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Rehearse Now, Present Effectively later

Once asked about how he prepared for a film role, Daniel Day-Lewis replied, “I don’t rehearse at all in film if I can help it. In talking a character through, you define it. And if you define it, you kill it dead.” On the surface this may be interpreted as ‘Oscar winning actor doesn’t rehearse […]

Beware the Pitfalls of Spontaneity

All it takes is a few seconds. One-time Labour leader, Neil Kinnock called it a ‘rush of blood to the head;’ the point when all good sense appears to go out of the window and a well planned speech stumbles down a calamitous path of spontaneity… It is perhaps no coincidence that Boris Johnson’s lead […]

So, Um, Er Stop! Avoiding common presentation pitfalls

“SO! Before I begin, I’d like to start today by saying thanks to everyone for coming. Today I’m going to talk to you about… is this thing on?… Oh yes. Before I begin, can everybody hear me ok?… I’ll take that as a yes. So, let’s crack on as I know some of you are […]

Harnessing the power of language

A fact about the South American country of Suriname – the lingua franca of 500,000 inhabitants of this country is Sranan Tongo, also known as Taki Taki. Why is that relevant? Because Taki Taki, is listed as the language with the fewest words, at only 340. By comparison English, widely recognised as the language using […]

Effective Presentation? Sometimes, Less is More…

“Do you have any tips for improving slide presentations?” is a question that has come up on several occasions in recent times. Powerpoint, Prezi, Haiku Deck, Pickit… there are many presentation packages out there offering great user options but we must never forget that at the business end of every great presentation tool is the […]

A Good Technical Presentation. Is it Possible?

Hello, good morning and welcome to my technical presentation. Please turn off your phones, settle back and prepare to spend the next 45 minutes to an hour being bored out of your mind… Not the best introduction, I know, and one that, in my experience at least, has never been used as an opening salvo […]

Believing in What You Say

It’s crunch time for Theresa May and her Brexit vision this week when she will be hoping for a miracle in the form of a Parliamentary majority that backs her deal. According to a recent poll, 70% of MPs think Mrs May has done a bad job of negotiating with the EU, however there is […]

Find Your Edge For Optimum Presentation

I have often written on here about the need to prepare for an effective presentation. It is a mantra I urge every professional stepping up to the podium to adopt! However, in this blog I am going to consider the disadvantages of being too prepared. That’s an oxymoron right? Well yes, but no! I stand […]