Most clients who contact us state “fear”, “anxiety” and “lack of confidence” as their biggest issue with public speaking. Fear is the number one reason why people avoid anything in life. We don’t like the feeling of fear, and so avoidance is one admittedly effective strategy for making sure you never have to face that fear. However, you can see the problem. Whatever goals you want to achieve will never come to be. Worse, if you are forced into public speaking scenarios (for example, it’s a requirement of your job) this can amplify negative feelings. Having a system for success is very import ..read more

​​The first time I ever competed in a public speaking contest, I received feedback from two talented mentors. The first told me I moved around too much on the stage. The second told me I should move around more.   That was my first introduction to the fact that public speaking is an art as much as a science. Sometimes there’s no wrong or right. In fact, both my mentors were correct in their own way. I moved around too much “without purpose”. However I didn’t move effectively when I should have.   This begs the questions: How? When? Where? Why? … and so on.   Don’t worry, stage movement is qui ..read more

When we engage in any activity in life, be it work, sport or rest; having an appropriate posture is important. It makes a big difference for the success of your activity, and it’s good for your body (both short-term and long-term). This begs the question, what is the ideal posture for the public speaker? In this article we will discover how to find the ideal speaking stance for all kinds of situations; giving a wedding speech, delivering a technical presentation in the workplace, lecturing to students, being interviewed for a job… whatever. Some speaking scenarios may require you to sit, st ..read more

Many years ago, I joined an acting class, mostly for fun but also to develop my dramatic skills. Studying drama can improve your public speaking; it can enhance your ability to express yourself in a more open way. The class I attended was high energy, with plenty of interactive exercises. One thing I didn’t expect was that I picked up a powerful technique that allowed me to develop my vocal projection. It was a simple warm-up exercise that took no longer than two minutes, and it promised to increase my ability to project by 10% after just 2 weeks of once per day. And now I will share it with ..read more

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Whatever you are, be a good one.” The question in this article is, what makes a good salesperson? As I alluded to in the previous article, people tend to react negatively to unsolicited sellers. Whether you are accosted in a clothes shop, telephoned by a service provider, or pitched by a sales presentation at a promotional event, the result is usually the same… “sounds great - please leave me alone.” Not always of course, but often. In addition, many sellers shy away, or feel ashamed of, the idea of selling. They carry an underlying guilt about the idea of persua ..read more

Have you ever been browsing in a retail store only to be accosted by an assistant eager to engage you and your wallet? In this situation, how do you normally react? “Thanks - I’m just browsing.” “I’m okay, really.” “Please leave me alone.” The last line is too rude for most to say out loud, but that doesn’t mean you never thought it. Our first reaction to sellers is usually to push them away. Interestingly, this is not because we would never consider buying anything. After all, why browse in a shop if the idea of buying is abhorrent to you? Which begs the question: what’s really going on ..read more

A recent client of mine said this to me... “If only I didn’t feel that horrible dread in my stomach I’d be able to speak a lot better!!!” Every time she was about to deliver a presentation she suffered from a heavy knot-like fear in her solar plexus. We’re all familiar with those nervous reactions that occur inside us when we are faced with life’s challenges and uncertainties. In this blog article I will revisit some tools from earlier articles that you can use to ease your anxieties. In addition, I will share with you a powerful technique you won’t find anywhere else – a tip you can use t ..read more

In my previous two blog articles we discovered many reasons why storytelling is the most powerful component of public speaking. We examined the elements that make a compelling story, and we explored key concepts such as conflict and character building. In this article we will learn how to further polish our story writing skills by studying the three narrative modes. There are as many different writing styles as there are writers. However, it is possible to break down every writer’s work into three basic stylistic modes. Since storytelling is an art there is no “perfect” style. However, it i ..read more

Who are your favourite characters from literature? Who are your favourites from the real world? How about your personal life? I want you to conjure these characters up in your mind, and really think about why they are your favourites. Focus on them and ponder for a moment… The truth is, there could be many reasons why you love (or love to hate) your favourite characters, but one thing I can tell you for sure; you have a strong, lasting, emotional response to them. In other words, they resonate with you. It should come as no surprise that the characters you plan to write (or speak) about sh ..read more

Are you a natural storyteller? Twelve years ago I had an experience that changed my entire perception about the nature of storytelling, and my own role as a storyteller… I joined an organisation called Toastmasters (a worldwide enterprise dedicated to fostering public speaking and leadership skills). As I built my confidence I stumbled across an issue that many speakers grapple with when they begin their journey. In short, my speeches were a little on the boring side. An early mentor of mine, Freddie Daniels, noted that the reason my speeches came across as bland was that they were overstu ..read more