I don’t mean “great” presenters – although often successful presenters are great. I mean what successful presenters do. Presenters who get the sale, convince the board of directors, lead their team in a new direction, presenters who are heard and understood, who are compelling, connecting and convincing. Want to be like them? Do these […]

  If you’re reading this, my guess is this has happened to you.  You’re about a minute and a half into your presentation when things start going wrong.  Maybe just slightly, uncomfortably wrong or maybe horribly this-can’t-be-really-happening wrong. Either way, you end the presentation feeling somewhere between a little let down and completely wrung out.  […]

    1. You’re not looking them in the eye. Human beings need connection, which happens when we make eye contact.  If you’re a nervous speaker and some well-meaning person told you to “just look over the audience’s heads”,  I’m afraid that was bad advice.  Go ahead, you can do it – look your audience […]

  1)  Apologizing:  For being unprepared, afraid, for your PowerPoint slides being in the wrong order, impossible to read, inaccurate… 2)  Having and showing PowerPoint slides that are in the wrong order, impossible to read, inaccurate, too busy, too “flashy”:  Remember,  when it comes to visuals. Don’t let your slides put you in a metaphorical […]

    One of my favorite childhood books was, and still is, The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper. Remember the story?  A train full of toys and games and good things to eat and drink for the children of the town over the mountain breaks down on its way to deliver its load […]

  We all know that in order to persuade, move or convince an audience we must connect with them, but how?  Here are 10 easy, can-do-starting-today ways to connect with your audience. 1)  Look them in the eye. Anyone who told you to “just look over their heads” was giving you bad advice. We connect […]

    1) Copy and paste stuff from other people’s slide decks  I know, I know, you’re a very busy person.  You don’t have time to reinvent the wheel (or in this case, the visuals for your presentation). It’s easier and faster just to go into your colleague’s presentations and copy and paste stuff.  And […]

  When my friend and loyal newsletter reader, Isaiah Cooper, read my August issue he wrote me with the following insight.  With his permission I share this with you.  What’s good for the trumpet player is equally good for the presenter! “When I read the part(s) about practicing out loud it reminded me of things […]

    Q:  How many slides should I have in a (__) minute presentation? A: Who cares? Yep, you read that right.  The number of slides is pretty much irrelevant.  What is important is this;  there should only be one big idea per slide.  If you have supporting ideas for that one big idea, OK, […]