It happens a lot doesn’t it? We have a proposal to present to a group of clients, and we know that the assorted senior people from the same firm, don’t agree on how to proceed, but we have our plan and we have to present it. Our success depends on our ability to find favour…
I was working with Dystin Johnson, a British actor and screenwriter the other day, and in our discussions when trying to help a client run an effective training session for salespeople for a really exciting new product- we got into a discussion about ‘the story’. I was thinking that the story is the thing that…
As a presenter, you’re always trying to do something to the audiences that you meet. Explain the new product, sell the benefits, clarify, motivate, inspire and convince being but a few of the more common ambitions. It’s just that often it’s at an unconscious level, and so it’s out of our awareness. Poor presenters are very often ‘trying‘ to do one…
Three more great quotes with references for those of us who like to ‘dote on scraps of learning’ as the last quoted suggests! On reputations- The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we have of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us. – Quentin Crisp On Flattery- He…
I was working with clients from a major UK insurance company last week. They are intelligent technical experts working as high end internal consultants looking to deliver real, tangible results through, process, technology and operational improvement. We were looking at the kinds of pitches that they do when asking for funds to deliver these amazing…
Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an art. – Charles McCabe The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at or…
I love these- On truth- Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it. – Andre Gide On being over 40 People who say you’re just as old as you feel are all wrong, fortunately. – Russell Baker On a lack of focus in public speaking- “His speeches leave the impression of an army of…
One way to help us become more interesting to our audiences is to understand what they find interesting. Quotations are one of those things that can help you to become more interesting, and better remembered when you get up to speak. Why? Because quotations are like little golden nuggets of cleverness that people will pass on to their friends, kids and families if they hear…
The story is the thing, understand that you’ve got a strong message and everything else will follow. So many business presentations have little or poor story structure. Here’s a short post on the simplest structure for business presenters. Once you’ve got the gist of the three-act thinking, here are a few other ideas that will…