Do you have the presentation skills zest to connect with an audience? For many professionals, being on the receiving end of a typical business presentation today feels akin to the way they wake up most mornings; tired, vacant and depleted. How many business presentations do you walk away from each week filled with vigour[…]
Posts by:
Maurice Decastro
Do you have the presentation skills zest to connect with an audience?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 05, 2018
The World is Changing – What About Public Speaking?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jul 24, 2018
We live in a world of change; the question is, has public speaking and business presenting changed over the last 3 decades? We now have: The internet Wi- Fi Email MRI DNA testing Non-invasive surgery GPS ATMs Wind turbines Bio fuels Facebook… That’s just scratching the surface of advances in technology and we all know[…]
The Most Important Word in High Impact Presenting
Anxiety, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jul 22, 2018
The penultimate word in the series of The A to Z of Mindful Presenting is arguably the most important; it’s YES. One of my wife’s favourite TV programmes is an American series called ‘Say Yes to the Dress’. The TV show revolves around Kleinfeld Bridal, the Manhattan-based bridal salon where, ‘more than 250 professionals, most[…]
Have you given your presentation an X ray to find the gold?
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jul 17, 2018
Being on the receiving end of a bad presentation is akin to the feelings associated with breaking a bone in your body. – Your frustration begins to swell and your patience is bruised – You experience a loss of function – your ability to concentrate – The pain gets worse the longer the presenter[…]
The most important word in public speaking and presenting is: W – Why
Anxiety, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jun 24, 2018
Are you clear on your message? Public speaking and presenting at work isn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. Most people would rather do anything else than stand to speak in front of the public, clients or colleagues. If it happens to be something that you enjoy and look forward to, congratulations. The National[…]
16 presentation tips to help you to stand out from the crowd
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Jun 10, 2018
Would you like to stand out from the crowd as a presenter? Cast your mind back to the last business presentation you sat through. Did the speaker drone on and on telling you things that had little relevance or value to you? Or Did they capture and maintain your attention, interest and curiosity throughout their[…]
Presenting in business meetings is a challenge
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills May 22, 2018
For decades presenting in business meetings has been far too lacklustre. I’m generalising of course, although I’m not exaggerating. Despite the widely acclaimed power of storytelling, presence and mindfulness, professionals still insist on donning their corporate spokesperson cloaks. The result of which is that many lose their sense of selves and tell their audience what[…]
STORIES – The Key to High Impact Presenting
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling May 13, 2018
Stories are the key to a high impact business presenting. They are the jewel in the crown of public speaking. Stories are the most powerful route to connecting emotionally with an audience. Whether you are looking to lead change, inspire action or unify a team, you have to tell them a story worth getting behind.[…]
Mindful Presenting – 9 Ways to RESPECT your Audience
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Apr 08, 2018
The first commandment of mindful presenting is, to respect your audience. The most precious resource we all have, is of course time. Each time we present we are using peoples most valuable asset, time. We live in such a fast-paced world with so many demands on our time that we scarcely find moments to value[…]
Questions: How NOT to answer them like a politician
Advice, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Apr 01, 2018
Questions are the Achilles heel of the inexperienced, unprepared and nervous presenter. At least, that’s what most people would assume. Whilst it’s true, it’s not isolated to those groups. In fact, even seasoned public speakers and presenters find the moment they are called on to answer questions the most challenging. Even politicians. After all, we[…]
6 powerful principles of persuasion in presenting
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills Mar 25, 2018
If you are presenting or speaking in public in any form, it’s highly likely that persuasion is high on your agenda. Whatever your position and role is in the workplace today, you can be sure that you will be required to persuade others to understand your perspective and agree with you. Whether you are pitching[…]
Stephen Hawking – The A to Z of Mindful Presenting: O – Original
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Mar 17, 2018
Stephen Hawking is a name that will be remembered for an extraordinarily long time to come. A British cosmologist and physicist loved, admired and respected all over the world for his notable scientific work was also a brilliant public speaker. World class public speaking is normally associated with political leaders or motivational speakers Last week[…]
The A to Z of Mindful Presenting: N – Noise
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Mar 03, 2018
We live in a world of noise. For many of us we shock ourselves to consciousness each morning through the shrill of an alarm. Whether it’s a good old-fashioned alarm clock or more likely our mobile phone, several hours of deep slumber is jarred by noise. Some of us will immediately reach for our mobile[…]
What is a mindfulness based presentation?
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Feb 18, 2018
Do you craft and deliver a mindfulness based presentation? Mindfulness isn’t about sitting in the lotus position struggling to notice your breath as it’s stifled by burning incense. It isn’t about stopping thought, transcending or escaping. It’s about connecting Connecting with yourself first and then everyone and everything around you. This article isn’t about mindfulness[…]
Donald Trump’s State of the Union: Public speaking progress?
