Yesterday, President Donald Trump delivered his second inaugural address, after his swearing-in as the 47th president of the United States. It was a very measured, sombre and predictable speech. Despite references to a ‘’golden age’ and a ‘new era of national success’, I couldn’t help feeling that it had almost a funereal tone. After listening[…]
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Leadership category
Donald Trump’s second inaugural address – where tone matters
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 21, 2025
“Kamala Harris, for the People” – “Never let anyone tell you who you are”
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Aug 25, 2024
When Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination she demonstrated her ability to invigorate and unify an audience in front of 29 million television viewers. Whether you like her or her political views, Kamala Harris showed us how the world really does open up to us when we speak with confidence, humility and passion. I’m not[…]
How to create a high impact presentation culture at work
Leadership, Presentation Skills Jul 26, 2024
The benefits of having a high impact presentation culture at work extend way beyond how your team present to colleagues, clients and stakeholders. Contrary to popular belief, a presentation isn’t just a formal speech or talk where you present an idea, update or product to an audience. It’s not isolated to having to prepare and[…]
Sir Keir Starmer’s first speech – How was it for you?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jul 12, 2024
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer made the bold statement that ‘Our country needs a bigger reset…’ Whatever your political views are, I believe it’s a perspective that a great number of people will share, not just in the UK but across many parts of the world today. This isn’t a[…]
Does your boss keep interrupting your presentation at work?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Oct 13, 2023
Preparing for and delivering an effective presentation at work is a challenge for many people. There are a number of anxieties associated with presenting at work, ranging from: – Inexperience – A lack of confidence – Perfectionism – Past experience – A fear of being judged – Being shy or nervous – Imposter syndrome The[…]
Rishi Sunak’s impressive presentation delivery-what about his content?
Communication Skills, Leadership Oct 07, 2023
Rishi Sunak’s impressive presentation delivery at the Conservative party conference was a good example of how to speak with confidence and conviction. As far as public speaking and presentation skills are concerned he arguably ticked all of the boxes of an impressive presentation delivery. As the prime minister you would of course expect a high[…]
10 simple ideas to create a strong communication culture
Communication Skills, Leadership Feb 26, 2023
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[…]
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[…]
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[…]
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[…]
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[…]
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[…]
5 Reasons why mindful presenting offers benefits outside of the office too
Anxiety, Communication Skills, Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills Jun 19, 2021
Mindful Presenting offers far more than the key to speaking with confidence, presence and impact. Comnunicating in a way which is clear, memorable and compelling is just the start. The original premise of mindful presenting was to equip professionals to connect with their audience emotionally as well as intellectually. The clarity of this intention[…]
President Joe Biden’s Inauguration Speech – Proof that words really do matter
Communication Skills, Leadership, Mindful Selling, Public Speaking Jan 22, 2021
Joe Biden made his inaugural address on Wednesday. It was an inspirational masterclass in the choice and use of words. I’m not a US citizen, I live in the UK. I’m not particularly interested in politics; I’m interested in people and progress. I have zero interest in division, I live in hope of unity wherever[…]
Annoying Features of the Mind; not just for presenters but all of us
Communication Skills, General, Leadership, Mindfulness Mar 29, 2020
What is the mind exactly? Is it your brain, your consciousness, the reality of your being, or is it indeterminable and unquantifiable? Many scientists insist on the mind being distinct from the brain yet still struggle to offer a meaningful separation. Despite that, it’s generally accepted that the mind is the seat of our thoughts,[…]
Public Speaking for Children – A message for teachers and parents
Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Storytelling Mar 26, 2020
What do you think of public speaking for children? The benefits of learning to speak confidently in public at the youngest possible age can pay huge dividends. Lessons in public speaking for children can help young people: – Boost their personal confidence and self-esteem – Value their voice and express themselves openly, with greater ease[…]
12 Mindful Selling attributes of top performing sales professionals
Communication Skills, Leadership, Mindful Selling, Mindfulness, Sales Skills Mar 19, 2020
Mindful Selling isn’t a new age buzzword riding high on the back of mindfulness. Selling has changed more in the last ten years than it has in the past five decades. Advances in technology, competition, buying decisions, highly discerning and savvy purchasers present today’s sales person with a formidable challenge. Mindful selling is the route[…]
