Content - Improve Your Public Speaking Presentation and Influence Skills Training Coaching Melbourne Australia

03Oct

Two Great Ways to Open your Talk, Especially if you’re Nervous

Make your Audience Think to Focus and Engage Them The opening of your presentation is often the part where you're most nervous or self-conscious. You're faced with pairs of eyes looking at you, the audience feels like it's one big stare, and you're not enjoying the sudden attention. What can you do to take some of the unwanted focus off yourself, and create an engaging, effective start to your speech? Here are two ways which really work: Make a statement Ask a question Keep reading, because I probably haven't convinced you that these ideas are all that startling or great just yet! I'll...

By Sarah DenholmAudience Management, Content, Mindset, Overcoming Nerves, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Selling, Structureaudience focus, engaging presentation, engaging speech openings, opening of talk, opening your speech, using questions during presentation2 CommentsRead more...

08Aug

7 Ways NOT to Open your Presentation

The opening of your talk is crucial: your main goal is to capture your audience's attention and show them why they should listen to you. It also sets the tone and direction of your presentation. This is often the time where you're most edgy, and the audience is most focused on you, so you don't want to get it wrong! So with that mind, here are some suggestions for what NOT to do at the opening of your speech. With these tips, I'm assuming that you're speaking to a group for the first time, or one which you don't know very...

By Sarah DenholmAudience Management, Content, Delivery, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Structureapologising at start of presentations, audience attention, audience focus, good public speaking, opening of talk, opening your speech, rapport building public speaking, using jokes in public speaking, visual aid0 CommentsRead more...

26Jun

As a presenter, should you be interesting, or interested?

Should you be interesting or interested? [Updated 2024]

As a presenter or speaker, should you be interesting or interested?

When I was younger I used to worry that I was never interesting enough; I was quite shy, and never one of the cool girls...and I used to fret that I had nothing special or exciting to say socially. Well one of the great things about getting older is that I've become pretty comfortable with who I am - and no longer worry when presenting to groups that I'm not an interesting or dynamic enough speaker. I know that my content...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Mindset, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Rehearsal0 CommentsRead more...

17Apr

My CRISPER Formula for Good Public Speaking

CRISPER Formula for Good Public Speakers People often ask me "what makes a good public speaker?" And on my journey from dreadful to competent presenter, I've done a lot of thinking about this - as well as working with all my clients. A couple of years ago I had fun (yes, I'm quirky like that!) creating an acronym for good presenters which I still like: the CRISPER formula. I would be fairly certain that even if you think you’re not a good speaker, when you read the list below you’ll find that you already exhibit one or more of these 7 skills...

By Sarah DenholmAudience Management, Content, Delivery, Mindset, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Rehearsal, Structure0 CommentsRead more...

24Jan

Easy Persuasion Technique to Try

Want to increase your persuasiveness? A large 2012 review* of 42 studies involving 22,000 people worldwide showed that when you use the easy persuasion technique I'm about to give you, it doubles the chances of someone saying yes to your request. Doubles! And I believe it can also apply to some public speaking scenarios, as well as support your influencing goals. The easy persuasion technique: Tell your listener that they're free to choose: they can accept or refuse your request or idea. It's known as BYAF - But You Are Free. Easy persuasion technique Why do you think this works? For me,...

By Sarah Denholmbusiness meetings, Content, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, SellingBYAF, Christopher Carpenter, persuasion0 CommentsRead more...

08Nov

Practising your Speech: your Most FAQ

Practising - your FAQ As a professionally trained pianist, practice has been part of my life since I was 6 years old. Time-consuming and often tedious, it's the focused, detailed work which makes going out on stage possible - a Classical musician wouldn't even contemplate walking out in front of a group without practising beforehand. Yet speakers frequently neglect this vital part of building confidence and professionalism, and a big part of the reason why seems to be lack of knowledge about what works around practice and what doesn't. So here's my FAQ list for you: What should be my...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Delivery, Mindset, Overcoming Nerves, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Rehearsal1 CommentRead more...

22Aug

How Good Speakers Always Get Their Point Across Effectively – And You Can Too

Use a simple speech structure Have you ever been asked to present something at short notice and not really known where to start? Or walked out of a meeting after addressing your team and gone "oh #%^*, I forgot to point out what I'm expecting from them regarding __"? At these two pivotal points - when you have to prepare a talk quickly and don't know where to start, or during your actual address - it's very easy in the stress or distraction of the moment to get confused or lost in your topic. So how do you get your point across...

By Sarah Denholmbusiness meetings, Content, Delivery, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Rehearsal, Structurebrain patterns, clear elegant messages, clear message, different speech scenarios, efficient clear presenters, practice, public speaking structure, sales meetings, simple speech structure, team meeting address0 CommentsRead more...

26Jul

How to Open a Business Presentation Strongly

Business presentations need a strong opening, without being dramatic or hyped-up. When a more punchy, 'wow' opening is required for a group, there are various ways to do it: you could ask a powerful question, give a startling statistic, or tell a short anecdote, to name just a few. But if you're giving a quarterly update to your team, or presenting to senior management, for example, these openings are not appropriate. In this case, you need to deliver a solid, clear, concise position statement that connects your content to your audience: why you're all there in the room or virtual space. The opening...

By Sarah Denholmbusiness meetings, Content, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Structureaudience attention, business presentations, opening your speech, presenting senior management, speech content, starting your speech0 CommentsRead more...

11Nov

Creating a New Speech: 7 Tips To Get You Started

Do you have to write your own speeches or talks? Ever struggled to get going? I used to spend far too long getting a first draft out of my head (weeks, months anyone?) until I learned these tips:

Mind mapping is a great way to begin generating content; it's a method which uses the brain’s natural tendency to create patterns and connections, and frees you up to just get your initial ideas down on paper/screen. I use it all the time now. Here's how to do it: start with a large sheet of paper (if you're using paper); as large as you can...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Structureinitial speech draft, Martha Beck, mind map, speech editing, speech writing tips0 CommentsRead more...

02Mar

Want Greater Charisma When You Speak? Have Certainty

When we speak in front of others, our goal is usually to get them to take action or think differently. We're offering them something - ourselves and our message; an actual product or service. The audience will take their cue from us, and we need to be certain and congruent in our words, our body language and our energy to convince them. And the more we can do this, the more charismatic we'll be. Today we're going to look at using words to be more charismatic: if you're uncertain about your message, or lack confidence, you'll retreat to the perceived...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Delivery, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Rehearsal, Sellingengaging with audience, speak with certainty, speaking charisma2 CommentsRead more...