Use of humour in a presentation is a distinct advantage if used well and appropriately. By appropriately, I mean that a joke for the sake of getting a laugh is inappropriate. A joke that fits the content and helps to make a point is appropriate. In contrast, humour that doesn’t work puts you on the […]
Whether or not you use presentations to sell, market or show case a product or service, consider this simple question: If you’re going to present to a group of people, surely it’s because you ultimately want them to do something? So even if you’re not selling, at the very least you will want to persuade […]
Many years ago I attended a course on selling and decided to immediately put into action a key segment of what I had learnt. I had a big appointment coming up, a presentation to a human resources director, the marketing manager and four factory managers of a pharmaceutical company. They needed a programme to increase […]
Once you have learnt the theory, had some practice and delivered more than one successful presentation, meeting your desired outcomes, you may be forgiven for expecting every engagement to be a walk in the park. This is unlikely. It’s a bit like buying a “good share” on the stock exchange after receiving a good tip […]
I have been asked, on more than one occasion why I wrote “Even You Can Present with Confidence”. Well, I’ve coached presentation skills long enough to understand that if more people knowwhat they need to do in order to be able to speak easily and with self assurance to an audience, then so many more of […]
During my inaugural Iran trip in June/July 2009 I made 6 presentations amounting to 2 presentations each at 3 separate conferences. In each case, a large percentage of the audience preferred to don headphones and listen to the simultaneous Farsi translation of the interpreter. This creates a whole new ball game for the speaker. It […]
After hearing a fellow Certified Speaking Professional deliver a peach of a speech recently, I asked him how he manages to speak to audiences with such ease and confidence. He surprised me by replying that it was not always so. On probing a little, he revealed to me how he got to where he is […]
Since presentation skills training is one of the things we are best known for, I thought of giving you some really important pointers on presenting, just in case you have a presentation looming and you haven’t the time to get yourself on to a programme. No-one starts out as a good presenter. You will find, […]
Imagine a sports person taking the field for a key match without months of preparation coupled with the required experience? But this is what so many presenters do – they step up to the podium inadequately prepared thinking their product knowledge and charm will get them through. Maybe it does, or maybe it doesn’t. The […]
You may vividly remember the first time you ever gave a presentation of some sort, or perhaps you don’t. What you should however remember, very vividly, is the first presentation you delivered that went wrong. What you’ll remember is the panic of being out of control. Most of all, you’ll recall the anxiety of what […]