Recently, there was a thread on Twitter about public speaking by an academic called Dr Nicholas Coles. He’s a Research Scientist at Stanford University and one of his friends had critiqued a talk which he had given. These are the lessons he learned: A year ago, a non-academic friend listened to a talk I gave. […]
Planning a presentation: key questions to ask yourself
When planning a presentation you need to think about your audience and ask what you want them to learn and take away from it. Our presentation trainer Sue Carruthers says that knowing your objectives will give you clarity and enable you to see how much potential content you can discard. For example, if you want […]
9 steps to perfect your conference panel performance
If you’re an academic, an expert, or an entrepreneur, you may well be asked to be part of a conference panel. Here our trainer Paul Curran explains nine steps to making sure you give a good performance. Being invited as a guest on a discussion panel is a great way to boost your profile, and […]
Good communication skills: using the right words
There is an oft-quoted statistic that the words you say make up just seven percent of successful communication skills. However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about them carefully. Here are three quick tips: The art of listening The first key to communicating well is to learn the art of listening. This is really the […]
Communicating well as a CEO
“For a business leader, building reputation and trust IS the day job, which makes communications the day job too.” That quote is by the former head of Marks and Spencer, Stuart Rose, who knows a thing or two about the importance of good communicating well, and how it can protect and enhance your reputation. It […]
Slideshare: Communication skills for CEOs
If you are a senior leader, or CEO, the way in which you communicate can make the difference between shared vision or a fractured vision, a happy team and a discontented team, and an enviable reputation and a question mark. It is an integral part of your role to communicate effectively. This week I gave a […]
Presentation skills: the 6 Ps
Several of our recent blogs have focused on the importance of your voice during radio interviews, but it’s not just when talking to the media that it is important to use your voice well. Here our presentation skills expert Sue Carruthers lets us into the secret of the six Ps of performance – and how […]
The secrets of great client communication
The ability to communicate well is vital in all spheres of life – and for those in business, the way you communicate can be the difference between success and failure. In the first of a series of occasional blogs, our presentation trainer, Sue Carruthers gives the inside track on the secrets of great client communication – how […]
Memorable presentations: five key elements
How many memorable presentations have you watched? Why do they stand out? Is it for the right reasons? I particularly remember Al Gore giving his ‘Inconvenient Truth’ presentation live to a group of media folk – chiefly because his very American barnstorming style didn’t seem to be pitched right for that particular audience. Our communications expert Sue Carruthers, […]
6 performers tricks to improve your presentations
Ron Aldridge is a successful theatre director, writer and actor who uses his experience on the stage to help people to become ‘complete’ performers, whether speaking in public, presenting, or selling — at conferences, in the workplace and in the boardroom. In this guest post he lets us into some theatrical secrets to improve your presentations. A […]