Women can be spectacularly successful in sabotaging themselves when they stand up to speak in public – and even before they stand up. I learned this most powerfully when I first started networking 13 years ago. I attended a networking meeting. I was one of three women in the room of twenty men and we […]
Tag Archives | confidence in presentations
Why don’t we see many women speakers on stage?
In a well-known article about the number of conference speakers across 23 countries in the world, men outnumbered women. Is this because women don’t have as much to say? Is this because men are more confident speakers? What’s going on? It is my belief that men and women have the same fears about public speaking. […]
The Five Essentials for Delivering Awesome Presentations
Have you ever listened to a presentation, and it’s been excellent? What were the elements that made it so? Well, it would likely be a subject that was of interest to you or real value to you. It was probably delivered in a way that was interesting, engaging, and maybe even entertaining. And without a […]
Public speaking – boiled down to three fundamental principles
Communication as a word is totally useless. It’s too big a word with a myriad of different categories and definitions. It means different things to different people. But how about this as a way of thinking about communication (and therefore presentations) can you say things in a way that other people ‘get’? can you say […]
Three reasons why you should refuse to speak in public …and one reason you should
There are three reasons you should say no: If you don’t know what you are talking about If you don’t know what you are talking about you’ve got three options – find someone who does, go find out more or decline to offer to speak. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? And yet, this is a point […]
I speak twice a year (and even then I try to avoid it) – why don’t the nerves go away and why don’t I get any better?
Imagine you were just about to learn how to surf. ( if you are already an experienced surfer, then I am happy for you to comment on the accuracy of my analogy) You slip into your wet suit (doesn’t that make it sound easy!), grab your board and march determinedly towards the open sea. You […]
I want to be me…but my personality flows out of my boots when I stand up to speak
What do you think of when you think of a presenter? What images do you come across when you search for ‘presenter? Nine times out of ten, we think of booted and suited, behind a lectern, against a background of slides and of course smooth, suave and confident! Sometimes, that is what presenting is but […]
I’m ok one to one…it’s just when I stand up to speak in public when it goes pear-shaped!
If I had a pound for the number of times people said to me, ‘ I am fine talking one to one with people, it’s just the thought of standing up and speaking to groups that send me into a tizzy…”, I’d be a very rich woman! What is it do you think, that makes […]
How to deliver a presentation – should I stand or should I sit?
How to deliver a presentation – Should I stand or should I sit? I’ve been asked this question so many times and while the true answer is, it depends, often the real reason someone is asking is that they do not want to stand and are hoping for an easy reason to sit! Why don’t […]
How to use effective body language – distracting or dynamic?
How to use effective body language – dynamic or distracting? I’ve been asked by clients whether to stop moving around when delivering a presentation and I’ve been asked by clients whether to start moving around in a presentation. Either way, people do get twitchy when it comes to thinking about body language…and that’s maybe the […]
