Presentation Skills

Help! I’m not funny!

September 13, 2018
Q. I give a lot of presentations and am always envious of people who can evoke a laugh in all the right spots. I myself just don’t have that skill. Can it be learned?

Dump that snazzy video equipment!

September 6, 2018
Many an office will splurge on a nice video camera, light kit and editing system with dreams of hitting their company intranet, website or YouTube with snazzy content. But struggling with complicated hardware is often overkill because of the way videos are produced or perceived these days.

Deliver stronger briefings

August 22, 2018
When people ask you to “brief” them on something, make sure you get to the point—without sacrificing completeness and clarity. Follow these rules.

5 tips to memorize a speech

July 25, 2018
If you aren’t comfortable winging your next speech or presentation, follow these tips to memorize it—and ensure it still seems natural.

Public speaking … just for laughs

June 14, 2018
Q. People can give me all the tips in the world about how to control my nerves before a speech, but they never seem to take. Want to take a crack at one?

When speaking, take charge of your surroundings

November 10, 2017

As you mingle before delivering a speech, use that time to win over audience members. Help them form a positive first impression of you.

Ouch! The harshest presentation scorecard ever

August 15, 2017

Steel yourself—we want you to put your upcoming talk through this aggressive 12-point test. Our goal is to poke, nitpick and annoy until you have all your bases covered and can come off like an awesome leader, not a text reader.Let the tough love begin! 

The best audience of all: a dog?

August 9, 2017
American University has eight canines on a roster of “audience dogs,” whose main duties are to be attentive for university students nervous about presentations.

To tame speech anxiety, be selfless

June 30, 2017
In the days and hours leading up to your presentation, you may wallow in anxious thoughts such as, “I dread this” or “I hope I don’t look stupid.” Joey Asher, an Atlanta-based speech coach, calls this “selfish self-talk.”

Welcome challenges from the crowd

March 9, 2017
You’re more apt to engage audiences if you invite them to speak up at any time.