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

Resources to improve your public speaking and presentation skills.

16Sep

FAQs about Public Speaking and Presentations

There are some questions which I'm often asked - FAQ's - about public speaking and presentations. So here’s a list of 5 of the most common ones – see if any of them are ones you'd be asking yourself. FAQ's About Public Speaking and Presentations

Q1. What's one of the most common public speaking mistakes?

A. Too much content. I used to have this problem all the time, and it came from a combination of enthusiasm about the topic, wanting to give a huge amount of value, and fear that I would run out of content and be left with nothing else to...

By Sarah DenholmAudience Management, Content, Delivery, Rehearsal1 CommentRead more...

04Aug

How to Avoid Comparing Yourself to Others as a Speaker

How do you avoid comparing yourself to others as a speaker...and maintain your confidence?

How do you stop comparing yourself to other people and thinking that they look like they're doing fine — just great in fact — when you’re feeling vulnerable, and not confident at all? The most common triggers are often our work colleagues, peers or our competition. Firstly, some thoughts on comparison: Avoid Comparing Yourself as a Speaker

1. We’re wired to compare ourselves to others

We’re wired for comparison: particularly when we’re feeling insecure, which just makes it harder to deal with. In general, we compare for two main reasons: one positive, the other less so....

By Sarah DenholmMindset, Overcoming Nervescomparison trap, imposter syndrome, staying confident as a speaker1 CommentRead more...

17Jul

How to Improve your Talk in 10 Minutes

Want immediate, clear feedback on ways to improve your talk in 10 minutes? I have a suggestion for you. My only proviso is, don't do this if you're an anxious speaker or highly self-conscious, or you may end up feeling worse and it could really set you back.

Video yourself

Get your phone or camcorder ready to go Set yourself up in the space with your notes, or slides if you're using them Start filming, and deliver your talk for a few minutes: say up to 5 as a general rule Five minutes is a good length of time to settle into your content...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Delivery, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blog, Rehearsalclear message, high audience engagement, procrastinating about practising your presentation, speaking comfort zone, video feedback of presentation0 CommentsRead more...

25Jun

Do you Struggle with Public Speaking?

Do you struggle with public speaking? Do you struggle with public speaking? Does the battle with fear or dislike of presenting exhaust you, or stop you from achieving your career goals? In this article I’ll discuss four lenses through which to look at your challenge. My hope is that it will help you with a different perspective and some fresh ideas - or to see old ideas in a fresh way!

First, a quick back-story on my own experience and struggle with public speaking.

I used to be one of those incoherent, incapable "I'm only pretending to be here, don't look...

By Sarah DenholmMindset, Overcoming Nerves, Rehearsal0 CommentsRead more...

11Jun

How to Show Warmth to Any Audience

How can we deliberately show warmth to any audience?

Or to a person we're about to communicate with 1:1? No matter what sort of a mood we're in before we speak, or how we feel about that audience? And fast? I've been working with a client this week on exactly this concept. I asked him how he believed he came across in meetings with his team when he opened the conversation - was there any specific process that he followed at the start? His reply was basically "No process...and how do I come across? It depends on how I'm feeling". This is...

By Sarah DenholmAudience Management, Body Language, Delivery, Mindsetaudience connection, authentic public speaking, emotional contagion leaders, emotional leakage, extend goodwill to audience, high audience engagement0 CommentsRead more...

30Apr

Setting a Presentation Rhythm

A good way to get your audience's attention at the start of your talk is by setting a presentation rhythm. Lay out for them a plan about how your talk is going to unfold, and then follow that rhythm. You're basically giving an agenda, with rhythmic pace built into it. And it sounds simple, but I don't often see it done.

The case for setting a presentation rhythm

Rhythm is primal. Our connection to it starts before birth with our mother's heartbeat, and it's an integral part of our voice, speech and communication. And we've been communicating using rhythm for thousands of...

By Sarah DenholmAudience Management, Content, Delivery, RehearsalEvelyn Glennie, Peggy Noonan, rhythmic presentation pace2 CommentsRead more...

16Apr

Audience Connection: Your Truth or Universal Truth

Audience Connection - Your Truth or Universal Truth As audience members in a presentation or event of any kind, something we look for is a connection with the speaker. And one of the things that impacts that connection is when the presenter throws out a generalisation about a topic, and confidently asserts something that isn't true for us: either literally, or that doesn't fit with our values or beliefs. You could think of it like this, seen through the lens of audience connection: 'your truth' or 'universal truth'. Whether the speaker's assertion is a 'literal' or 'beliefs' trigger for us, it can cause...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Persuasion, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blogaudience connection, audience values and beliefs, Cuban proverb Every Head is a World, eye contact public speaking, high audience engagement, Lifehack.org, Mandy Kloppers1 CommentRead more...

16Dec

Public speaking for beginners: practice, belief and ability

Today let's think about public speaking for beginners. Practice, belief and ability: how do they work when you're learning something new?

Public Speaking for Beginners: Practice, Belief and Ability We all know the uncertainty and challenges which can kick in when we try something new. I bet if you think for a moment, something you've attempted in the past few years will come up for you. It can be scary to try something different, can't it? Our sense of self can take a knock as we're pushed off-centre. Negative self-talk usually kicks in at times. And in something like public...

By Sarah DenholmMindset, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blogadult learning, adult learning public speaking, four stages of competence, impromptu speaking, public speaking ability, public speaking belief, public speaking practice, public speaking successful mindset, reluctant public speaker, Winston Churchill0 CommentsRead more...

15Nov

Balancing Certainty with Curiosity As a Speaker

In this video, I discuss balancing certainty with curiosity as a speaker. There's so much opinionated certainty nowadays - particularly online. And I have strong opinions myself! So my thoughts are around the 'dance' of how we come across to an audience when we present. Of course we need to be certain about our data, facts and figures, and our key messages. But too much certainty and we can seem arrogant, dismissive, inflexible. The perfect antidote to this: balancing certainty with curiosity as a speaker. Being open to the topic as you prepare, and the audience in the moment, and considering...

By Sarah DenholmContent, Mindset, Persuasionaudience needs, Barack Obama cancel culture, curiosity as a speaker, idea-based talk, too much certainty1 CommentRead more...

27Sep

Public Speaking Body Language Loop

In this video, I discuss the public speaking body language loop and how yours can help you, as well as signal competence to your audience.

So many speaking coaches talk about public speaking body language, and there's a lot of advice out there. Here's a small part on video about how positive body language at the start of your presentation can become self-reinforcing and help you to move confidently into the rest of your talk . Transcript: Hello! So today I would like to talk to you about body language - obviously a huge topic, and there are plenty...

By Sarah DenholmBody Language, Delivery, Overcoming Nerves, Public Speaking and Presentation Skills Blogaudience believing body language, audience judgement, beginning of presentation, body language in public speaking, eye contact public speaking, two channels of communication in public speaking0 CommentsRead more...