Biesenblog
Insights on Communication, Storytelling and Presentation Skills
5 Credibility Killing Mistakes Most Presenters Make
Being a professional speaker has absolutely ruined my ability to watch other people’s presentations. I can’t help but critique them, especially since working with people to improve their presentation skills is a big part of my business. Here are some of my latest pet peeves — the mistakes most presenters make at conferences I attend. […]
2 Indispensable Qualities for a Successful Presentation
A few years ago I spelled out my 11 Deadly Presentation Sins — the key factors that can make or break any presentation. But 11 of anything is more than a handful, so I’m often asked to narrow it down to my top three. That always felt like an impossible task. But I’m happy to report that […]
Handcuffed to an Awful Presentation? 5 Things You Can Do
A new client came to me with a common problem: she was assigned to deliver a PowerPoint presentation that was created by someone else in her company but that she knew was no good. The slides were data-heavy and the script was boring and not audience-focused. All the recommendations I would normally give were non-starters: […]
How to Focus Your Presentation: 7 Tips
A British professor recently conducted an informal (and wonderful) study showing that boring speeches are more likely to go longer. (Wouldn’t you know it? The pain of sitting through an awful speech is compounded by time!) His findings point to the importance of brevity and discipline. So here are seven ways you can better focus […]
How to Rehearse a Presentation: 5 Simple Steps
Failure to prepare is one of the biggest mistakes presenters make. But most people have a hard time getting their arms around the process. In my workshops I share the technique that works for me. Participants have found it to be one of their most valued takeaways, so here is my totally not-patented five-step process for […]
Speakers: How to Write Your Own Introduction
Here is one common phrase that you’ll never hear me utter at the start of a presentation: “Thank you for that kind introduction.” Why? Because it would be vain. After all, I’m the one who wrote that kind introduction! And that’s what every speaker should do. Even if you’re simply an occasional conference presenter, learning how to write […]
How to Use Stories in a Presentation: 6 Tips
The worst presenter I ever saw did everything wrong, from not understanding his audience to lecturing instead of engaging us to turning the session into one long sales pitch. Worst of all, his talk was nothing but data — endless columns of it, packed onto dense, ugly slides. There was no narrative holding his points […]
What to Wear for a Presentation: 10 Tips
There are endless sources of information on what to wear for a presentation, but it’s a question I’m often asked. And it’s getting more complicated all the time as the workplace becomes more and more casual. Like it or not, audiences are making all kinds of conscious and unconscious judgments about you before you even […]
Yes, Male Presenters, You Need That Microphone
It happened again yesterday. At an industry luncheon I was attending, a male presenter — and it’s almost always a man — declined to use the provided microphone. I see this a LOT, and it’s ridiculous. If you ever wonder whether you need to use a microphone, the answer is YES. That is why the […]
Emma Gonzalez and the Profound Power of Silence in a Speech
Wherever you stand on the issue of guns, it’s hard to deny the power of Emma Gonzalez’s short speech at the “March for Our Lives” rally last weekend. As many have remarked, it wasn’t just the things she said, but the long, dark empty space she left between the words. And with nothing but the greatest […]