Category: Speakers and Speaking

Sports have Limited Lessons for Business

A recent article on the BBC Business pages examined the question of whether sporty women make better entrepreneurs.  There are growing claims for the parallels between sport and business.  Many motivational speakers and personal coaches with a background in sport insist that sport is a fundamental metaphor for business and that the two are similar in the skills and attitudes needed for success.  ... Read More--

Choosing a Speaker for your Event – Do’s and Don’ts

Event planners are often asked to find a keynote speaker for their event.  How should you go about this?  Let’s start with some don’ts. 1.  Choose an expert.  An expert who has published books or papers on the subject of the conference may have great specialized knowledge but that does not mean that they can communicate it effectively to your audience.  Expertise can be a barrier to communication. ... Read More--

As a Speaker should you stay for the whole conference or just your session?

I speak at conferences. I often see other speakers arrive for their session, give a professional presentation and then leave. They look busy and important. Maybe they have urgent engagements they must attend to. Or maybe they just cannot be bothered to sit through the other sessions and meet the delegates. They may be making the wrong choice. My preference is to stay for the day and to listen to the... Read More--

How to give a Brilliant Speech – the Preparation

If you have to give a keynote speech, an after-dinner talk or an address to a group of customers or colleagues, preparation leads to success. Here are some key tips: 1. Investigate the audience. Find out as much as you can about your audience, their interests and their likely mood. What is it that they will want from your session – information, entertainment, tips, ideas, guidance? What will... Read More--

When should you give your best material and when should you hold back?

Let’s say you are a speaker, a trainer, a musician, a comedian, a magician or indeed any kind of public performer. You have some great material, some not so great material and some new material that you have not tried out yet. When you should you use each? Furthermore, when you should you try your hardest and when should you ease back and give a somewhat lesser performance? Let’s look at... Read More--