Communication Skills, Leadership, Public Speaking Feb 03, 2018
Donald Trump the 45th President of the United States gave his first State of the Union Address this week. As a public speaking coach with far more of a passion for what we can all learn from the rhetoric of world leaders than their politics I find myself called to tune into them. I believe[…]
High Impact Communication Skill in Leadership
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 28, 2018
Excellent communication skills in leadership is vitally important to success. The ability to communicate with confidence, clarity and emotional intelligence is our strongest leverage in such a competitive world. Please don’t make the mistake of buying into the idea that to be a leader you have to have people working for you. That’s one type[…]
Every presentation is a conversation and an opportunity to be kind
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 22, 2018
Every presentation is a conversation and every conversation is an opportunity to be kind. Kind to ourselves and kind to those we are speaking with. Can you imagine the impact we would have on ourselves and our audience if we set kindness as our core intention? “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking[…]
Every presentation is a journey Imagine turning up for work as usual on Monday morning and before you even take your coat off your boss says, ‘ Don’t take your coat off we are going straight out’. Isn’t it likely that your first response may be, ‘Where are we going?’ closely followed by ‘why are[…]
Oprah Winfrey: Public Speaking at its Finest: I – Inspire
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Jan 08, 2018
Oprah Winfrey delivered a stunning speech whilst accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement at the Golden Globes. It was a speech which touched the hearts and minds of her entire audience, bringing them all to their feet in unified applause. There is so much to learn from Oprah Winfrey during this extraordinary[…]
Do you have a bad habit when presenting?
Anxiety, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Dec 28, 2017
Do you have a bad habit when presenting Whether it’s our style of presenting, the time we wake up each morning, or the fact that you bite your nails; a lot of what we do isn’t by conscious choice. It’s habit Even something as simple as conquering a sweet tooth can feel impossible. If you’re[…]
Your audience needs can help your growth as a presenter?
Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Dec 19, 2017
Do you know what your audience needs are? If public speaking and the mere thought of presenting your ideas at work fills you with dread, you’re not alone. It’s the cause of sleepless nights for many of the most intelligent, creative and talented professionals all over the world. The reason it’s such a global affliction[…]
Presenting with focus is key the key to presentation success
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills Dec 10, 2017
Presenting with focus is key the key to presentation success The prerequisite to ensuring you craft and deliver a memorable presentation to any audience is focus. At Mindful Presenter we believe that the one thing we need to focus on more is; how we want our audience to feel. We’ve been presenting to each other[…]
How clear are you on your audience expectaions? A presentation, meeting or training course that doesn’t meet audience expectations can be a very disheartening experience. We live in an extremely fast paced and busy world where most of us are overwhelmed with information. When we give up some of our extremely valuable time to listen[…]
Presenting data effectivley is a significant challenge for many presenters Every presentation contains data and our greatest challenge as presenters is to share it in a way that is clear, relevant and valuable. Everything is data Numbers, facts, ideas, insights, updates, stories and information; it’s all data. Many professionals believe that data is exclusive to[…]
Connecting is the key to high impact presenting
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 11, 2017
Connecting is the key to high impact presenting Before each presentation skills training course or public speaking coaching session we run at Mindful Presenter, we ask every client one very important question. ‘What do you want your audience to feel?’ More often than not, the typical responses we hear are: informed, engaged or interested. At[…]
Presentation brevity is a must in today’s world of ‘noise’
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 04, 2017
Presentation brevity is critical in keeping our audiences attention and interest A couple of years ago I wrote and published an article called, ‘Most presentations are far too long – less really is more!’ The key message within that article was, ‘We need to cut out the superfluous noise’; I offered some insights into how[…]
Acres of diamonds is a powerful story for presenters
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Oct 28, 2017
Acres of diamonds ‘Acres of Diamonds’ is a story by Russell Conwell about an African farmer who heard tales of other farmers who had made fortunes discovering diamond mines on their own land. The story explains that the farmer sold his farm and spent the rest of his life searching unsuccessfully for diamonds across Africa.[…]
Avoid These 10 Mistakes When Presenting Financial Information
Advice, Communication Skills, Presentation Skills Oct 15, 2017
Presenting financial information or any complex data can be risky business The route to success revolves around a high level of mindfulness. When you are presenting financial information, begin with this question. What precisely does my audience really need to know and why do they need to know it? Being blinded by a sea of[…]
‘Theresa May offers the ‘British dream’ but speech turns into a nightmare’ The Guardian ‘Theresa May’s keynote speech at Tory conference descended into chaotic scenes’ The Telegraph ‘It is likely to go down as one of the most painfully agonising political speeches to watch in recent history.’ Independent As a public speaking coach I believe[…]
The presentation anxiety phenomenon – where content matters
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Sep 23, 2017
Presentation anxiety is probably the most written about issue when it comes to public speaking Storytelling, structure and style pale into insignificance compared to requests we receive to help professionals calm their presention anxiety and nerves. Despite the ubiquity of presentation anxiety, at Mindful Presenter we have noticed an interesting phenomenon. When we ask professionals[…]
