Of course it’s always possible to be caught of guard but, in business, we can reduce the chances of that. Reasoned responses to the unexpected can be prepared in advance. Taking the experiences of salespeople, stand-up comedians and pilots as examples, Jim shows how a bit of preparation and practice (and more practice) will have…
The third and final instalment in Jim’s series looking at the 12 hacks, based on research by Professor John Antonakis at the University of Lausanne, that will help you become a more charismatic speaker. This time he looks at the words you can use to show moral conviction, to connect with your audience or to…
Following on from Jim’s earlier article on becoming a more charismatic speaker, here’s a list of the techniques you can employ and concrete examples of these in action. A great illustration of exactly how to add power and impact to your words. If you want to make a difference to your audience then these simple…
Part of your job as a presenter is to earn the right to be listened to. You earn the right by connecting with the hopes, dreams and realities of the people in front of you. You make them feel more positive, more hopeful and more optimistic that a happy ending is in sight. This ability…
Kintsukuroi (or Kintsugi as it’s also known) is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by putting the pieces back together again with a lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver or platinum. It treats breakage and repair as part of the history of an object, rather than something to disguise, and, with all…
My 13-year-old son asked me to let him show me his football skills the other day. I was delighted, because until that point, he’d shown no interest at all in the sports that I’ve adored since I was his age. We went down to the local park, and I passed the ball to him to…
The soon to be forgotten Jeremy Clarkson has built his career out of this single skill. No, not bullying, whingeing and feeling sorry for himself after behaving appallingly to producers, fellow journalists, wives, foreigners, and anyone who didn’t attend a public school (Chavs, I think, is the word he uses to describe most of the…
If you’re still using PowerPoint with a ‘clicker’ stood behind a lectern, you’re gathering dust faster than a dozing grandaddy. It’s not all about the look, you need a strong story, but you’ve already got that. So why not challenge yourself with the latest technology? Porsche never stop trying to improve their classic 911. They…
In this fascinating TED talk, social psychologist Amy Cuddy starts with two good questions: Our non-verbals govern how other people think and feel about us but do our non-verbals govern how we think and feel about ourselves? If our minds can change our bodies; is it also true that our bodies can change our minds? Her research…