Lots of presentations are informational. They are designed to be full of (useful and/or necessary) information. They are content designed and content–led. Often the first question presenters of this type of presentation ask themselves is ‘What is it that I have to say?’ The best informational presentations will then answer the (unsaid but oft thought […]
Tag Archives | how to give a presentation
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 […]
How do I prepare for a presentation – here are the questions you should be asking!
How do I prepare for a presentation? Actually, most people don’t ask me that question. Most people ask either, ‘How do I write a presentation?’ Or ‘How do I give a presentation?’ And yet, because most of the people I work with are intelligent people, they know that preparation is key. It’s just that we […]
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 […]
Do the words we use REALLY matter? – speaking, responsibility and obligation
Does it really matter what we say? Isn’t it all a game of style and substance and the interplay between the two? Surely actions speak much more loudly than words? These are questions I think about especially when I am working with clients who are working out what their ‘message’ is. Especially when I hear […]
The Naked Presenter – or how do you get the audience’s attention?
What do you do when you start to listen to a presentation? Settle yourself down. Get your pen and notepad out. Check who else is in the room. Check your phone. Chat to the person next to you. Check your phone again. Now you are sitting, start to think of all the things you need […]
How to make sure people listen to you when you give a presentation.
It’s a common fear. Not that we have to stand up in front of a group of people and articulate a viewpoint per se but that no one will listen to us. Imagine the scene: You are there at the front of the room. You’ve spent days if not weeks preparing for your presentation. You […]
Practice makes perfect – or does it? Alternative view for preparing for presentations.
Practice makes perfect. It makes sense then, to be careful what you practice. This phrase made me stop and think when I read it in ‘Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff ‘ by Richard Carlson recently. Because for many years when people have said that to get better at presenting you need to practice,(after all practice […]
Chicken and Egg – what came first?
This is a question that as we grow into adulthood we know we can’t answer: my six year old though has just discovered the question and keeps trying to engage us in a conversation as to why he thinks one came before the other. I was asked recently by a client about what came first […]
