If you want a happy audience it’s worth avoiding a number of key mistakes other presenters make. Your audience want you to help them. They want you to feel comfortable in their presence so that they may relax and feel the same. Avoid these 7 mistakes if you want a happy audience. 1. Lack of[…]
Posts by:
Maurice Decastro
If you want a happy audience, avoid these 7 mistakes
Advice, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Dec 14, 2014
What type of public speaker or presenter are you really?
Advice, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Dec 08, 2014
What type of public speaker or presenter are you really? Do you know? If you’d like to learn more, take our FREE STYLE REVIEW but just before you do, here are a few thoughts to consider. To understand what type of public speaker you are requires insight into: – You own personality – How you[…]
How to tell a story to bring your presentation to life
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Dec 05, 2014
Every great presentation is really a story. At the age of 60 Diana Nyad began open water training for a 60-hour, 103-mile (166 km) swim from Cuba to Florida,. This was a task she had failed to finish thirty years previously. After 29 hours in the water, strong currents and winds pushed her miles off[…]
Watch out for the quiet ones – Presenting the introvert
Advice, nervous, Presentating training Nov 26, 2014
Is it possible that a self-confessed introvert could find the courage to speak for a whole 18 minutes on the highly prestigious platform of TED. That very same speech has been viewed over 14 million times on TED and over 3 million on YouTube? Susan Cain did exactly that She walked onto the coveted stage[…]
Presenters – Grab it like you mean it: Your audience’s attention
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 20, 2014
All presenters and public speakers face the same challenge; getting and keeping their audience’s attention. Psychologists at Princeton University suggest that people make judgments about the attractiveness, likeability, trustworthiness, and competence of other people after looking at their faces for just 100 milliseconds. No wonder so many presenters are anxious about the idea of speaking in[…]
As a producer, composer, music arranger, actor, singer, civil rights activist and humanitarian, Harry Belafonte is no stranger to speaking in public. Indeed many would say he’s always been outspoken. I’m sure you’ll agree that his performance on Saturday night was in a class of its own. His speech was a reminder to us all[…]
A tribute to my beautiful mum, Georgine DeCastro 19/03/35 – 19/10/14 ( read today 30/10/14 at her funeral) “I believe I was about 6 years old when mum and dad bought our very first dog into our home, it was only a puppy but I was terrified of it. If it even came into the[…]
Emma Watson – Presentation nerves
Anxiety, nervous, Presentating training, Presentation Skills Oct 07, 2014
Emma Watson, the heroine of the Harry Potter series was appointed as a U.N. Women Goodwill Ambassador earlier this year. She recently gave an impassioned speech on feminism and gender inequality at the U.N. headquarters in New York. When I first listened to her speech on YouTube I couldn’t help but be a little[…]
Boris Johnson – Proof That Politics Doesnt Have to be Boring
Advice, Communication Skills, Public Speaking Oct 03, 2014
There have been so many adjectives to describe Boris Johnson Eccentric, Hugely clever Politically astute, Loveable Funny Quirky Boris Johnson has also been called: Self- promoting Arrogant A clown Charming Flamboyant Larger than life Some think he’s not only brilliant as the Mayor of London but that he should be the next leader[…]
Whether you like or agree with them or not, David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed Milliband and Nigel Farage all know how to speak in public. Some, arguably better than others Each has their individual style and can give a good performance when the pressure is on. Last week Nigel Farage spoke at the UKIP[…]
Barack Obama- Master of the Pause
Advice, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Sep 26, 2014
Barack Obama is arguably one of the best speakers in the world today. In my opinion he is unquestionably, the master of the pause. We saw this again this week in his address to the United Nations General Assembly Barack Obama outlined steps world leaders should take against violent extremists such as the Islamic[…]
Does Ed Milliband speak with the gravitas of Obama, the grace of Clinton or the glow of Cameron? Not quite. That said, he did the right thing speaking without notes at this week’s Labour conference in Manchester. From a technical speaking perspective he: Made great eye contact Paused well Spoke at a good pace Gestured[…]
Forget the Elevator Speech – Just Press the Button
Advice, Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Sep 15, 2014
I enjoy networking, although, I really don’t care too much for the elevator speech. ‘Good morning, my name is John and I’m a partner at ABC; solicitors, accountants, marketing, training, etc. We are based in Richmond, have been in business for thirty years . We not only give excellent customer service but we offer great[…]
The Real Source of Public Speaking Anxiety
Advice, Anxiety, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Sep 14, 2014
Public speaking anxiety is by far the greatest issue we are asked to help professionals with every week at Mindful Presenter. I often hear professional speakers and coaches claim that the reason they believe that people suffer from public speaking anxiety is because they have low self-esteem. Whilst that may be true for some, I[…]
Keynote by Tim Cook – Steve Jobs Would Be Proud
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Sep 09, 2014
Yesterday, Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the birth of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 plus and the Apple Watch. His predecessor, the late Steve Jobs was long hailed as one of the best keynote speakers and presenters in the world. It could have been no easy feat to follow in the footsteps of such[…]
Alcohol and acceptance speeches just don’t mix. Not even for the charming actor who’s name incidentally I wouldn’t try saying after having had a few too many scoops myself. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that it doesn’t matter how likeable or famous you may be, being tipsy whilst giving any kind of[…]
Matt Cutts is the man behind search quality and search engine optimization in arguably the world’s most important internet company. Some may envy his position. Few however, would covet the enormous and variable challenges he faces. Cutts was the keynote speaker at PubCon, the premier social media and optimization conference in 2013, and it’s easy[…]
The mindful way to crafting and delivering a brilliant presentation
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 17, 2014
Have you been on the recieving end of a brilliant presentation recently? Perphaps you’ve given one yourself. Either way, you’ll know that giving a brilliant presentation at work isn’t easy. It doesn’t involve reading slides, speaking in a monotone voice or dumping data on fellow professionals; that’s very easy to do! The reality is, no[…]
4 powerful ways to connect with your audience
Communication Skills, Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills Aug 15, 2014
Do you connect with your audience? Are you entirely happy with your presentation skills? What about your colleagues; do they have the presentation skills needed to keep your attention, interest and curiosity? The next time you get to sit through a presentation, make it your business to have a good look around the audience[…]
‘Death by bullet point’- Is it really that bad?
