Author - Sarah Denholm

05May

5 Public Speaking Skills Donald Trump Gets Right

5 Public Speaking Skills Donald Trump Gets Right Whatever you think of Donald Trump - and he certainly provokes strong opinions - he has his own style, and breaks plenty of rules. As a public speaking coach, I find watching him strangely compelling - in small doses! Here are 5 public speaking skills I believe Trump gets right when he's speaking to audiences: 5 Public Speaking Skills Donald Trump Gets Right 1. He has strong, open body language. When you watch Trump speaking, he is usually behind a lectern; but although this can be a barrier between speaker and audience, he compensates as much as...

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03Mar

Three Thinking Traps That Increase Public Speaking Fear

[updated February 2024] I've heard from hundreds of clients about their fearful thoughts on public speaking - and listened to my own in the days when I used to get very nervous. And I've noticed that there are some styles which just keep popping up! Here are three thinking traps that increase public speaking fear: Thinking Traps That Increase Public Speaking Fear  "I must know more than everyone else in the room"  This thought is a recipe for enormous stress and sleepless nights. It's also something you can't control! (See my post the drive for certainty or factors which reduce speaking fear for my thoughts...

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08Jan

Three Ways to Succeed With Your Public Speaking Goals This Year

Have you made a New Year's resolution to finally succeed with your public speaking goals? Have you decided, finally, to overcome your fear of public speaking, or become a better presenter? I assume that you're interested in the topic, or you wouldn't be reading this article! But have you come up with anything specific to work on? Or are you in for another year of avoidance, despite your best intentions? We usually have a sense of clearing out, of optimism and openness to new desires and goals as each new year rolls around. But we're not so good at making them stick....

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25Nov

Public Speaking Mistakes I’ve Made

Public Speaking Mistakes I've Made I've made many public speaking mistakes: especially in the early days, when I was feeling my way and still learning what worked and what didn't. So today I thought I'd give you three mistakes that I used to make - mistakes which threw up roadblocks for my audiences and stopped me being as engaging and professional as I wanted. Hopefully by sharing these errors, it might help you to avoid making them yourself! public speaking mistakes Mistake No. 1: too much content Cramming too much content into your talk: this one took me a long time to learn -...

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29Oct

What’s the Right Level of Presenting Energy for You?

Clients often ask me about the right level of presenting energy for them - what's effective and appropriate? My answer is that there are a few variables, so let me give you some pointers to start the discussion in today's post. Firstly, how do people judge our energy levels? It can be boiled down to a few factors: What's the right energy level for you as a presenter? 1. The over-arching factor: enthusiasm level; how engaged do we appear to be? How interested in our topic, and enthusistic about being in front of the room as the presenter? Remember that if we're bored with...

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23Sep

Public Speaking Fear: Four Stage Process To Handle It

Public Speaking Fear: Four Stage Process To Handle It Today I'm doing a video post about my four stage process to finally get unstuck and handle your public speaking fear. These mindset shifts and actions will help you to deal with any fear and anxiety. The video goes for just over 6 minutes. Hope you find it useful!

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20Aug

Helpful Self-Talk Language Shift For Nervous Speakers

Helpful Self-Talk Language Shift For Nervous Speakers [Updated July 2020]. I often chat to clients about their self-talk around public speaking. Using helpful self-talk language before you present will make a difference to how confident and in control you feel. And research from 2015 is showing that, believe it or not, talking to yourself using your own name or the second or third person can help!  It can also work when you're reflecting on the event after it's happened. This seems to work because it puts some distance between you and the emotional, stressful experience you're going through. And when you do that,...

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16Jul

Vocal Presence – Using your Voice to Own the Space

Vocal Presence - Using your Voice to Own the Space Creating vocal presence Our delivery style is crucial to getting a message across effectively to our audience, and one of the key factors in delivery is using our voice to create power, warmth and persuasiveness. Our voice gives our audience clear messages about our confidence, energy and vitality. When we contract and mentally “turn away” from the audience, our voice follows; we swallow our words, mumble and rush, or become monotonous or ‘lifeless’ in our tone. Of course, one thing which will always affect vocal presence is how much we trust ourselves and the...

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18Jun

Tell Your Public Speaking Success Story Backwards

Public Speaking Success Exercise Today's post gives you a short but effective exercise to make positive changes in your public speaking. You might think this technique only works if you're the creative, arty type - this isn't true! I've seen it work with many different personality types, from accountants to software engineers to teachers. I've also used it myself with great results. Part 1. Imagine that it’s now some time in the future - a good time-frame would be six months or a year; don't make it less than three months. You’re talking with a friend or family member - or writing...

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14May

Public Speaking Anxiety – A Drive for Certainty?

Public Speaking Anxiety - A Drive for Certainty? Creating certainty in public speaking Anxiety: it's not only a signal that something needs attention - it can also be a drive to eliminate uncertainty and a sense of loss of control in our lives. And in working with many clients on their public speaking anxiety, I'm frequently seeing that many of them have a strong drive for certainty and control around their speaking. This is a tricky one - because public speaking is an inherently uncertain activity. However, if you recognise yourself as someone who's uncomfortable (or driven mad) by your need for certainty, there are...

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