Presentation Skills

Make the most of audience input

May 12, 2021
The most commonly used method for handling questions from the audience is to ask the group to hold their queries until you’re finished. However, in some cases, it’s to your advantage to encourage questions along the way. Develop your ability to recognize these cases and to handle questions on the fly.

Get your audience involved

November 11, 2020
Use these tactics to encourage audience involvement and hold its attention during your presentations.

Grab listeners’ attention with a clear purpose

November 11, 2020
Business speakers make a common mistake in their presentations: They concentrate on their agenda, instead of their purpose. Here’s the difference.

Sound Bites: September ’20

September 16, 2020
Are you too quick to offer help to employees who come to you with problems? … How does it strike you when someone says “What?” right after you’ve said something? … Pre-speech calisthenics … Hand-draw your proposals

Uh-oh! There goes my mic

September 10, 2020
Pleasing an audience is tough enough, but sometimes it seems that the inanimate world is after you, too—microphones and projectors in particular. When these necessary but irritating items break down, here are some ways to bail yourself out.

Lights … camera … awkwardness

July 9, 2020
Q: Our staff has been given a project to record dozens of short first-person presentations on video. We’ve found that a few folks are depressingly wooden, formal, and uneasy on camera. Is there a simple way to snap them out of their stage awkwardness?

Be mindful of your gestures

July 9, 2020
Many speakers are either too stiff or too grandiose in their movements. Use these tips to strike an effective balance.

KISS: Keep It Super Simple

June 24, 2020
Yes, you could produce a 50- or 60-slide PowerPoint presentation and feel good about your message. But you will be far more impactful if you whittle your message down to its core and present five to eight memorable slides.

Prepare for that moment at the mic

April 9, 2020
If you have a big presentation coming up, don’t let the stress of it keep you from doing your very best. Follow these tips to prepare so you shine on the big day.

Hold that holiday message to the staff

December 13, 2019
Q. I’m not sure what to say to the staff at the start of the holiday party this year, and I’m always nervous in front of that many people (about 500). We didn’t have a good year at all … any advice?