Is it alright if I read it?
4 Sep
When you are speaking at that great networking group, or that important meeting, or ’on screen’, and you really want to make an impact with your ‘one minute pitch’, it’s easy to really try to cram everything in to make sure that you don’t forget anything that you think is so important for everyone to hear… And so, it can be so tempting to read it out! It is very easy to get fixated on the script and the content,…
Do I need to be a professional public speaker/presenter to be good in front of the camera?
7 Aug
A: Speaking is a skill, one that you need to a high degree if you are going to make a living actually speaking. What I have heard a lot is: “It’s my message that is important, right?” “I mean, anyone can speak; right?” “But I am only speaking to promote my business, no one expects me to be an expert speaker, as long as I cover all my points it’s fine – right? ” Well… Of course, the message is…
How to look confident on camera (even if you’re not!)
10 Jul
“I lose my confidence as soon as I hit record…” With the pressure of social media and the rapid rise of digital marketing, videos have now become the best and quickest way to reach out to larger audiences and stay on top of the game… if done well! I see so many business owners shy away from speaking out because they lack confidence on video. But there is good news. You can learn how to have confidence – we’ll teach…
Video Conferencing – Fun and Games
3 Apr
My husband came trundling down the stairs declaring that he really hated group video conversations – it was the first time he had tried it. It seemed like a great way of staying in touch with his cycling friends while they weren’t able to go off together freewheeling in the countryside. They used a platform that was especially created for house parties and connected… My husband found it so irritating that he left after 20 minutes! “The signal kept failing,…
Choose your words to be kind
6 Mar
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me!” Really? Say that to the family and friends of Caroline Flack and I think they would disagree. It was a saying that my Grandmother used to quote a lot. She was a wonderful woman in many ways, in her late thirties she trained as a nurse and was a tremendous carer to many; those she loved she would walk through fire for. However, she had a sharp…
From the mouths of babes
7 Feb
Ok, so January 31st has passed and the “Brexit” word is banned – even (or especially) by orders of Boris Johnson. We are now stepping out into the sunlit uplands…? One thing that most people seem to agree about is that we should all come together. Speak to each other nicely, accept differences and try and pull together, help those who have been left behind to regain hope, respect each other and get on with building a positive future… So…
Q&A Times
3 Jan
In some ways it is very natural to feel fearful at the thought of taking questions – we really can’t be sure what is going to come up, and so we can go into our fight or flight mode (or paralysed in front of headlights like a frightened animal) and the adrenaline starts flowing. Key to being able to take control when experiencing this chemical change in your body is to breathe fully, stand straight and grounded, while releasing any…
Imposter Syndrome
22 Nov
“Now is the time that everyone finds out that I can’t really do this” “Who am I to think that I deserve this opportunity – it doesn’t happen to people like me?!” “I can’t believe people will like me – there must be lots of people who could do better…” Ever felt like that or similarly? The feeling that you are a fraud and living in fear of being ‘uncovered as one’, or as someone who cannot really do what…
Face the fear and breathe…
25 Oct
Maybe you know this feeling: knees trembling, voice shaking, mind going blank, heart beating loudly and fast… What are you about to do – walk into a lion’s cage? Or speak up in public? Feeling fearful and even having a phobia about speaking in a public setting afflicts many of us – as many as 75%, according to some reports. Why? Well, getting up and speaking up is a step into the unknown – you can never be quite sure…