19Aug
30Jul
Don’t Forget to Breathe
I spent last week in SA running workshops for both Flinders University medical workforce and Limestone Coast Regional Development. My 3rd visit, and always so rewarding. And one of the topics that came up again - for many different reasons - breathing! At the risk of banging on about this again - believe me, it bears repeating - we often don't realise what a big deal taking enough breath can be when we speak. There are so many benefits such as: - Being able to think more clearly. - Telegraphing control and authority. - Life-force and energy: demonstrating this is a known winner for audiences. - Projecting...
05Jun
Internalise don’t Memorise
If you’re preparing for a talk or an interview, and you write down the exact words that you want to say first and then try and remember them in the event, you’ve potentially got an issue.
You may get:
disconnected from the meaning behind the words, because you're so hung up on getting exact wording right. disconnected from the audience because you're in your head rather than with them. distracted by trying to remember the correct words or phrases. frustrated if something you said didn't come out exactly as you wanted it to. In all these cases, you've - even temporarily - lost...
12Mar
How strong is your mind-to-mouth connection?
One of the things we’re always aiming for when we speak is to be clear. Sometimes to be impactful as well, but definitely to be clear.
[Video content is below, too, if you prefer to watch.] And one of the key reasons that we don’t achieve this clarity goal is when our mouth is ahead of our mind: we don't have a strong mind-to-mouth connection. When our mouth is running the show, any of these issues can happen. I'm sure you'll recognise yourself in at least one of them! Most people do at least one of these on a regular basis. We: Ramble ...
12Feb
Don’t fight reality when speaking in public
Many of my clients try to fight or deny the reality of their situation when they have a presentation or important event coming up. And I've found, interestingly, that while it’s more for fearful or anxious clients, it's also common with highly confident clients who lack the time or focus to devote to their talks or presentations. Fighting your reality plays out in three different timeframes. You may recognise all, or just one of them:
1st: leading up to the event.
You procrastinate and put off preparing your slide deck or notes. In fact you may not give yourself any thinking time at...
18Jan
Why and How to Practise Speaking Under Pressure
The why - and how - to practise speaking under pressure: why it matters, and 2 super-practical tips. Do you ever get frustrated by the fact that you can practise and be fine at home or in front of the dog...but when you get into the actual space, things start to unravel? Or you feel more stressed than you thought you would, and that catches you by surprise? Here's a 2-minute video on how to put yourself under deliberate pressure in order to increase your capacity when you're actually speaking. By testing yourself in the ways I mention in the video - and there...
19Oct
Low Clarity Equals Low Impact When Speaking
Low clarity equals low impact and it's so common when speaking in public: in fact it's one of the key areas my client and I focus on. Whether you're experienced or just starting out, it's easy to forget just how important being clear with our goal(s) for speaking and messages are. It's also important if you want your words to be remembered.
Why is lack of clarity so common?
I usually find there's one big reason that can then lead into lots of smaller ones: Low thinking time prior to presenting or speaking. It actually doesn't matter either if people are experienced presenters who've been...
18Aug
Speaking Too Fast When Presenting
If you find that you're regularly speaking too fast when presenting, there can be many reasons for this. Nerves, enthusiasm for your topic, or your natural speaking style are just a few. And when this happens and your mouth is moving faster than your brain, it's easy to feel out of control and say something you don't intend to, stumble or make mistakes. Is this typically you when you speak? You can end up gabbling and accelerating, sometimes chaotically, to the end. And breathing properly? Demonstrating presence? Forget that! Presence doesn't exist when we're not present - and rushing means exactly that.
Instead,...
24Feb
4 Steps to Stay in Control when Challenged by an Audience Member
If you speak regularly in front of groups, at some point you're probably going to have your ideas, opinion or control challenged. And it may not be a perspective you hold lightly. Sometimes audience members can touch a nerve or challenge a deeply held value…if this has ever happened to you, you'll know that it can hit hard. Or perhaps you're not holding a strong viewpoint, but simply feel a bit raw that day: something in your life isn't working, or you feel vulnerable or unwell. I've certainly had to step up and run a group or speak to an audience while...
13Jan
Powerful Internal Questions to Influence Up
Some powerful internal questions to influence up, if you're nervous or threatened by hierarchy. Hierarchy challenges can rear up for a lot of people. Even when confident, that sense of "less than" can be a real issue. It can help a lot to reframe what you're aiming to achieve. Asking yourself powerful questions such as "How can I contribute here? How can I help these people with my information?" can make a difference. Or finding a way to generate a feeling of 'peer to peer' discussion by asking yourself - prior to the conversation or presentation - questions such as: "What will make this feel...