Millennials, centennials, generation Z. Call them what you will but let’s all be clear on one thing, they are the future. The future belongs to our millennials and the next generation The one thing they need more than anything else is strong, empowering and inspirational leadership. Last night I had the great pleasure of seeing[…]
Posts by:
Maurice Decastro
Mindfulness in today’s hectic world – is it boring, impossible or critical?
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Apr 28, 2017
Is mindfulness in today’s hectic world, boring, impossible or critical? Mindfulness as a practice isn’t new It’s something that people have been doing for more than two and a half thousand years. It has clearly stood the test of time. Today, many of the most forward thinking companies in the world have some form of mindfulness[…]
A Presentation without Storytelling is a Lecture
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Apr 17, 2017
Do you use the power of storytelling in your business presentations? A presentation, a conversation or a lecture, which would you prefer to take part in? In my experience a great number of presentations in business feel far more like lectures. The absence of stories and the essential elements of a great conversation make many[…]
20 helpful tips to calm your public speaking nerves
Anxiety, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Apr 15, 2017
Public speaking nerves is something which can effect even the most seasoned and talented professional. In fact, Mark Twain probably wasn’t too far away from the truth when he suggested,“There are two types of speakers: those who are nervous and those who are liars.” Barbra Streisand, the singer and actress is one of the highest-selling female[…]
3 Bad Speaking Habits That Ruin Your Presentation
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Apr 08, 2017
Do you have any bad speaking habits when you are presenting? How well you influence people can be serverley hindered with bad speaking habits. Here are 3 of the big ones that we help professionals with every day. Bad Speaking Habit 1. Noise The phenomenon ‘Death by PowerPoint’ has been around for a long time.[…]
Article 50: How memorable was Theresa May’s speech?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Apr 01, 2017
Article 50: How memorable was Theresa May’s speech on such a historic event? This time last year most of us wouldn’t have heard of Article 50, yet its triggering last week was hugely momentous. Given that no other country has ever left the European Union before, it was a truly historic moment when Theresa May[…]
Public speaking takes courage. It is not a skill that most of us are taught. It’s certainly not something most people enjoy doing; for many the very idea of it fills them with dread. Public speaking takes courage in business too. You may have to: – Update the board or management team, – Give a[…]
Presentation Skills Bad Habits are Easy to Find
Communication Skills, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Mar 11, 2017
Presentation skills bad habits are easy to find. You don’t have to look very far. Professionals looking to develop their communication skills have one major concern aside from anxiety. It’s their bad presentation skills habits. For many people those bad habits are of course very real and visible. For others, they are often imagined. Here[…]
8 examples of very influential and powerful public speakers
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Mar 08, 2017
I’d like to share 8 examples of some of the worlds most influential and powerful public speakers. Each of them lead the way in showing us how to speak with power, passion and grace. They have also been instrumental in changing the world, each in their own unique way. Michelle Obama I wrote a previous[…]
What is the value of mindfulness in public speaking? Mindfulness is one of the most powerful tools available to each of us today. It can help us to become far more aware of ourselves; our thoughts, our feelings and the world that surrounds us. Its meteoric rise in popularity and effectiveness has some of the[…]
Presentation Skills: How to answer those killer questions
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Feb 19, 2017
Questions can be a major source of anxiety for many presenters. In our presentation skills courses we are often asked to help people to answer questions more professionally. It’s a much bigger issue than many people think. When we probe a little deeper to understand the issue, our delegates often ask 3 questions: […]
What does it take to speak effectively in public?
