Presenting tips
Customer Service – cockpit style!
Oct 13, 2015 |
Presenting tips
As I write this blog, I am sitting on a plane from Heathrow to Dublin.
I am on my way back from The Professional Speakers Association UK & Ireland Conference. Over the next little while I will be posting blogs with some of the nuggets from the Conference.
Today though, this post is about a positive customer service experience in a negative situation that I experienced on my journey to the conference.
Normally, I fly with our own Aer Lingus but the British Airways (BA) flight times suited better. It was my first time to fly BA and I was curious as to how it would compare to the great customer service of Aer Lingus. So, there we are, sitting on the BA flight waiting to take off on Friday morning. The captain comes over the tannoy and very pleasantly welcomes us on-board.
Then, he tells us that there’s fog in Heathrow and we will be delayed for 40 mins. Cue, 150 passengers simultaneously groaning. Then, he says that seeing as how we have a bit of time on the ground, that a...
I am on my way back from The Professional Speakers Association UK & Ireland Conference. Over the next little while I will be posting blogs with some of the nuggets from the Conference.
Today though, this post is about a positive customer service experience in a negative situation that I experienced on my journey to the conference.
Normally, I fly with our own Aer Lingus but the British Airways (BA) flight times suited better. It was my first time to fly BA and I was curious as to how it would compare to the great customer service of Aer Lingus. So, there we are, sitting on the BA flight waiting to take off on Friday morning. The captain comes over the tannoy and very pleasantly welcomes us on-board.
Then, he tells us that there’s fog in Heathrow and we will be delayed for 40 mins. Cue, 150 passengers simultaneously groaning. Then, he says that seeing as how we have a bit of time on the ground, that a...
Nerves Infographic
Sep 29, 2015 |
Presenting tips
A big thank you to Katie Moynihan – a final year marketing student in DIT. She compiled the infographic below based on some of the tips and techniques for controlling nerves. She compiled them from the manual we supply on our 1 day presentation skills programme.
For details of how we can deliver presentations training to your team in-house click here.
In the mean time – enjoy the infographic and please do share if you found it helpful!
...
For details of how we can deliver presentations training to your team in-house click here.
In the mean time – enjoy the infographic and please do share if you found it helpful!
...
Top Tips for Body Language
Aug 30, 2015 |
Presenting tips
In over 15 years of working with all types of people on their presentation skills – from CEOs to those starting out in their presenting career, the question of body language almost always arises.
Every speaker knows how important body language is… yet, for some it can be difficult to master. Of course, your words and your PowerPoint slides are important. However, at the end of the day, people have come to hear and see you, not your slides!
Often nerves and poor self-confidence can lead to poor body language.
Below are 6 tips that should help you to have better body language so that you appear more relaxed and confident during your presentations.
1. Stand up straight; open your chest and arms
Not only does this make you look more confident but it allows you to breathe with ease which will immediately help you to feel more relaxed. Keeping your shoulders back can give you an instant feeling of confidence – totally opposite to this is to roll the shoulders forward which will...
Every speaker knows how important body language is… yet, for some it can be difficult to master. Of course, your words and your PowerPoint slides are important. However, at the end of the day, people have come to hear and see you, not your slides!
Often nerves and poor self-confidence can lead to poor body language.
Below are 6 tips that should help you to have better body language so that you appear more relaxed and confident during your presentations.
1. Stand up straight; open your chest and arms
Not only does this make you look more confident but it allows you to breathe with ease which will immediately help you to feel more relaxed. Keeping your shoulders back can give you an instant feeling of confidence – totally opposite to this is to roll the shoulders forward which will...
Top Tips for Communicating with Confidence
Yesterday evening I was delighted to be invited to speak at the 3Day Startup event held in The Gravity Centre in Dublin. For more about Gravity click here.
3Day Startup is an Austin-based company whose mission is to kick-start new student-run companies and build entrepreneurial capabilities in third level students and their communities. They have run more than 130 programs around the world and those have given rise to 79 companies. This is the first year this event has been held in Dublin.
Their schedule was action packed and my slot was short, so the topic I chose was “Tips for Communicating with Confidence”. Over the 3 days they would be constantly communicating. From sharing ideas with their team, right through to telephoning potential customers and delivering a pitch on day 3.
By the way, you might be wondering what the pug picture is doing in this post. He was on one of my slides – you will find out below!
