Have you ever been stuck wondering how to move during a presentation? Maybe you’ve asked the famous, What do I do with my hands?! question before.

Body language is an important element to any kind of public speaking delivery. When you’re more conscious of how and when you move, it will make your presentation that much more effective.

Here are five of my top tips for body language during a presentation, and how to leverage things like natural movement, stage setup, clothing and more so you can deliver your best presentation yet.

1. Avoid using a podium

One of the first things I always consider before giving a presentation is what my setup will be like. Will there be a podium? A screen for my slides? Am I on a stage or on Zoom? There are a lot of factors that can affect the way we deliver information.

In general, I always recommend that it’s best to avoid using a podium where possible. Even though podiums can be a tempting and “easy” setup for your presentation, they will ultimately...

It won’t come as a shock when I say that stories are one of the most important elements of presentations and communication in general.

They help us connect with our audience, keep them engaged, share parts of ourselves that wouldn’t otherwise be known, be seen as a leader, drive home the points we want to make in our communication, the list goes on.

I happen to come from a long line of storytellers. Growing up visiting my grandparents farm in Michigan, my family members were constantly telling stories to pass the time especially while working, because there were no iPods or anything else to pass the time.

I was enchanted by the stories they would tell. If you’re anything like me at the beginning of my communication journey, I always wondered how to be a great storyteller.

I would hear the word storytelling all the time, and I would listen to my family and friends recount fascinating stories, so I knew that the topic was important. And it was also a challenge to know what steps I co...

Have you ever heard of the term ‘brain dumping’ before? Or better yet, done a brain dump yourself?

Brain dumping is an awesome technique that I learned a few years into my public speaking career, where you write down all of your thoughts – stream of consciousness style – in order to plan a successful presentation.

This technique can be used for a myriad of things. Today, we’re going to focus on how you can use the brain dump to your advantage. 

Whether you have a big presentation coming up that you have a million ideas for and can’t quite seem to nail or narrow them down, a sales pitch that feels like it’s missing the mark, or you’ve been asked to speak at a wedding and haven’t a clue what to say (been there, done that).

This post will walk you through some of the benefits of brain dumping, how you can apply this technique to other areas of your life, and the exact brain dumping process that I’ve used to plan some of my most impactful speeches to date. 

The benefits of brain dumpi...

Have an important presentation coming up? It’s no secret that the introduction of any speech is one of the most critical aspects. After all, it’s what will grab your audience’s attention and keep them listening.

When done correctly, the opening section of your presentation will draw your readers in and get them excited to hear what you have to say.

When done incorrectly (because, yes, there’s definitely an incorrect way to open your presentations) you risk losing your audience. And once they’re disengaged, it’s a lot tougher to bring them back.

If you want to know the secret to an engaging introduction and learn a formula to open your presentations step-by-step, you’re in the right place.

First, let’s begin by establishing what an introduction is supposed to do.

The Purpose of An Introduction

In a nutshell, the purpose of any presentation introduction is to engage the audience and to tell them what you’re going to tell them. 

Your introduction should:

1. Hook your audience with
...

The ability to get great results when communicating with your clients, prospects, and staff requires that you have the right message for your audience, that your message addresses what’s important to them, and that you deliver the message in a powerful, effective manner.

In this blog post, we’re going to cover the 7 simplest communication strategies designed to help you and your organization confidently communicate the right message to the right audience at the right time. In other words, increase sales.

Strategy #1: Always take the time to prepare for your communication situation

The need to prepare for communication is not news. And, so many (ahem, I’m talking to you salespeople) go into situations where the stakes are high with little or no preparation and they “wing it” GASP! Let me be blunt. Regardless of whether you’re an individual planning for a meeting or a professional getting ready to speak to a large group, never go into a communication situation without taking time to f...

Wondering how to deliver a more effective presentation that gets results?

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably found that the outcomes of your presentations aren’t always exactly as you’d hoped.

What many people don’t realize is that they hold the power to deliver an effective presentation versus a not-so-effective one. And there are two distinct communication strategies that allow them to get consistent results.

Strategy #1: Evaluate the purpose of your presentation

We had a discussion with a client several years back about different types of presentations. This client made the distinction between persuasive and informational presentations, and a member of our team interjected with the opinion that the purpose of all presentations is to persuade. Our client brought up the important point that something like a “how-to presentation” isn’t intended to persuade, but to inform.

The types of presentations we give at Connect To The Core (and coach others on) are mostly in the per...

Have you ever had a rush of nerves before giving a presentation?

Even though public speaking and conferences look different nowadays, the nerves we experience beforehand haven’t changed. I mean, after all, we’re still speaking to groups of people — even if it is through a screen.

As a professional public speaker and presentation coach, I’ve come to know throughout my career that nerves and anxiety surrounding public speaking are completely normal, common, and aren’t something we should feel ashamed of or run away from.

In this blog post, I’m going to explain why nerves are actually a good thing and how you can use them to your advantage. I’ll also go over some of the best practices to prepare, get into the present moment, and deliver a virtual presentation more confidently and with ease.

1. Recognize that your nervousness is fuel — embrace it!

You might not realize that feeling nervous before a presentation or speech indicates that what you’re saying matters to you. If you’re not ...

In the last twelve months, it’s become clear that virtual presentations aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Whether you’ve come to terms with it or not, cultivating meaningful connections online has simply become a critical part of our new normal. 

It feels like not long ago that we were all trying to figure out how to navigate platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, etc., just to stay afloat in our businesses and daily lives.

Company meetings and check-ins, family gatherings (don’t even get me started on trying to teach my Mother to use Zoom), game nights… the list goes on — were all happening virtually, and still are. 

A year ago we had a lot of questions on whether or not we could get the same results in terms of connection through video. While that question still might be up in the air, I believe there are a number of virtual presentation tips and techniques we can use to make the most out of these online platforms and deliver kick-ass presentations that connect with ...