The Myth of Body Language
“What about my body language?” “What do I do with my hands?” “Should I move more?” I get questions like this from people working on their presentations and speeches all the time and if you’re like most people, you will have had similar questions to these as you prepare your presentations, as you deliver your […]
Become a better storyteller with these tips
I had an interesting message from a reader (an agency owner) who’s just landed a *dream* client, and he believes that his ability to ‘tell a story’ is what made him successful. As he writes: ‘On paper, we’re qualified, but I guess not exceptional. However, after a pitch where I was able to deliver our […]
Your audience is never wrong
I recently had dinner with Esther Stanhope, who’s a great speaker and coach and, as peers tend to do, we talked about our industry, and the subject wandered to ‘bad audiences’. I told her a short story about my own experiences with ‘bad audiences’ and Esther found it so delightful that she insisted I write […]
The best business pitch ever
It’s hard, now, to remember quite how revolutionary the iPhone was when it launched, and what an uphill struggle it could have been to get the world to embrace ‘yet another mobile phone’. Yet Apple not only conquered the market, but permanently changed the way we think about phones and connection and – for better […]
How to write persuasively
Writing persuasively is an undervalued skill. Wouldn’t you love to be able to do it all the time? Think of the benefits – from emails through proposals, to job applications and marketing material, the ability to get ideas out of your head and into other people’s heads in ways which are compelling, memorable and engaging […]
How to Build Rapport In Sales Meetings
‘How can I quickly gain some rapport and connection, especially in an early sales meeting or chemistry meeting?’ I was asked this question recently when running my workshop ‘Life’s A Pitch’, which is focused (obviously!) on pitching, especially in a sales context. I found it interesting that the person who asked me the question had […]
The best question for small talk in networking
How is your ‘small talk?’. As we get used to being back in the room with real people, we’re having to navigate new ways of behaving. And many people are having to re-learn ‘the art of small talk’ People have different comfort and energy levels compared to pre-2020. It’s interesting how many people are currently […]
How to present to different audiences
One of the best ways to quickly become a better presenter (and communicator in general) is to understand your audience better. Learn about their problems, priorities, and pressures. Tailor your message to what matters to them, and you’re on to a winner. A question I often get in relation to this is ‘But what about […]
Influence Without Authority
How To Value Yourself
Do you undervalue yourself? The answer, if you’re like most of us, is probably yes – at least some of the time. I wrote this post originally in response to a magician who was wildly under-charging with his fees, but actually I think the lessons in it are relevant to many of us and go […]
