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 […]
What’s the Answer?
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. […]
Selling Yourself – Communication Clarity
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 […]
The dynamics of speaking
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 […]
Controlling nervousness
One of the questions most frequently asked about public speaking is how to overcome nervousness. A quote I really connect with I read in a book by Paul McGee, The SUMO Guy, a favourite speaker and author of mine. It goes “you can’t get rid of the butterflies, but you can teach them to fly […]
Why having an MC matters (Virtual Events 4)
Following on from my previous blog about audience interaction and engagement, I want to highlight just how influential an MC can be. They have the power to set the tone, engage the audience and facilitate the smooth running of the event. Many of these insights come from the larger scale events I’ve attended – conferences […]
Audience Engagement (Virtual Events 3)
We attend events for a variety of reasons – to learn something, to be entertained, to meet people. Often it’s a combination of these things. If you are bringing people together for anything other than a purely information conveying webinar, your participants are likely to want to be able to interact with the speakers and […]
Tech Set-Up (Virtual Events 2)
My first article on virtual events was about preparation. Related to this, is preparing and operating the tech you are going to use. Firstly, you need to research and choose the most appropriate platform. Then learn how to use it effectively. A disclaimer: I am not an overly techy person. I know and can do […]
Preparation (Virtual Events 1)
It’s coming up to a year since we all moved to virtual events. Over that time I’ve attended innumerable webinars, training sessions, meetings and conferences. Some have been huge, with hundreds of attendees. Some have had just a handful. I’ve been involved as a participant, as part of the organising team and as a trainer. […]
Realising Your Strength – Part 2
After writing my blog last year about yoga, practicing a skill and realising your strengths, I decided to see what I could do about my lack of knowledge of how to headstand. At the time I’d been regularly practicing yoga for over a year, but at that time had put headstands in the “too hard” […]
