Tactics and tools for when you’re new to presenting and/or don’t know where to start with your presentations
I wondered for a long time about the title for this post, as it sounds like click bait. You know the sort of thing “This simple hack means you give better presentations than anyone else in your company“. But it’s … Continue readingmaking better presentations using a modelling approach
I think we’re all agreed that presentations are intended to do something, right? Better presentations make that outcome more likely – don’t they? We don’t stand up and present (or sit !) just for entertainment’s sake. So why do we … Continue readingBetter Presentations from better hygiene
I while ago I presented at a big multi-speaker conference, and the speakers got compared… it’s inevitable in a way, I suppose. It wasn’t the speakers who were comparing each other (except to help each other out, nicely)… it was some people … Continue readingI wasn’t the most impressive presenter at the conference
“What do you want your presentation to do?” It’s not a hard question – well not any more than “What’s the meaning of life?”. 🙂 Typically, when I ask it, the answers I get are to do with process, not … Continue readingdesigning your presentation with just one question… and then more questions
It’s all about the story, we’re told. Tosh. Stories are great – fantastic even – and they’re an amazingly powerful tool in your presentation tool kit but they’re not the answer to everything. They might be the closes thing there … Continue readingreconnecting with your audience
Intro I did an interview recently with the wonderful (and lovely) Geoff Nicholson for his podcast, talking about the new #ReluctantStoryteller project I’m working on. I’ve popped this into a quick video if you want to watch for three minutes … Continue readingstorytelling – the four steps
There’s a lot of crap presentations training around at the moment saying “tell stories”… just “tell stores”. That’s about as much use as saying “be tall” to someone struggling because they can’t reach the top shelf. I used to have … Continue readingA story matrix and using them one your presentation
Presenting is like gardening. When I plant something in my veg patch there are a lot of things that determine whether it grows (or grows well). There’s the quality of the plant (my presentation preparation and content); there’s how well … Continue readingPresenting is like gardening
Credibility as a presenter comes from how much your audience like you (Warmth) and how much they trust you (Competence). You need both. … Continue readingbeing more charismatic when you present
A long time ago I wrote about what we can learn about presenting from Maya Angelou – mainly about the need and approaches to rehearsing. It’s time I updated to that. In particular I want to move on from that … Continue readingMore maya Angelou
How your room is set up makes a huge difference to how well your presentation is likely to go. Lots of it is obvious but some not… … Continue readinghow to lay out the room for your presentation
So you’ve heard of “death by powerpoint” and you’ve all be shot at by the screen-full of bullet points on a slide. And you promised not to do it to your audiences – but you did. Why? Because knowing how … Continue readinghow do I replace bullet points in my presentation?
I’ve talked before about one of the best ways to start your presentation, so here’s the other bookend – the close of a presentation. Let’s talk about questions and let’s talk about applause. Your audience expects one of these at … Continue readingHow to end your presentation
Great delivery can’t save rubbish content. We often forget that there are three key parts to an outstanding presentation… it’s not just (or even mainly) about how well you present in the room … Continue readingpresentation delivery vs content vs structure