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Feb 11, 2017
The ability to speak effectively in public is probably the most important skill to develop to enhance your career. You, your team, and your entire organisation will be judged on just how effectively you communicate. Presenting information clearly and articulately is no longer good enough We live in an information age where professionals are overwhelmed[…]
Storytelling in business – 5 real examples to learn from
Advice, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking, Storytelling Feb 04, 2017
Storytelling in business has become the new strategic business tool of presenters. Professionals are overwhelmed with information and demand for our attention is at an unprecedented high. We can all take solace in a good story well told If you still believe that stories are the domain of the 4 year old at bed time[…]
As far as public speaking is concerned Donald Trump’s inauguration speech was clear, decisive and delivered with the appropriate pace, passion and even a few pauses. Apart from his signature circling of his finger and thumb which drove most people mad during his election campaign, which we saw again yesterday, he looked like he had[…]
Donald Trump is moments away from becoming the 45th President of the United States of America. I wonder what he will say in his inauguration speech. Here is a perspective on what he perhaps should say. My fellow-citizens of the United States: Today I stand before you with a heavy, humble yet hopeful heart. I have[…]
It’s no secret that President Obama is one of my favourite public speakers as I’ve written many articles expressing my admiration for his style. His powerful use of descriptive and creative words, his mastery of the ‘pause’, his brilliant use of metaphors, his command of repetition, humour and the skilful way he uses his voice[…]
Michelle Obama: Public speaking advice too “Don’t be afraid”
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 07, 2017
Michelle Obama and her husband Barack Obama have long been two of my favourite public speakers. I admire them both for their passion, eloquence and grace each time they take to the podium. Her final speech on Friday as First Lady was no exception as she reflected on her time in the White House delivering[…]
Simon Sinek on Millennials in the Workplace
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 04, 2017
Knowing my passion for public speaking my son pointed me in the direction of a Simon Sinek YouTube video. As Simon Sinek is one of my favourite speakers it was something I looked forward to watching. Fifteen minutes in, I felt a litttle troubled by much of his thinking. Why? He cites four reasons why[…]
Powerful presenting is a skill that many people aspire to developing. There is a plethora of information on powerful presenting available on the internet and in book stores. Some good and some not so good Imagine if everything we’ve learned over the last 2000 years about powerful presenting could be handed to you gift wrapped,[…]
There is no shortage of public speaking advice on the internet, in magazines and book stores today. In fact, I have written over 300 articles myself for mindfulpresenter.com and other online publications. I’d like to share some of my favourite public speaking advice from other respected authors in the field of communication skills. Carmine Gallo[…]
The Queen’s Speech on Christmas day opened in a curious way as she began by referring to this year’s British Olympic medal winners in Rio. 67 medals and 147 at the Paralympics is a stunning achievement, definitely worthy of recognition. It wasn’t quite what I expected though In a year in which we saw the[…]
What would your Christmas message be as we head towards 2024? Note: I originally wrote and published this article on the run up to Christmas in 2016. Reflecting on it again today, it occurred to me that my personal message this Christmas would be exactly the same. Every year on Christmas day, a broadcast[…]
5 Important Presentation Lessons from the World of Social Media
Advice, Presentating training, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Dec 16, 2016
There are 5 very important presentation lessons we can learn from the world of social media. 1. Facebook first That’s exactly what many people would rather be doing whilst they are listening to a presentation. After all, so many business presentations can be quite tedious to listen to. Have you ever felt that urge to[…]
6 Public Speaking Habits to Take Off of Your Naughty List
Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Dec 10, 2016
Are you mindful of your public speaking habits, especially the bad ones? It’s unlikely that a week will pass where you are not called on to either attend of give a presentation. With that in mind, it’s worth becoming aware of your public speaking habits. Get yourself somefeedback through presentation skills coaching or booking yourself[…]
Mindfulness in Public Speaking – 5 ways it can help
Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Dec 03, 2016
Introducing mindfulness in public speaking is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself and your audience. We don’t sit quietly the whole day meditating in our public speaking workshops. At mindful presenter, the concept of mindfulness offers a great deal more It’s a way of living that takes us off of ‘autopilot’ and[…]
Public Speaking: How to speak up for yourself
Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 28, 2016
Have you ever wondered what it would take to speak up for yourself more effectively? “One word expresses the pathway to greatness: voice. Those on this path find their voice and inspire others to find theirs. The rest never do.” Stephen R. Covey Mindful presenting offer us all the means of finding, valuing and expressing[…]
Vulnerability in Public Speaking – Brené Brown
Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 18, 2016
Is vulnerability in public speaking something we should be scared of? The brilliant TED talk, ‘The power of vulnerability’ by Brené Brown, demonstrates the premise that we are all here to ‘connect’ and feel that sense of ‘connection’. It challenges the increasingly popular belief that the route to living our best life is through the principle[…]
Yesterday Donald Trump demonstrated unequivocally the impact the spoken word can have not only on a country but the entire world. The announcement that Donald Trump was to become the 45th President of the United States of America to hold the most powerful leadership position in the world was not only a historic one in[…]
A Public Speaking Phenomenon – I feel terrible but you can’t see it
Anxiety, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Oct 23, 2016
Are you familiar with the global public speaking phenomenon? Imagine a presentation where the speaker felt terrified beyond belief, yet the audience had no idea how anxious they were. It really is a presentation and public speaking phenomenon This week I was leading a workshop where one of the best speakers in the room said[…]
Do you know what today’s worst public speaking habit is? If you will be attending some form of business presentation this week, you could very easily hear today’s worst public speaking habit It could be: – The speaker turning her back to their audience whist reading every word sitting alongside a long list of bullet[…]
