on the situation. Of course, there are a few occasions when I would recommend reading from your script or notes. But there are also many situations where public speakers don’t …
We all know that Virtual Presentations (Zoom, Teams, Webex etc) can be difficult as a presenter. Audiences can be easily distracted, zone out, keep working on other projects, and basically disengage from the Virtual Presentation. As a professional speaking coach, I often get asked how I can better manage my Virtual Presentations so that my audience is involved, engaged, and …
One of the keys to being more influential, when you speak in public is to share your message in a way that highlights the benefits to your audience or your clients. When you are asking people to change, or to accept a new way of thinking, or to try something different, what are the benefits for them. A common mistake …
When you get asked to speak at a meeting, be a guest speaker at an AGM, or be asked to share your expertise at a conference, you may consider turning up and winging it without preparation. After all, you are an expert on the topic. This is something I often get asked about: “Is it OK to wing it?”, “Should …
Is public speaking a must-have skill, or a nice to have, optional skill? This is a question that I am often asked by managers and business owners. My answer is always that it depends. It depends on whether you want a high-performance team, if you want to encourage group participation and idea sharing, if you want to enhance creativity and …
The Question and Answer (Q and A) session can be a key component of any presentation, meeting or training session. It is where your audience asks questions that fill the gaps in their knowledge and clarify their understanding of what you have said. Unfortunately, many speakers and trainers struggle when the Q and A session starts. And this may have …