Here is a very brief summary of the tips:
Confident...
3Day Startup is an Austin-based company whose mission is to kick-start new student-run companies and build entrepreneurial capabilities in third level students and their communities. They have run more than 130 programs around the world and those have given rise to 79 companies. This is the first year this event has been held in Dublin.
Their schedule was action packed and my slot was short, so the topic I chose was “Tips for Communicating with Confidence”. Over the 3 days they would be constantly communicating. From sharing ideas with their team, right through to telephoning potential customers and delivering a pitch on day 3.
By the way, you might be wondering what the pug picture is doing in this post. He was on one of my slides – you will find out below!
Here is a very brief summary of the tips:
Confident...
Spoken Language vs Body Language
May 29, 2015 |
Presenting tips
“What should I do with my hands?”
This is a very commonly asked question with regards to presenting. When we stand up to present in front of any number of people, whether it be 5 or 500, the majority of us find ourselves feeling exposed and self-conscious. These feelings add to the anxiety that we may have already built up. The best way to overcome this is to be self-aware and remember that we are represented not only by our spoken language but also by our body language.
Use Your Hands
Hand gestures are an essential to looking and feeling confident when presenting. Hand movements occur naturally when we talk casually among our friends, so why not allow this to happen when we present too?
Below are some of my top tips for using your hands when presenting:
1. Keep your hands seen
Open arms and palms create an honest and friendly feel to your body language so take those hands out from your pockets or behind your back and open up to your audience.
2. The bigger the better
Broader and h...
This is a very commonly asked question with regards to presenting. When we stand up to present in front of any number of people, whether it be 5 or 500, the majority of us find ourselves feeling exposed and self-conscious. These feelings add to the anxiety that we may have already built up. The best way to overcome this is to be self-aware and remember that we are represented not only by our spoken language but also by our body language.
Use Your Hands
Hand gestures are an essential to looking and feeling confident when presenting. Hand movements occur naturally when we talk casually among our friends, so why not allow this to happen when we present too?
Below are some of my top tips for using your hands when presenting:
1. Keep your hands seen
Open arms and palms create an honest and friendly feel to your body language so take those hands out from your pockets or behind your back and open up to your audience.
2. The bigger the better
Broader and h...
Three reasons why More is Less
Apr 30, 2015 |
Presenting tips
More is Less … yes, you read it correctly “More is Less” not the usual “Less is More”. In terms of presenting, this really is something I like to harp on about. So much so – I have it on the back of my business cards. In short, the more you talk the less people listen.
However, there are many other reasons for my love of this expression. Following my own advice, I will keep the reasons to the top 3, rather than give you more because you will remember less!
1. Less for your audience to digest.
Think of all the presentations you have sat through – how much do you remember? Probably not a lot. So, if the presenter is covering more and more content, the less likely you are to remain engaged and consequently digest.
2. Less for you as a speaker to remember.
Many people whom I work with have a fear of forgetting a point. When I see the volume of information they plan to present – I am not surprised they have this fear, the vol...
However, there are many other reasons for my love of this expression. Following my own advice, I will keep the reasons to the top 3, rather than give you more because you will remember less!
1. Less for your audience to digest.
Think of all the presentations you have sat through – how much do you remember? Probably not a lot. So, if the presenter is covering more and more content, the less likely you are to remain engaged and consequently digest.
2. Less for you as a speaker to remember.
Many people whom I work with have a fear of forgetting a point. When I see the volume of information they plan to present – I am not surprised they have this fear, the vol...
My top 3 PowerPoint Slide Show tools to make you look even more professional.
Mar 31, 2015 |
Presenting tips
Within PowerPoint there are some really cool slide show tools that can help you to look more professional.
Pressing F1 during a slideshow will bring up all of the tools but the 3 below are definitely my favourites.
1. Go to Slide
This feature allows you, in slide show mode, to type a slide number and press enter to go to that slide.
You might ask yourself – why would I want this feature?
Well, if you are the kind of presenter who sometimes runs out of time and needs to skip through a few slides, this tool is an absolute gift. Your audience does not know that you have skipped the slides. The alternative is to go down through the slides with a feeble apology along the lines of “sorry, but we do not have time to cover these slides” – ouch.
2. Change pointer to a Laser or a Pen
The novelty value in these two features make them worth using – if nothing else!
