Slips of the tongue happen all the time. They’re not a problem. What matters is how we handle them. When speaking in public (or televised from Parliament), the best way to handle them is to pause, smile, and correct yourself. A minor blip. The worst way to handle them is to ‘power on’ and pretend it More…
Release the anxiety for effortless public speaking
We can gain some insights from the work of F.M. Alexander. One hundred years ago Alexander developed a technique to use our bodies more effectively yet with less effort. Forcing a style can damage your health Alexander was an actor, but when he performed in front of an audience he would rapidly become hoarse. This More…
Get a method! Rules stop you thinking clearly
Public Speaking courses often focus on ‘Dos and Don’ts’ – a list of things you should always do to be successful. And a (typically long) list of thing you should never do. The core idea behind the Rules approach is that by simply following the rules you will be a great speaker. It doesn’t work. Why? Because rules don’t More…
How to develop poise as a Speaker
Poise is a lovely word. It implies ‘calm’, ‘balance’ and ‘assuredness’ and it underpins powerful delivery skills. Most speakers don’t have poise because they don’t fully understand the (normal) anxiety that comes with public speaking. The ‘Stress Response’ to danger/uncertainty/fear actually causes us to shrink, tighten and contract our muscles. When you understand what’s happening to you – and when More…
Vital secret from the King’s Speech (movie)
King George in the movie ‘The King’s Speech’ was naturally left-handed, yet forced to use his right hand at a young age. His speech therapist, Australian Lionel Logue, explains that this is quite common in stutterers. The implication; forcing people out of their natural style can interfere with efficient mind-body coordination. Particularly in relation to communication. We More…
Focus on the gaps, not just your words
I recently attended a conference where two of the speakers raced through their talk without pausing. It was so exhausting. And their ideas seemed less important with the speaker racing through them. We all crave a START and/or an END: The human mind responds instinctively to the start or the end of anything so when More…
Two examples of great messages
Example 1: Albert Einstein Albert Einstein worked with three different collaborators to be able to describe his theories in clear terms with everyday examples. He understood that a theory only five geniuses could understand is far less valuable than one that can be understood by millions. For example: Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a More…
Finding poise: do you shrink under pressure?
In a previous article, I talked about a condition known as over-efforting, where we use far more energy than is required for a particular activity. This is quite common in public speaking, as people think they need to perform and exaggerate their voice, gestures and body language to have greater impact on the audience. And More…
FAQ: How do I answer questions briefly?
Q: “How can I answer questions more briefly at the end of my presentation? During the Q & A session of a major presentation I answered questions to death!” A: Sacrifice… …It’s human nature to try to demonstrate how much we know about a subject – to show we have a right to speak about More…
Don’t try too hard. Less effort, better speaking results
Over-efforting is an interesting principle. Many of us have been taught the ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy but, in many situations, the more pressure we apply, the more resistance we experience. When sportspeople are tense, they wear their bodies out faster. Tennis champ Roger Federer is an example of using a minimum amount of effort More…
