Every leader understands and advocates the significance of a strong communication culture. Exceptional leaders understand that building an open, healthy and positive communication culture isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s critical. At Mindful Presenter, we have the good fortune of working with many of the world’s best loved brands. The savvy companies don’t[…]
Posts by:
Maurice Decastro
10 simple ideas to create a strong communication culture
Communication Skills, Leadership Feb 26, 2023
12 Reasons why highly intelligent people are still delivering such bad presentations
General, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Feb 18, 2023
We’ve all sat through bad presentations at work. The question is, why are so many highly intelligent, creative and talented business professionals still delivering such bad presentations? What is a bad presentation? Before we consider why bad presentations are still so prevalent in the workplace today, it’s worth gaining some clarity on what these look[…]
How to avoid the feeling of Groundhog Day in business presentations
Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Jan 29, 2023
Have you ever sat through a business presentation that felt a bit like Groundhog Day? It’s that feeling that you’ve been there before; it’s like déjà vu on steroids. You may be listening to a different presenter sharing different content but it looks, feels and sounds the same. It’s like you’re reliving the same business[…]
7 Ways great leaders develop their team’s public speaking skills
Leadership, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 28, 2023
Many leaders would agree that one of the key elements of their organisation’s success, depends on their team’s public speaking skills. Whether it’s a business update, sales pitch or client meeting, your team’s public speaking skills and effectiveness can significantly influence the way both you and your business are perceived. That presents an interesting leadership[…]
Self-compassion opens the door to public speaking success
Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Jan 08, 2023
The internet and book stores are overflowing with advice on how to achieve public speaking success. Know your audience Craft a clear message Prepare, practice, pause Make eye contact Keep it simple Watch your body language Use compelling visuals Open and close with impact Imagine your audience in their underwear (please don’t!) There are many,[…]
12 Bad presentation habits to leave behind in 2022
Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Dec 31, 2022
Bad presentation habits are everywhere. You’ve probably been on the receiving end of a few of them this year. Perhaps you’ve even been challenged by a few yourself. I’m not referring to the usual culprits. A few common bad presentation habits are – Saying ‘Err’, ‘Umm’, ‘So’, ‘You know. Etc. – Talking too fast[…]
The King’s Christmas Broadcast 2022 – A message of light
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills Dec 28, 2022
The King’s Christmas Broadcast 2022 was a message of light. “Everlasting light” “My mother’s belief in the power of that light” “To shine a light” “Shining a light” “As the Bible tells us, ‘The light that has come into the world’ was born.” “The power of light overcoming darkness.” “This life-giving light” “With all my[…]
It’s time to stop presenting and start connecting
Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Dec 23, 2022
For over a decade, our team at Mindful Presenter have been helping professionals all over the world to stop presenting and start connecting. We’re making good progress but still have a long way to go. In our experience, most people don’t like presenting and many don’t like the idea of being presented to either.[…]
12 Common Presentation Time Wasters
Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Dec 16, 2022
There are a great number of presentation time wasters professionals experience every day. Sometimes a good way to learn what to do, is to know what not to do first. We are living in the information age Most of us are overwhelmed with information every single day. Information has never in history been easier to[…]
Would you like to know the truth about high impact presenting? I ask the question mindfully in the knowledge that there are a great number of myths about what it takes to become an effective presenter. In a previous article, ‘10 Common Public Speaking Myths We Need To Dispel Immediately,‘ I wrote: ‘Don’t let the[…]
Are you a Mindful Presenter? To be a really good presenter you don’t have to be a slick, memorised and polished speaker who is word perfect. Mindfulness is the key In this context, you’ll know if you are a Mindful Presenter if you have a high level of self-awareness. That entails having real insight and[…]
Presentation assassins come in all forms and every shape and size, they are everywhere. They look just like you and I but you’ll recognise them the moment they begin to present. Do whatever it takes to avoid them and make sure that whatever happens, you never become one. Public speaking and presenting isn’t particularly easy[…]
Presentation Nightmare Lessons from Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares
Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Nov 06, 2022
It recently occurred to me that many of the presentation nightmares professionals experience are akin to, ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.’ Despite not having a culinary bone in my body, I’ve recently taken a liking to Chef Ramsay. Perhaps, it’s because we have something in common. I’d like to think that I don’t have the same[…]
Is Liz Truss really such a terrible public speaker?
