I just finished a series of one-on-one presentation coaching sessions with senior leaders at a technology company. All eight leaders attended my signature program, The Motivated Presenter, where they learned how to reduce their dependence on PowerPoint slides in order to better communicate and engage with their audience. The President of the company was very [read more]
Have you seen the video or listened to the audio recording of Jon Stewart’s testimony to Congress (the House Judiciary Committee in this case) on June 11, 2019? It was a riveting presentation and one that we can all learn from. Jon was speaking in support of the reauthorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. [read more]
People often ask me if it’s possible to over-prepare for a speech or presentation. They worry that they’ll come off canned, too scripted, too stiff, or that they might lose some of their spontaneous charisma. How do I answer their concerns? I tell them that preparation is essential to any successful presentation, especially if it’s [read more]
Last week I had the pleasure of working with talented engineering and financial professionals from Sikorsky Aircraft in West Palm Beach, Florida. While the weather station warned us continuously of the potential hazards looming from Hurricane Hermine, we were tucked away in a cozy hotel conference room trying to reduce the risks of death by PowerPoint, and to learn better [read more]
Podiums can pose quite a dilemma for public speakers. They can lead to the dreaded…. On the one hand, podiums can be helpful: a place to put your notes, provide a place to stand, and add some formality to your presentation. On the other hand, podiums can become a crutch: a place to hide behind, a [read more]
I have many clients who struggle with the job requirement of giving someone else’s presentation. In some cases, it is a capabilities presentation to a potential new client. In other cases, it is a product/service presentation that has been “compliance-approved.” In other situations, clients have to give a senior management or board update that someone else has [read more]
This is the fourth and final post in my four-part blog series exploring the many ways in which you can close your presentations with greater impact. My goal is to motivate you to be more creative and experimental with how you close out your presentations. We’ll look at video examples from TED.com and YouTube to see how other [read more]
This is the third part of a four-part series exploring the many ways in which you can close your presentations with greater impact. My goal is to motivate you to be more creative and experimental with how you close out your presentations. We’ll look at video examples from TED.com and YouTube and see how other professionals and expert speakers [read more]
It’s Halloween in America……time for all kids to get really creative with their costumes and run around their neighborhoods collecting sugary candy treats. They would love to get full sized candy bars, but that’s rare. What they fear are houses that disappoint them or worse yet, trick them, by turning the house lights off and [read more]
I just returned from a vacation to Asheville, North Carolina. My husband and I fell in love with this laid-back city with its rich diversity, art culture, craft beers, international cuisine, music scene, Blue Ridge Parkway, mountain air, and dog-friendliness. The dress code in Asheville is “suit and tie or tie-dye.” Asheville is also the home of America’s largest home, George [read more]