Bullet Point, Communication Skills, PowerPoint, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 14, 2014
‘Death by Bullet Point’ – What do you think, is it really that bad? If used correctly there’s nothing wrong with PowerPoint or most other visual aid software. It can be used to great effect to significantly enhance your message, make it more meaningful and of course memorable. I’ve seen PowerPoint and other visual aid[…]
Stop networking and start connecting – Why and how
Advice, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 13, 2014
At Mindful Presenter the underlying sentiment that fuels our business and drives everyone who works here is our core belief and ethos that ‘Connecting is everything’; it’s on our website, business cards, and etched in hearts and minds too. When we’re not helping businesses connect with their people we are helping speakers and presenters from[…]
This week the world is feeling the loss of a monumental actor and comic genius who won the hearts and minds of millions of people since the 1970’s. Robin Williams the Oscar winning actor brought laughter and joy to countless people from all ages and generations; yet it’s reported that he himself suffered from severe[…]
For many of them their anxiety reaches far beyond simply speaking in public, its intensified by the fact that they have no choice; they have to present as part of their job. Some don’t like their own voice, some feel they speak too fast or too slow, some feel their accent is too strong[…]
After all, what’s the worst thing that can happen? People won’t throw knives at you or scratch your car; they are unlikely to storm out and nobody has ever actually died from forgetting their words. The reality is, whoever you are most people want to see you do well; nobody wants to see you squirm[…]
Just how effective are your presentation skills – have you asked?
Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 06, 2014
Have you recieved feedback on your presentation skills? To be able to truly develop ourselves as public speakers, presenters and leaders the one thing we all need a great deal more of is feedback. 30 years ago, as a young manager, I thought I knew it all. I was climbing the corporate ladder faster[…]
The secret to overcoming nervous speaking and presenting
Anxiety, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 05, 2014
If you feel nervous speaking in public or presenting at work, you’ll know it can be very unpleasant. Many of the symptoms of nervous speaking are very similar to other life experiences. Approaching a member of the opposite sex to ask them out on a date, going for a job interview and taking your[…]
You can be nervous and still give a great speech
Anxiety, Leadership, Mindfulness, nervous, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Aug 04, 2014
You really can be very nervous and still give a great speech. At Mindful Presenter we are at very successful at helping people to overcome their public speaking anxiety If you feel nervous at the thought of presenting or public speaking, you’re not alone In fact, you’re in very good company The history books are[…]
Do Presenters Need PowerPoint to Connect With an Audience?
Leadership, Mindfulness, PowerPoint, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Aug 03, 2014
Is PowerPoint the first thing you turn to when you are called on to present? Simon Sinek’s inspirational TED talk ‘How great leaders inspire action’,is a wonderful example of how effective public speakers and presenters can be without using PowerPoint. With almost 15 milion YouTube hits, it’s easy to see why Simon has been described[…]
The best presenters know how to breathe – they are mindful presenters
Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jul 31, 2014
The best presenters understand the power of their breath and know how to use it to their advantage when speaking. One of the very first things a good public speaking coaching session will teach if you suffer from public speaking anxiety is to breathe effectively. If anxiety or nerves isn’t an issue for you,[…]
Public speaking anxiety- It’s all in the mind…
Anxiety, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Jul 30, 2014
Google the search term ‘public speaking anxiety’ and you’ll be greeted by a torrent of articles. I came up with over 167million results Everything from: relax, prepare, practice and breathe; to imagining your audience naked. It’s all very sound advice, apart from the naked part! If you are one of the many people affected by[…]
