On this site you will find over 130 tips for delivering more effective speeches and presentations.
They are the result of my twice-weekly postings when I was using this site as a blog. I am no longer adding new postings, but I’m leaving PodiumWise up and available as a resource for speakers who are always looking for one more way they can strengthen their skills.
Below you will find a directory of the tip titles. I invite you to browse and click on whatever interests you. Whenever you’re ready for another tip, come back to PodiumWise and pick a new one.
I also invite you to get my book: Presentation Skills 201: How to Take It to the Next Level as a Confident, Engaging Speaker. It contains more in-depth advice not found here at PodiumWise.
I wish you the best in all your future speeches and presentations!
Bill Steele President Steele Presentation Coaching www.steelepresentationcoaching.com
PostsCategory: ContentAnalogies build understanding.At least use a relevant joke.Be careful when tapping your own deep emotion.Combine detail with heart.Drive home your theme with multiple quotes.Go behind the scenes for stories.Go light on the verbal footnotes.Persuade with benefit statements that are meaningful to the audience.Should you tap into their passion or yours?Spice it up.Start with a Human Interest Story.Stories give life to numbers.They are looking to you for answers, not questions.What if audience recall determined your pay?Category: DeliveryApplause is good, but only to a point.Appropriate DeliveryArrange for quality feedback.Be yourselfDon’t be embarrassed about using notes.Hold your notes only if you have to.There's no gain without videotape pain.Transition with a question.When speaking while seated, leave the toys alone.Category: VisualBreak free of the podium’s hold.Can you put your hands in your pockets?Improve recall with hand gestures.Let your arms hang—if you can.Remember the people in the back.Stand on the side where the language begins.Standing is your default setting.When speaking while seated, leave the toys alone.Category: VocalA low-profile voice is not safer.Appropriate DeliveryOwn the time.Use the microphone.Category: FacilitationCraft web conference language.Facilitation takes planning too.Process the Results of Your Audience PollUse an audience response system for real-time feedback.Category: Handling QuestionsAnswer concisely even when you know a lot.Answer the question again, briefly.Be responsive even when asking them to wait.Don’t tell them to e-mail their question.Encourage questions by not complimenting.If you fight you lose.Practice crafting answers, even after the fact.Say Yes Before You Say NoCategory: introductionsGreet your audience like dinner guests.Start with Polling QuestionsCategory: LanguageEnlist the kids in your filler cure.Filler-free speaking is impressive.Give your speech a pulse with anaphora.Say “we” even if it was “I”Where are the periods?Category: MaterialCheck you sources.Go easy on the detail.Provide your own introduction.Write down your stories.Category: MessageA compelling message covers a multitude of delivery sins.A leader’s message affirms.Acknowledge the 800 pound gorilla.Build credibility with personal examples.Casual dress is the new, reverse pretentiousness.Come to the end; then stop.Concentrate on a point.Don't think too much.Focus your elevator speech.Give subordinates a chance to make their case.Go Beyond Your ResumeShop and learn about benefit statements.State the point of your story.The best transitions go unnoticed.Their passion is important too.Venture capitalists want better presentations.You are a spinner until proven otherwise.You can edit and polish the life right out of it.Category: Non-Verbal LanguageHow we dress still counts.Use body language to manage your emotions.Category: Preparation PracticeBrainstorm first.Confidence is not a license to wing it.Don’t rest on your reputation.End on time.Limit your material.Practice all of it.Rehearse your ideas in everyday situations.Stop and PracticeTesting 1—2—3Category: stage frightCalm your nerves with early interaction.Combat dry mouth with desert survival tip.Comfortable doesn’t mean good.Don’t let perfectionism keep you off stage.Ground your nerves.Visualize success in advance.You don’t have to know the most to be confident.Your audience wants you to feel confident.Category: StrategyA wider discussion means more flexibility.Acknowledge that the audience members also have valuable knowledge.Buy time for impromptu speaking.Don't Wear Out Your WelcomeDon’t pass things around.Empower them to spread your message.Entertain questions at the end of sections.Focus on one improvement at a time.Housekeeping can wait.Information that must stick, takes extra effort.It helps if they like you.It’s better to skip material than to not do it justice.Let them save face.Overcorrect to Change PerceptionsQuit while you’re ahead with impromptu speaking.Test the boundaries of convention.Wait for the audience to laugh first.Wait with your gratitude and compliments.Category: UncategorizedCheck you sources.Could a virtual reality build speaking skills?Don't Wear Out Your WelcomeEncourage your fellow team members.Evading is not persuading.Interview the challenger.Is a thought too long for eye contact?Make the complex simple.Never stop improving.Prezi is a Promising Alternative to PowerPointTake a lesson from the world of music.Talkers are born; speakers are not.The Positive Side of AntagonismThoughtful advice about an accent is helpful.Trim 10%.Value feedback.Category: VisualsA blank screen can do wonders.Help them read the y-axis label.Let them see the slides.Look at the main screen together with the audience.Orient the audience to the slide.Put the laser pointer down.Skipped bullet points are distracting.Slides, like billboards, should be quick reads.Sometimes a rough drawing beats a polished graphic.Transition better with presenter view.Use slide numbers to navigate during discussions.What visuals would you make by hand if you had to?
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