You know those presenters who read out from slides? You know how you detest them? Well there’s a reason. And it comes all the way from Hollywood The Hollywood saying goes like this: If the scene shows you what the scene is supposed to show you, you’re in deep shit. What does that mean? If […]
The Moment of Doubt (And How It Led to $500,000 In The Bank)
Have you ever been to a primary school play? There they are, all the kids, all keen to play their part. And then one kid forgets his part. He stands there dumbfounded. Unable to speak. Frozen in fear. The words seemingly circulating in his brain somewhere. I was that kid! Except I wasn’t five years […]
Simple Steps To Take the Fear Out Of Your Presentation
Twas the night before the presentation. Fear filled the room. What if I look like an idiot? What if I don’t get the message across like I want to? What if, indeed! Giving a presentation or a speech or ahem…a teleclass need not be intimidating. And contrary to what most people may tell you, structure […]
Why Variation Is The Hallmark of Outstanding Presenters
Put on some Bach, Beethoven or Chopin. And listen to the music. What do you hear? You hear variation. The music races madly ahead. Then it stops. It goes softer, then louder. Then at a normal volume once again. And variation isn’t just restricted to classical music. It’s pretty much everywhere you look. In cartoons, […]
Announcing: How To Create Black Belt Presentations
For the past year (and a bit) I’ve been working on a incredibly interesting project. It’s a series of books on Presentations. So notice one thing: It’s not a single book. It’s a series. Three whole books. Three whole audio-books as well. Announcing: How To Create Black Belt Presentations And now the books and audio […]
How To Systematically Use Numbers To Get Attention When Speaking
Do you quickly want to get the attention of your customers when you’re speaking? Well, here’s a quick method to do so. It’s called ‘put in a number.’ Because numbers add a bucket load of curiosity. So what’s a number? A number is a figure. Like 23% Or 55 people. Or $7 million. Numbers attract. […]
How To Make A ‘One-Wave’ Presentation
Your brain is like a surfer on the waves. When the surfer sees a big wave coming, he rides that wave. And then he zigs and zags to keep his balance, as the wave rushes madly to shore. But right after the ‘surfer’s wave’ is another wave. And another. And dozens of others. But the […]
Should You Take Questions At The End of Your Presentation?
If you’ve been to a presentation, you’ll find that part of the presenter’s agenda is to take questions at the end. Which means you make your presentation, and then you call for questions—just in case someone needs something clarified or in case your presentation has raised some questions. But do you have to take questions? […]
How The Wrong Example Alienates Your Audience
Examples have a singular goal: They help the reader understand a concept. But could the wrong example actually alienate an audience? And how would you know which kind of example would alienate you? Let’s look at a simple example of a ‘rocking chair.’ So if were to talk about a ‘rocking chair’, for instance, you’d […]
How To Get Maximum Impact From Your Speaking Engagements
Have you ever seen a rock concert where the singer holds out the microphone in the middle of a song. And not surprisingly the audience sings the lyrics of the songs, while swaying madly to the music. Your audience should be so adoring, eh? Well, if you can’t exactly be a rock star to your […]
