The Conversation Method
There’s a well known phrase in the UK (popularised by the late Bob Hoskins in a long running series of BT adverts) which is – It’s good to talk. However, an awful lot of people out there would disagree if they happen to be talking to a group of people in a presentation setting. In […]
Celebrate success
For those of you that live in the UK and are old enough, if I say the name ‘Michael Fish’ I know you will think of just one thing – the time the well-known BBC Weatherman guaranteed that there wouldn’t be a hurricane less than 24 hours before the biggest hurricane in UK history. The […]
Clarity is King!
Imagine that a colleague asks you how you are today. How bizarre would it be if, instead of answering with the trusted ‘I’m fine thanks, how are you?’, you instead reel off EXACTLY how you are, including your recent relationship history and any medical ailments you might be suffering from. That would, of course, be […]
It’s not rocket science!
Every now and then, I get asked if I can share some advanced presentation techniques with people. The problem I have with this is that the vast majority of people (I’m talking 99%) are not getting the basics right, so sharing advanced techniques would be like putting a cherry on a cow pat. Giving a […]
You want to know WHAT?! The right (and wrong) way of dealing with questions
I’d like you to remember this – when someone asks a question during your presentation (even a really tough one), it’s a GOOD thing. It means they’re interested. You may be wondering why I’d like you to remember something that seems fairly obvious. Well, it’s because I’ve seen too many examples of otherwise good presenters […]
Never forget WIIFT
When I was a Buyer, I lost count of the amount of sales presentations I saw that began with the ‘About us’ slide. What inevitably followed was at least a 5 minute self-congratulatory trumpeting from the presenter about how amazing their company was. The problem was, I didn’t care. All I wanted to know was […]
Where the magic happens
You may be relieved / disappointed to learn that this post has nothing to do with either a) wizardry, or b) bedroom activities! The more I coach people on how to present in a more compelling way, the more it appears that most people (even very senior people) would rather not, given the choice, ‘put […]