Another thing that audiences always enjoy is the chance to laugh. It achieves several things for both speaker and audience when humour is successfully injected into a speech or presentation. Amongst these are that it relaxes the speaker (or at least reassures them); similarly the audience is unified and reassured about the speaker’s general composure [...]
In August 2009 the BBC Radio 4 magazine programme, ‘More or Less’, included the following interview with Prof Albert Mehrabian on the topic of ‘that formula’. So just what did his research set out to find, and what does the man himself make of the misplaced assertions that have dogged his findings for over 40 [...]
Professional actors will do it as a matter of course. Musicians and athletes too. Why won’t the business world?
Rehearsing, in real time and out loud, not just in your head, is the hardest thing to find time for, in my experience. The big event, the vital pitch, the career-enhancing conference speech .. planned, designed, crafted, [...]
The moment you rise to your feet or walk out ‘on stage’ you can sense that little kick. We all can, however much we say we can’t. For some, the onset of the butterflies is mild, for others very much more unsettling; just occasionally the sensation can be close to terror. We know the line [...]
You’re settled into the meeting, neatly ticking off the agenda items and thinking about getting back to your desk when you hear the chairman of the meeting mention your name. “Now,” he says, “We’d just like a quick update on where we are with the widget project. Over to you.” This wasn’t pre-planned and you [...]
Hands and, in particular, arms. Odd isn’t it? They go about their daily routine not bothering you a jot but the moment you drag them up onto the stage they take on an awkwardness, shyness and general incapacity to function that is often very disconcerting.
So, what do we do with them? Short of lopping them [...]
Of all the things that audiences value most their time has to be the most precious. We need to recognise it, we’re all time-poor; there’s just never enough, is there? Well it’s definitely true for your audience. You may know (it may even be in the day’s programme or up on screen behind you) that [...]
(Originally posted on November 5th) Today was a bit special. Today I got to assist a local school, in Suffolk here in the UK, with some presentation training for the Lower Sixth form – so, roughly 16 to 17 year olds. What an inspired idea on the part of the school.
Well, so indeed it proved [...]
Under just about any circumstances we know, without needing to be told, that it’s important to maintain eye-contact. One-on-one or one-on-many, the same general principle applies. If you don’t look at me, occasionally at least, I’m going to get turned off pretty quickly. Leaving aside some interesting cultural variations on this theme, one question that [...]
One golden rule of presenting is that you are your most effective audio visual aid. Better still when supported by some finely crafted slides or other visual aids, no question. But the slides are there to do just that, support you, your argument, proposal, sale .. whatever it might be.
When presenting the main arguments or [...]