How to Present with Confidence – 3 steps to liberation
Anxiety, Communication Skills, General, Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills Dec 29, 2019
If one of your goals is to present with confidence, Mindful Presenter has the solution. Standing in front of colleagues or clients to speak can be a daunting experience. Public-speaking anxiety isn’t an affliction isolated to the meek or inexperienced. It has no respect for age, position or experience; it can trouble the best[…]
Two types of presenter – The autopilot majority v the mindful minority
Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Oct 07, 2019
Everyone is a presenter; the question is, what type of presenter are you? Every day, in organisations across the world, millions of people are presenting. They are called on to inform, update, inspire and lead colleagues and customers to think or act differently. Many don’t have the time, inclination or knowledge to present as effectively[…]
The Presenting Challenge – How to inspire action and lead change
General, Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Aug 31, 2019
The presenting challenge is real. Politicians still won’t answer a simple question directly. Many business presentations are still boring and virtual presenting hasn’t helped the phenomenon of ‘death by bullet point.’ With more and more of us stifling yawns on Zoom and sneaking a quick look at our emails and LinkedIn while being presented to,[…]
10 Tips for Presenting to Senior management
Communication Skills, Leadership, Mindfulness, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips Apr 13, 2019
Presenting to senior management can feel like a challenge for many presenters in organisations today; even the most experienced. It’s one thing having to speak up in a team meeting to update your colleagues on a project you have been working on but having to convince or co-opt the executive is something else. We all[…]
How effective are your leadership habits? Mindful leadership is not only the key to success, it is critical to our well-being, happiness and peace of mind. Whether it’s you or I leading our own personal lives in this uncertain world or the CEO at the helm of the world’s largest business, leadership matters. In his[…]
Can you buy presentation charisma from a coach?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Feb 20, 2019
Can you buy presentation charisma from a good public speaking or presentation coach? A really good presentation coach can teach you a great deal about how to present with confidence, clarity and impact. What about presentation charisma? It’s one of those words you don’t really hear too often these days, it’s a bit like[…]
3 presentation tips you don’t often hear from the experts
Bullet Point, Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Presentation Tips, Public Speaking Feb 18, 2019
Presentation tips are everywhere. Put those two words into Google as I did this morning and you will get 924M results. Tell stories Pause Make eye contact Slow down Know your audience Prepare ‘Cut the fat’ Smile Breathe Move Practice Start strong Close stronger Show passion Ditch the bullet points Following those 15 presentation tips[…]
Donald trump’s 2nd state of the union: Cool & Calm, or dull?
Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Feb 06, 2019
Donald Trump, the 45th President of the United States gave his second State of the Union Address yesterday. Politics aside, I often find myself called on to review the rhetoric of world leaders to see what we can learn from them in the way of connecting with an audience. Commenting on Donald Trump’s oratory skills[…]
7 Keys to Powerful Digital Presentations in Business
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills Feb 04, 2019
In today’s world, virtual meetings and digital presentations are the norm. Presenting face to face is often an onerous task for even the most experienced business professional. Now we are increasingly called on to do it digitally. – Get close to the camera, but not too close. – Make eye contact, project energy and make[…]
Presentation Content – make sure yours is compelling
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 23, 2019
How rich and compelling is your presentation content? The prerequisite to a brilliant presentation, before focusing on delivery, is to ensure that your message is supported by rich, relevant and rewarding content. Sometimes it can be helpful learning from the mistakes of other professionals. I recently attended a conference which was designed to show leaders[…]
Presentation mistakes to avoid when presenting to the boss
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Jan 13, 2019
Presentation mistakes are very easy to make, especially when presenting to the boss. I still remember the very first time I was invited to make a presentation to my senior management team. I couldn’t sleep for days. My mind was filled with dread and every nerve, cell and fibre of my entire being felt like[…]
Don’t just present, make a few waves too
Communication Skills, Leadership, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Nov 25, 2018
If you are called on to present soon, take a moment to ponder on the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘Waves are inspiring not because they rise and fall, but because each time they fall they never fail to rise again.’ When it comes to presenting our ideas with clarity, confidence and impact, many of[…]
