At a conference earlier this year, I hosted a panel discussion of experience speakers. I asked them their thoughts on the most important aspect of public speaking. Every panellist said the same thing – your audience. If you are an accomplished speaker – confident, polished, charismatic – but your audience is not interested in or […]
When it comes to facilitating events, having / being a great MC is crucial. I’ve written previously about the role of the MC in providing the links between the programme in a large event. This one is focussed on facilitating events with a single speaker. Warm-up The MC is the first person to speak to […]
A panel discussion is a great way to elicit a range of views from people with different expertise and perspectives. They might come from different fields within your industry, different types of company or have had different starting points/journeys within the topic area. Here are key things to consider if you are chairing a panel […]
There are types of speaking which rely heavily on preparation. In others you must speak completely off-the-cuff with no preparation at all. One of my favourite aspects of speaking is facilitation. The kind of speaking where you are semi-prepared. You can prepare some of what you are going to say, but the rest relies on […]
Communicating purpose is powerful. The previous two blogs explored why in terms of speaking and meetings. Although broad, I want to touch on its importance in other situations too. Understanding the purpose of an organisation – its reason for being – is vital for all activities being undertaken. It should be the very essence […]
In the first article of this series, we looked at the power of purpose in speaking – essentially communication. The fundamental reason for meetings is to facilitate communication. Often, meetings are viewed as an inconvenience. This could be because the person calling the meeting hasn’t properly thought about the purpose of the meeting. Or hasn’t […]
Purpose can be defined as the reason for which something is done or created; its aim or intention; essentially its why. If you haven’t watched Simon Sinek’s TedX talk on Golden Circles, I highly recommend it. It is one of the most famous speeches of its kind, because it eloquently explains the power of starting […]
We pose and answer questions every day. From a simple “how are you?” to the questions like “why are you a good fit for this job?” which could influence our future. These high pressure questions may come in job or promotion interviews, professional exams or pitching for business, funding or to promote a new initiative. […]
Does the question “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” send shivers down your spine? In interview and networking situations, selling yourself is important. You need to be able to communicate your skills and expertise clearly. You may not get this exact question, but articulating how your particular skillset will add value is likely to come […]
Recently in feedback on a speech, an evaluator likened vocal variety to horse riding. How changes in speed can be thought of as galloping, cantering, trotting. I appreciated the analogy as a way of making a concept more lifelike and understandable. It made me think about vocal variety further throughout my daily activities. I don’t […]
