"For anyone who has done some training with me, you’ll know that I don’t focus on body language when presenting. People can get obsessed by trying to look convincing or slick, and neglect the content of their presentation. They perform all the textbook hand gestures, and what comes out of their mouths doesn’t match up. […]
Icebreakers are little exercises that help relax tension and loosen up a formal atmosphere in a meeting where you want to have creative ideas and group participation. This icebreaker will have everyone laughing: Break everyone up into small groups of 2 or 3. Give each group a made-up punchline. Each group now has 5 […]
"Brevity, said Lord Bacon, is the soul of wit, and conciseness is a virtue I have always admired. The magic of poetry lies in its power to compress ideas or emotions into a mere handful of words. But prose can work the same spell, which is why Francis Bacon's aphorism has survived the centuries." --Arthur […]
When I was planning for my recent all day presentation I was considering the post lunch sleepiness that most audiences experience. I wanted to do something totally different that I knew would shock them out of their afternoon low. So I bought a muskrat trap. I was talking about the "traps" AKA deep trouble you […]
I'm not a golfer, but I can tell you one thing for sure. Many people in your audiences are nuts over golf. I've seen some speakers do their entire presentation using a golf metaphor. They would say things like, "In golf if your swing is off, you'll hit the ball into the woods . […]
Steve Jobs was the charismatic, driven CEO of Apple Computers and well known for his dynamic presentations. Carmine Gallo has analysed Steve Job’s presentations in an article titled How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs. “Jobs,” he says, “learned a long time ago that a leader must be a company evangelist and brand […]
When speaking to an audience that includes people who speak English as a second language, you may notice that some people keep whispering to the person sitting next to them. They're probably not being rude or inattentive. Indeed, the whispering may be a compliment: it is likely that the whisperer is translating for the person […]
One whole workshop at a PowerPoint conference I attended was devoted to "Animating Finesse." And the one animation the presenters recommended above all others? The Fade. Especially to add subtlety and grace to all your shows. Try fading in photo #1,then fading it out as photo #2 comes fading in on top of photo#1. Very […]
" ... kids function best when they're real clear about exactly what's expected of them ..."