Communication Skills, General, Leadership, Public Speaking Oct 12, 2022
Is Liz Truss really such an awful public speaker. One publication has awarded her the title of, ‘The public’s Dalek.’ Another suggested, ‘she lacked passion and empathy.’ In terms of content, another believes that, ‘The speech was not even particularly well-written.’ Rachel Moss, writes in the Huffington Post, ‘The slow blinking, mistimed pauses, vacant smile[…]
10 Common Public Speaking Myths We Need To Dispel Immediately
Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Sep 24, 2022
Don’t let the plethora of public speaking myths alarm you. Despite efforts to dispel them, the world is full of tales and illusions which have stood the test of time. Public speaking myths are no exception and continue to hurt presenters and audiences in businesses everywhere. It’s time to challenge those unhelpful public speaking myths[…]
King Charles III’s First Speech – One of Pain, Pride and Presence
Communication Skills, Leadership Sep 16, 2022
King Charles III’s first speech addressing the UK as sovereign, was one of great pain, pride and presence. One week ago today, King Charles III paid tribute to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II, who on her 21st Birthday in 1947, dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth. “I declare before you all[…]
5 Ways to Improve your Public Speaking Voice
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 08, 2022
How effective is your public speaking voice? ‘The human voice is the most beautiful instrument of all, but it is the most difficult to play.’ Richard Strauss Despite the truth and elegance of this quote, I believe that the word ‘voice’ means a great deal more than the sound produced in a person’s larynx. The[…]
50 ways to annoy, bore or simply lose your presentation audience – Part 4
General, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Jul 23, 2022
Whether you’re a seasoned or inspiring speaker, you will want to connect with your presentation audience. This series of articles focuses on the top 50 ways we believe that you can leave your audience feeling lost, confused or fatigued. Your presentation audience want you to succeed but not at the expense of their wellbeing. Their[…]
50 ways to annoy, bore or simply lose your presentation audience – Part 3
Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Jul 16, 2022
How many times have you been part of a presentation audience and ‘switched off’ within the first five minutes? Your body may still be in the room but your mind has taken a sabbatical. Perhaps you’re not the only one in the presentation audience who has decided this may be the perfect time to check your[…]
50 ways to annoy, bore or simply lose your presentation audience – Part 2
General, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Jul 10, 2022
A presentation audience doesn’t want or expect a perfection presentation. They don’t want to see a slick, memorised, polished presenter, ‘perform’. The best presenters are mindful of their presentation audience wanting to connect with and relate to them emotionally as well as intellectually. Presentation audiences want to learn something new. They want our passion, insight[…]
50 ways to annoy, bore or simply lose your presentation audience – Part 1
Bullet Point, General, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Jul 03, 2022
Most of us have been part of a presentation audience. Every presenter’s job is to capture and keep their audience’s attention, interest, and curiosity. The mediocre presenter believes that their role is to simply inform and engage their audience. That is a healthy starting point but on its own, it’s not enough. Your presentation audience[…]
5 powerful presentation lessons from mother
Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips May 21, 2022
Presentation lessons are easy to find. Enter the term presentation lessons into Google and you will be greeted with 3,030,000,000 results. If you’re not too keen on searching, presentation lessons abound on TED. YouTube is a good place to start too. There are hundreds of extremely helpful articles on our blog page. Alternatively, you could[…]
The problem with filler words when presenting and how to control your use of them
General, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips May 20, 2022
Filler words are highly recognisable. In presenting and public speaking they come in the form of: Er Um You know Obviously Like Uh Actually Okay So Basically Filler words when used sparingly are not a problem. When they are used repeatedly to the point of distraction they are harmful. Over use of these words can[…]
The business presenters guide to great storytelling at work
Communication Skills, General, Leadership, Storytelling May 18, 2022
Great storytelling is one of the most powerful ways of communicating your message with impact in the workplace today. It’s not new, the Greek philosopher, Aristotle taught us about the value of great storytelling over 2000 years ago. Long before, PowerPoint and Prezi, storytelling has been the key to helping people enjoy, remember and[…]
The Art of Compression in Business Presentations
General, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking May 11, 2022
As a presentation skills coach I’ve long held the belief that most business presentations are far too long. In fact, I wrote an article about it 7 years ago. Sadly, not a great deal has changed in that time. Many business presentations remain far too long. Under closer scrutiny some are even unnecessary and could[…]
7 Powerful Presentation Habits
Communication Skills, General, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Dec 28, 2021
Bad presentation habits are easy to find and hard to break. The good ones are available to us all and we don’t have to look too far to find them. Stephen R. Covey’s book, ‘The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ contains everything you need to know to achieve extraordinary results. It is a[…]
The Truth About Stage Fright in Public Speaking
Anxiety, Mindfulness, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Dec 13, 2021
Stage fright in public speaking is real and universal. Knowing that throughout history, some of the world’s most famous people struggled with stage fright doesn’t help much. A partner or colleague telling you, ‘It’ll be fine’ or ‘You’ll be great, don’t worry’, doesn’t help much either. How about: ‘Imagine your audience naked’ ‘Picture your[…]
20 Simple Tips For Making Your Virtual Meetings Work
Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Virtual Presentations Nov 21, 2021
Virtual meetings are here to stay. The technology to hold virtual meetings has been around for a long time. If you compare the last 18 months to the previous decade, the increase is phenomenal. The pandemic triggered an instant shift to remote working. Overnight, businesses all over the world were compelled to switch to something[…]
What does a public speaking coach actually do?
General, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 13, 2021
You may be wondering what a public speaking coach is, before asking what they do. Contrary to popular belief, public speaking isn’t restricted to wedding and key note speeches. It’s also not just something politicians do. Imagine the following situations at work: – You have to update or brief your team regularly. – Your[…]
The presentation slide deck challenge and the mindful solution
General, PowerPoint, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Oct 30, 2021
The slide deck challenge is a universal and significant one. Many business presentations today are supported by visuals. Once upon a time, PowerPoint was the default choice to create a slide deck. Today, the choice of software is extensive. Presenters no longer have to turn to PowerPoint to craft a helpful slide deck. Options such[…]