CTRL + L changes your pointer to a big red laser dot, which is handy if you do not have a remote presenter.
Ev...
Tips on delivering presentations from a 9 year old
This is Kaitlin, she is 9 years old. Recently, she did her first ever presentation. The topic was “The Lifecycle of a Butterfly”.
She told me that she was very nervous but that she got some good advice from her mother (my niece Kacy) and her school teacher. She said that her presentation went very well and that her teacher was very pleased with it.
I asked her what tips she would give to anyone who had to do a one minute presentation. Below is an exact transcript of her tips which she typed without any help. She is one bright 9 year old, in more ways than one!
These are my tips for a one minute speech by Kaitlin Downes age 9
1. Always have someone with you to help with (e.g.) Timing to start and stop your stopwatch. Telling you whether or not you have enough detail.
2. Don’t have too many facts, depending on your subject have about 7 main facts.
3. Keep trying until you get to a minute if that means you have to take one or two facts out well then that’s what...
She told me that she was very nervous but that she got some good advice from her mother (my niece Kacy) and her school teacher. She said that her presentation went very well and that her teacher was very pleased with it.
I asked her what tips she would give to anyone who had to do a one minute presentation. Below is an exact transcript of her tips which she typed without any help. She is one bright 9 year old, in more ways than one!
These are my tips for a one minute speech by Kaitlin Downes age 9
1. Always have someone with you to help with (e.g.) Timing to start and stop your stopwatch. Telling you whether or not you have enough detail.
2. Don’t have too many facts, depending on your subject have about 7 main facts.
3. Keep trying until you get to a minute if that means you have to take one or two facts out well then that’s what...
Tips for networking
Tonight I have the pleasure of facilitating a speed networking session in the Coca Cola facility, in Drogheda, Co Louth. The event is being hosted jointly by Drogheda and District Chamber of Commerce and Network Louth Meath Women in Business Networking group.
Just before we get into the networking I will be sharing a few tips on networking but with a specific focus on tips for speed networking. Each person at the event will have 2 minutes to pitch their business to the person on the opposite side of the table, the roles will be reversed and after 4 minutes they move along and repeat the process with the next person. It is a great way to meet a lot of people in a short space of time.
Here are the tips I will be sharing to help them all get the most from this invigorating way of networking. Enjoy!
1. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Networking is not selling! The likelihood of you meeting someone at a speed networking event, or any networking event, needing your offering at that specific mo...
Just before we get into the networking I will be sharing a few tips on networking but with a specific focus on tips for speed networking. Each person at the event will have 2 minutes to pitch their business to the person on the opposite side of the table, the roles will be reversed and after 4 minutes they move along and repeat the process with the next person. It is a great way to meet a lot of people in a short space of time.
Here are the tips I will be sharing to help them all get the most from this invigorating way of networking. Enjoy!
1. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS
Networking is not selling! The likelihood of you meeting someone at a speed networking event, or any networking event, needing your offering at that specific mo...
The Male Voice Choir and your Group Presentations
Nov 27, 2014 |
Presenting tips
Recently I had a most unusual request from a friend who is in a male voice choir. As someone who was kicked out of the school choir (yes, it is true!) I was wondering how he thought I could help him.
He explained that while he believed the choir were good at singing, he just felt that they were lacking a bit of polish. This resonated with me – quite a few of my clients who are proficient at speaking, come to me because they feel they too can do with a bit of “polishing”.
I went to one of the choir’s performances and he was absolutely correct – their singing was really beautiful but a few small things detracted from their performance.
It was interesting how many of these small things also relate to group presentations.
Shirts, ties and being different!
All 10 of them wore trousers, shirts, ties and waistcoats. This made them look a bit different from most male choirs who tend to wear jackets, not waistcoats. If you don’t believe me, Google “male voice choirs...
He explained that while he believed the choir were good at singing, he just felt that they were lacking a bit of polish. This resonated with me – quite a few of my clients who are proficient at speaking, come to me because they feel they too can do with a bit of “polishing”.
I went to one of the choir’s performances and he was absolutely correct – their singing was really beautiful but a few small things detracted from their performance.
It was interesting how many of these small things also relate to group presentations.
Shirts, ties and being different!
All 10 of them wore trousers, shirts, ties and waistcoats. This made them look a bit different from most male choirs who tend to wear jackets, not waistcoats. If you don’t believe me, Google “male voice choirs...