One secret is to record narration for your entire presentation as if you were presenting. Then run your presentation, and sit back and listen. Choose Slide Show > Narration and follow the instructions. (You’ll need a microphone attached to your computer.) Then go into slide show view and play back the presentation. You get an […]
Don’t look at the screen!
I joined Toastmasters International a few weeks ago and recently gave my second talk in a set of ten to obtain the CTM (Competent Toastmaster) award. At the request of my club’s members, I talked about PowerPoint (in the allotted 5-7 minutes, yet). Our talks are videotaped, an invaluable tool for improving your delivery. And […]
12 qualities of a charismatic speaker
Have you ever heard a presentation and later realized how attracted you were to the presenter? No, not that kind of attraction. I mean that you felt connected and uplifted while you were listening. You came away feeling happier. The speaker was so eloquent that you were touched in some way. Even if the presentation […]
Should you say “thank you” at the end of a presentation?
There’s a great discussion going on at The Official Toastmasters International Members Group on LinkedIn. Because you can’t access the group unless you join, I thought I’d summarize the opinions and see what you think. Here’s the question the sparked the discussion: “In my home [Toastmaster] club, it has been generally accepted that the speaker […]
Quickly change text color line by line
Sigh! Although I write about communicating in a visual manner all the time (see 5 Steps to Slide Design for Non-Designers, for example), sometimes it becomes clear that certain presenters will never get there. I’m working with the organizer of a conference for physicians. The organizer has asked them all to use PowerPoint, but since […]