Of course images can enhance the audience’s understanding of a presentation. Old-fashioned acetates did the job just as well as the modern laptop and projector showing PowerPoint. In fact, many would argue that they were often better; generally brighter and more detailed. Others would argue for a sophisticated look, which they feel can be generated […]
Speaking & Presenting
DOs and DON’Ts of Presenting: 1. Don’t bore them!
Quite recently I was asked by a client to put together some Dos and Don’ts with regard to making presentations. A useful exercise! 1. Don’t Bore Them An obvious instruction, you’d have thought. Yet how many times have you sat through a presentation bored rigid? How often had you wished you were elsewhere? If you […]
Relaxing into your performance: Vital Tip for presenters
Maximum Effect with Minimum Effort Yesterday Lex, our friendly graphic designer, and I were testing a new system for sending out large group email messages to our clients at voicebusiness. Trying to get the formatting to work on all the different platforms in pcs, macs, smart phones, ipads, webmail etc is a bit of a […]
The Natural Speaker
One of the hardest things for a speaker to do, is to come over naturally. In other words, we can talk easily and fluently to our friends in the pub or round the coffee pot. Put us in front of an audience and the chances are we will more resemble a sick of wood than […]
Never forget who your speech is for
Just before the Scottish Independence referendum in 2016, I went to a book launch with my partner and a friend. The book: ‘Yes, the Radical case for Scottish Independence’ by James Foley and Pete Ramand sounded interesting as, like many of us in Scotland, we were keen to hear all angles of this debate. It […]
Sprezzatura and Learning a Speech
I’m often asked, when working with people on their speeches, if they should learn them. There is no straight answer to this. For some, this works beautifully; others don’t sound natural when they’ve learned a speech (think of Ian Duncan Smith as Tory Leader). Many find having an aide memoir of some kind very helpful. […]