When it comes to communicating effectively in media interviews and at meetings we are often our worst enemies. A potentially cogent and powerful argument is undermined by pointless, repetitive and largely unconscious verbal habits that irritate the hell out of our listeners and work against impactful communication. Here are five of the worst offences: Starting […]
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When did you last change your mind…
…about something really important? This week I read something very unusual in my daily newspaper. A former practitioner – and passionate advocate – of naturopathy described how she changed sides and became an equally passionate sceptic after she discovered evidence of fraudulent claims in relation to cancer treatment. ‘Once I realised that, everything changed virtually […]
Read MoreThe six worst forms of PowerPoint abuse
Is it the TV’s fault if a programme is boring? Surely not! Is a drill to blame for a poorly hung picture? Hardly! So why is it that PowerPoint is so often forced to take the rap for the dull, uninspiring and unmemorable presentations delivered daily in meeting rooms, conference halls and lecture theatres across […]
Read MoreHow to be persuasive in 3 simple steps
How to be persuasive in three simple steps Of all the forms of torture inflicted in corporate life, Death by PowerPoint is the most pervasive. It’s not just because the software encourages a lazy approach to presenting, with the speaker usually playing a poor supporting role to slides loaded with text, dripping with bullet points […]
Read MorePersuasion: why facts don’t work
As a communication skills coach I work regularly with individuals and groups to identify, prioritise and illustrate the key facts that support the arguments they need to put forward in presentations, media interviews, negotiations and other critical meetings. There is an assumption that facts are the ultimate, undeniable persuaders, in the face of which the […]
Read MoreIf you want to be understood junk the jargon
Recently I was invited to provide media training for a professional team who were preparing to launch a scheme to align their services more specifically to customer needs.
Read MoreSoundbites: Theresa May needs to learn that less is always more
As a communication skills trainer I am always keen to stress the value of a well-crafted soundbite. Attaching a colourful, pithy, punchy little phrase to your main talking point will increase your chances of getting your story covered, getting you quoted and generating a strikingly memorable headline.
Read MoreFour great reasons for eyeballing your audience in presentations – and how to do it without being scary
The one thing bad presenters do that is guaranteed to make me lose the will to live while coaching them is turn their backs on the audience. For one thing it usually means that their slides are so densely packed with information that they can’t afford to look away from them for a second – […]
Read MoreWhy ‘protesting too much’ weakens your case
Am I the only person who thinks ‘Well they must be guilty then!’ when someone ‘categorically’ or ‘emphatically’ or ‘strenuously’ denies they have perpetrated some misdeed
Read MoreTen ways to make your presentation memorable
How much of your presentation will your audience remember – and for how long? Studies have drawn similarly discouraging conclusions. One, based on a 10-minute presentation, showed that people remembered just 50% of what was said immediately afterwards, dropping to 25% the next day and a mere 10% a week later. Another, based on an […]
Read MoreTen great attention-grabbers for presenters
Presentation openers: 10 ways to turn off your audience
How long does it take for an audience to decide whether you are a great speaker who has interesting and relevant things to say or a hopeless time-wasting purveyor of Death by PowerPoint?
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