Three Sizzling Openers for Public Speaking

6 October 2016 When you're public speaking, you’ve got minutes to grab your audience by the vitals and get their attention. The problem is that there are so many other things clamouring for people’s attention these days. Nearly everyone carries a galaxy of distraction in their pockets – in the form of a mobile phone. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter so...

The Dos and Don’ts of PowerPoint Slides

6 October 2016 Hands up if you’ve ever suffered from death by PowerPoint at some time in your life. Most of us have experienced this. You go to a seminar or presentation and it’s like looking at Aunty Betty’s holiday snaps: lots of trivial detail about people you’ve never heard of and places you’d rather not go to. ✖   Don’t read from your...

The Beginner’s Guide to Public Speaking

30 November 2015 Well your boss has told you that you’ve got to make a presentation and you’re feeling a strong urge to visit the rest-room. On the one hand you feel that it’s great that you’ve been recognised but on the other hand you’re terrified of public speaking and that you’re going to mess it up. Sound familiar? The first thing to...

Sound More Interesting – Three top tips

19 April 2017 Are you concerned that you sound boring when you're speaking? It's off on of the things that is most off putting about listening to inexperienced speakers. They might be worthy but they sound as dull as dishwater. Who wants to sound like that?  Not me for starters! Happily, there are some simple ways to combat this and sound more interesting....

Learning Language: Critical Part of Harmony Day

21 March 2017 It's Harmony Day today (21st March) in Australia.  Wondering exactly what Harmony Day was all about, I googled it.  It turns out that it's a government initiative about cultural diversity.  Harmony Day celebrates the many backgrounds and languages that represent Australia today. Therefore, language is a critical part of Harmony Day. Given its importance I wondered why it hasn't received...

How to Create Great Body Language

1 October 2015 There’s a lot of stuff talked about body language, some good, some pseudo-science, some claptrap. The big thing to remember is that body language, like other forms of communication, is very contextual. Culture also plays an important part. Gestures and stances that are acceptable in one culture, are frowned on in another. Just like the age-old question about a tree...

Three Sizzling Openers for Public Speaking

6 October 2016 When you're public speaking, you’ve got minutes to grab your audience by the vitals and get their attention. The problem is that there are so many other things clamouring for people’s attention these days. Nearly everyone carries a galaxy of distraction in their pockets – in the form of a mobile phone. Attention spans are getting shorter and shorter so...

The Dos and Don’ts of PowerPoint Slides

6 October 2016 Hands up if you’ve ever suffered from death by PowerPoint at some time in your life. Most of us have experienced this. You go to a seminar or presentation and it’s like looking at Aunty Betty’s holiday snaps: lots of trivial detail about people you’ve never heard of and places you’d rather not go to. ✖   Don’t read from your...

The Beginner’s Guide to Public Speaking

30 November 2015 Well your boss has told you that you’ve got to make a presentation and you’re feeling a strong urge to visit the rest-room. On the one hand you feel that it’s great that you’ve been recognised but on the other hand you’re terrified of public speaking and that you’re going to mess it up. Sound familiar? The first thing to...

Reasons Why Plagiarism is OK when you’re Stuck for Ideas

9 May 2016 Sometimes, plagiarism can be OK.  Heard of the term ‘writer’s block’? Yes it’s that moment when you’re completely stuck and the creative juices haven’t merely stopped flowing but have completely congealed, it’s times like this when you need some way of getting things moving again. Being a plagiarist is one way of clearing the blockage. Yes, yes, I know! Generally...

Seven Surprising Voice Care Facts

3 February 2017 Your voice is an astonishing thing but voice care is often at the back of our minds. Lots of animals can make grunts, squeaks, roars, barks and so on. A few can sing and a few birds can even mimic human speech in fairly limited way. A few of the great apes have been taught a limited vocabulary of sign...

How to Create Great Body Language

1 October 2015 There’s a lot of stuff talked about body language, some good, some pseudo-science, some claptrap. The big thing to remember is that body language, like other forms of communication, is very contextual. Culture also plays an important part. Gestures and stances that are acceptable in one culture, are frowned on in another. Just like the age-old question about a tree...

Good Posture Improves Public Speaking

4 February 2017 I can still hear his voice ringing in my ears after nearly half a century. Stand up straight Robert! Pay attention to your Posture! He would use that slightly frustrated tone of someone who had been there before. It's ironic that I now find myself doing much the same thing with my clients, although I rarely get frustrated. I was...