My father was an erudite man with a love of language and a great pun. A true wordsmith, he had a vast library of books that he frequently consulted when writing speeches or presentations. When he died some 30 years ago, I inherited some of those treasured volumes. And while I may not share his […]
How my father introduced me to some great insults! Read More »
Over the past few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to students and older job seekers about how to make the best first impression at an interview. Lots of questions have ensued, but one of the key areas of concern was how to make sure you come across as professional and engaging during a
How to master the art of presenting online. Read More »
Walking into a networking event can feel a bit like stepping onto a stage—you want to make a great impression, but nerves and uncertainty can easily take over. “What do I say?” “Who should I talk to?” “What if I get stuck in an awkward conversation?” The truth is, great networking doesn’t start when you
How to fall in love with networking: feel calm, confident & ready to connect Read More »
Whether you’re delivering a presentation, asking questions of others, speaking to a customer or just having a chat, I’m pretty confident that you don’t pause often enough. Many people find silence really difficult to deal with, so fill it as quickly as they can. They speak very quickly, ask a 2nd or 3rd question before
Why you should pause more than you do? Read More »
We’ve recently started our Presentation Club. An opportunity for members to stand up in front of the room and deliver a short presentation. All the attendees create written feedback on how the speaker came across. You then get to keep all the sheets of feedback to digest in the comfort of your home. In can
How hard is giving and receiving feedback? Read More »
If you had some negative feedback to impart to a colleague, we were told to dress it up with something pleasant. So, you would find a couple of positive elements and then sandwich the negative comment in between. Imagine you thought a team member’s presentation was pretty good but that the slides they had created
How not to give feedback and what to do instead Read More »
As regular readers will know, I attend a lot of networking events, at which business owners and representatives can take the opportunity to give a short presentation. The topic usually relates to an overview of their business, the market they work in or some top tips for the audience to take away. As the speaker,
Five ways to ruin your presentation and what to do instead! Read More »
Some years back I was invited to be a guest on Business Connections Live The UK’s leading online business television channel. And I won’t lie … I was nervous! Over the past few months, a couple of our clients have been presenting in studio for programmes to be aired in- house and for TV channels with
How comfortable are you in a TV studio? Read More »
When my mother died recently, my family were overwhelmed by the wonderful messages we received and naturally spent a lot of time reminiscing. Mum was born in 1934, so part of the generation who “just got on with it”. She rarely complained and played with the cards dealt to her; enjoying the good times and
Advice from my Mother Read More »
If someone compliments you on the way you handled a meeting, do you say “Thank you” or is your response more likely to be, “Oh it was nothing really” or “They were very easy on me” or perhaps “I don’t think I was. I could have been better at dealing with X or Y” If
How good are you at giving and receiving compliments? Read More »
