Public Speaking, Presentation & Leadership Skills

Hey there! Have you ever found yourself sitting through a technical presentation, struggling to stay focused? Maybe the slides were packed with tiny text, or the speaker rattled off jargon that left you scratching your head. We’ve all been there. But what if you could be the presenter who makes everyone lean in rather than zone out? Today, let’s talk about how you—yes, you—can use audio-visual (AV) tools to breathe life into your technical presentations. Whether your audience is full of industry pros, new learners, or an international crowd, the right AV choices can make your message clear, memorable, and even fun. Why Should You Care About Audio-Visuals? Let’s be honest: technical subjects can be intimidating—or even boring—if presented badly. But you have a secret weapon at your disposal! Audio-visuals are more than just eye candy. They help break down tough ideas, keep everyone on track, and appeal to different learning styles in the room. Some of us are visual thinkers,...

Persuade person with elegance At some point everyone tries to persuade someone else for something. It may be selling a product or lobbying for a promotion or even just trying to win a debate competition.  As we face challenges from the person/persons we are trying to persuade, we try to be push harder.  But, the harder you push the more people have a tendency to get defensive and back away. This is one of the most important challenges faced by a leader / person when one tries to get the work done from his / her subordinates / colleagues. Good persuasion is a skill. It's a give and take allowing for people to move at their own pace with some steady nudging. Some are good at it but others needed to learn it from scratch. But both have to continuously practice it. There are a number of effective and inoffensive considerations and techniques that can help with pleasant persuasion. Make it discreet Often, talking through a point gets lost. People have a strong...

Tips for Listening – Leadership Skill The basic of leading is to have a very constructive communication with the persons you want to lead. It is simply not possible to be a great leader without being a great communicator. This partially accounts for why we don’t encounter great leadership more often. The big miss for most leaders is that they fail to understand that the purpose of communication is not to message, but to engage – THIS REQUIRES LISTENING. Don’t be fooled into thinking that being heard is more important than hearing. The first rule in communication is to seek understanding before seeking to be understood. Communication is not a one way street. Great leaders, never miss an opportunity to listen. In fact, they aggressively seek out new and better ways to listen. In the previous blog we discussed the other benefits of listening skills. Here we will be looking into the skills for becoming a better listener. Tips of becoming better listener Listen with an o...

While some may be impressed with how well you speak, the right people will be impressed with how well you listen. Great leaders are great listeners, and therefore my message today is a simple one – talk less and listen more. The best leaders are proactive, strategic, and intuitive listeners. Listen not hear Everyone wants to be heard and understood, but at one time or another most people don't listen and fail to understand the meaning of another person's words. It’s a fundamental human need to have your feelings acknowledged, whether or not someone agrees with you. Honest to goodness listening creates an intimate connection and makes you feel cared about. You can hear someone speak without listening to the words. Hearing is an involuntary process that starts with noise, vibrations, the movement of fluid in the ears and sound sent to the brain. Simple! Where it gets a little complicated is when the noise actually arrives to its final destination: the brain! Thi...

Evaluations: - Quite a few of us have the misconceptions that “Only the speaker gets any benefit from an evaluation of their speech.” This is false. ·           You (as the evaluator) improve as a speaker by providing an evaluation. A great way to solidify your own knowledge is to teach it to others. The speaker becomes aware of both their strengths and areas with potential for improvement. The audience for the evaluation (if there is one, as in Toastmasters) benefits from hearing the evaluation and applying the lessons to their own presentations. Future audiences benefit from improved speakers. How to evaluate: While evaluating in any sphere of life, the most important we have to consider is the level of skill of the individual. The most important thing to remember while evaluating is that your evaluation should encourage him / her not discourages. Evaluating the inexperienced speaker:...

EVALUATIONS In toastmaster one of the most important part of the meeting is the Evaluations. As any skill is developed and improved by practice and feedback. In Toastmaster the feedback is called the evaluations. Although evaluations mainly consist of evaluating the speaking capabilities of others, it teaches or enhances the skills we need to learn which is required in all aspects of your life. You will become a more attentive and receptive listener, a more creative and critical thinker, and a more effective and beneficial ally. ART OF EVALUATING The purpose as an evaluator is to provided honest reaction in a constructive manned to the person’s effort. Remember when you evaluate, you are simply giving your own reaction to the person’s speaking or leadership efforts. An evaluation is an opinion, nothing more. This opinion should mention the effect on you, what the speaker or leader did well, areas where the speaker or leader could improve, and specific recommendations f...

Table Topics – What? Why? Table Topics are impromptu or extempore speeches. The purpose of the Table Topics section is to help members think on their feet and speak on a given subject for between one and two minutes. It also allows speaking opportunities for those who are not programmed for other roles on the agenda. If you are wondering why, we have table topics or impromptu speeches in our meeting? Is it just a game to fill up the time, have a bit of fun or embarrass perhaps. NO!!!!, there is a purpose and a specific plan around Table Topics. Have you ever been asked for your opinion about something in a meeting or gathering, only to have your mind go blank? Have you given your opinion, but it was so  disorganized  that the point you were trying to make was lost? The ability to “think and speak on your feet” is an important communication skill that often determines your success in job interviews, official meetings, seminars for example and even day to day ...

Fear of Public speaking .... Public speaking was a taboo for me. Before speaking even in front of a small group, I used to get this queasy feeling in my stomach that won’t go away. My hands gets sweaty even thinking of the stage. I feel like I want to run away and that's what I did. I have been doing it from the college. I used to choose college coursework in such a way as to avoid public speaking. The things continued with me to my workplace. I started passing promotions and assignments which would require speaking. I choose technical work and let others present my work. They worked away with the accolade.  Public speaking is a phobia for me. In-order to conquer this phobia that was stalling me in my career, one of the few methods I have tried is joining a Toastmaster club. “ City of Perth Toastmaster Club ” was near to my work place. Toastmasters has had the greatest positive impact on my life. I believe the benefits of membership extend far beyond simple public...