Of course images can enhance the audience’s understanding of a presentation. Old-fashioned acetates did the job just as well as the modern laptop and projector showing PowerPoint. In fact, many would argue that they were often better; generally brighter and more detailed. Others would argue for a sophisticated look, which they feel can be generated […]
Tag: Audience
DOs and DON’Ts of Presenting: 1. Don’t bore them!
Quite recently I was asked by a client to put together some Dos and Don’ts with regard to making presentations. A useful exercise! 1. Don’t Bore Them An obvious instruction, you’d have thought. Yet how many times have you sat through a presentation bored rigid? How often had you wished you were elsewhere? If you […]
What are you looking at? How to Speak Well at a Book Festival
Spring is usually the time I am making daily trips to Glasgow’s wonderful Aye Write! book festival which bestrides a couple of weeks at this time of year in the Mitchell Library. This year, of course, I will be looking online for this festival in June, rather than taking myself off to the Mitchell. Be […]
Sprezzatura and Learning a Speech
I’m often asked, when working with people on their speeches, if they should learn them. There is no straight answer to this. For some, this works beautifully; others don’t sound natural when they’ve learned a speech (think of Ian Duncan Smith as Tory Leader). Many find having an aide memoir of some kind very helpful. […]
Mind Reader or ‘Mind Blind’? Communication and Autism
How do you tell what someone else means? Is it the words they choose? Their tone of voice? Body language? What kind of filters do you employ – your mood that day, how well you know the person, your joint history etc etc Most of us develop a capacity to think about the mental states […]
Visual Aids / Slides / PowerPoint: Part 1 – A public speaking professional’s view
‘Visual Aids’ You hear this expression a lot. What does the word ‘visual’ mean? And the word ‘aid’? Put the two together and we imply something visual, which helps our understanding. We see something, analyse what we (think we) see and interpret what (we think) that means. You could include words, as sighted people use […]