It’s A Set-Up!
No matter how well you’ve prepared your presentation, there is a point at which your time has run out. When the minutes start counting down and you have just an hour before you’re due to go live, where exactly will you be? You can be in a relaxed state, well prepared, having just parked outside the presentation venue. You’re at the right place – early. You’ve got your back up drive, you’ve packed all your cables. you have cue cards just in case you go blank, but you won’t – because you’re...
read moreLook After Your Voice
The possibility of losing your voice before a speech or presentation rates right up there as one of the greatest fears facing presenters and facilitators. The voice is a powerful but fragile instrument capable of the finest and most subtle nuances. We should really be looking after it properly. Here are some simple but useful tips in caring for your voice: Don’t get involved in cheerleader-type screaming activities – ever. Singing gently en route to the venue is recommended. If you don’t know any songs, scales will do, and it’s not...
read moreHow To Eliminate Fear
Fear of public speaking stems from the very basic need to feel accepted. We want to be seen to be doing well and we fear making fools of ourselves. In order to overcome this fear, most presenters do indeed spend a good deal of time preparing for their presentations, but their time allocation is heavily weighted toward their slide shows, rather than paying attention to how the message is being communicated orally and physically. This can lead to their “on stage” downfall. The Missing Ingredient In order to overcome this, it is vital to...
read moreAre You Talking To Me?
The biggest enemy of successful presentations in any form – be they business presentations, lectures or keynote speeches is not an inattentive audience. Surprisingly, it’s self imposed by the presenter: a fanatical focus on the content. This may seem like a rather strange comment, but if your content is so dynamic, why not put it in to an article and email it to your audience instead? Perhaps it’s because unlike an email or article, a presentation is delivered to a captive audience – those present, who can’t close you down quite so...
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