Author: Alyson Connolly
Many people are afraid of public speaking. It’s not the speaking, it’s the public part. The fact that they’re in front of people. They’re worried that the audience won’t like their speech, or they’ll judge them for stumbling on words or forget key points and everyone will know. One strategy for overcoming this...
The goal of a presentation could be many things: Persuading, informing or entertaining. Some will combine all three. The use of slides is there to add to your presentation. To give a visual representation of the point you’re making. And the simpler, the better. Therefore, slides with a lot of words on them do not...
Before March 18, 2020, I had been working with a few individuals remotely. However, if I was told that I’d be giving a workshop virtually, I wouldn’t have believed it! My workshop is about people and I need to be in the room with them. But in came the pandemic and I needed to adapt. ...
Becoming a confident public speaker means being aware of how you present yourself in every situation. Now that most of us are working from home and communicating through video apps and computer cameras, we should still remain aware of how we’re coming across. A few things that I work on with clients who are presenting...
Since the Covid-19 pandemic we’ve had to shift the way we work. Meetings have been conducted remotely and I have held many coaching sessions via video link. My friend and colleague Margot Ross-Graham of Sandbar Coaching & Consulting has some important advice on how to conduct a meeting even though no one is in the...
Some presenters don’t want to move and will stand behind the lectern for their entire speech. That is fine unless they’re gripping the thing. Try to keep your body loose. Some like to walk while speaking. That’s fine too, if they have a reason to move. When you move, do it with a purpose. Lay...
When giving a speech many of my clients have difficulty looking at the audience. Trying to feel comfortable, some look above the audience’s heads. I often demonstrate this to a client. How does it make you feel if I’m not looking at you? Looking above people’s’ heads makes it appear that you aren’t interested. You’re...
The writing and publication of my book “Public Speaking Skills for Dummies” has been an exciting journey. And it took an interesting turn when I received a message from Hossein who told me he was translating my book for publication in Iran. So it’s going from English to Farsi. I was very excited to hear...
My alma mater featured me on it’s website in October. Click here to read the article.
A Tale of Two Tour Guides My husband and I just returned from Berlin and Bruges. I wanted to go to Berlin because a friend of ours, Brian Deedrick, hosts walking tours every summer. His real job is directing operas all over the world. About 20 years ago he went to Berlin to bone up...
