How compelling are your visuals?

by David Folkerson on February 21, 2015 , No comments

I’m sitting here, in the middle of the room along with the rest of this disappointed audience, and I can’t read a single thing on the presenter’s PowerPoint slides. Someone next to me whispers: “How big is that font, anyways? Size 6?” “It doesn’t matter,” I reply. “He’s just reading his slides word for word.”

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David FolkersonHow compelling are your visuals?

Desensitize yourself to public speaking anxiety

by David Folkerson on February 14, 2015 , 3 comments

Bill told me that the thought of presenting put razor blades in his stomach and rubber bands around his chest. It was getting harder and harder to breath. I said, “Bill, your anxiety is normal, but you can actually desensitize yourself to it by just doing more and more presentations.” “How can I desensitize myself to public speaking,” he said, “when I’m too nervous to even get started?”

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David FolkersonDesensitize yourself to public speaking anxiety

Use a human helper if you have no handheld clicker

by David Folkerson on February 7, 2015 , 1 comment

One of the most critical success factors when presenting to an audience is good eye contact. That’s why handheld clickers are so important – you can advance your slides without ever breaking that all-important audience connection. So what do you do if you lost your little remote?

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David FolkersonUse a human helper if you have no handheld clicker

Embrace your vocal range for increased attention

by David Folkerson on January 19, 2015 , 2 comments

It is far too easy to slip into a monotonous speaking tone when conducting meetings or speaking to an audience. Perhaps you do this in an attempt to control your nerves, or to appear more serious and in control of your material, but you’re not a boring person, so don’t speak like one.

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David FolkersonEmbrace your vocal range for increased attention

Combat anxiety with the thermometer visualization technique

by David Folkerson on December 20, 2014 , No comments

I’m happy that I get anxious before delivering a big presentation. It means that I’m excited about what I’m about to do. But I don’t like feeling anxious. Too much anxiety can be crippling. I like to use what I call “the thermometer visualization technique” to help manage this kind of anxiety when speaking in public.

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David FolkersonCombat anxiety with the thermometer visualization technique

Opening, body, conclusion – a familiar structure that works

by David Folkerson on December 13, 2014 , No comments

Great oral presentations often follows the same structure as great written communication. As every essay-writing high school student knows, you lead with an introduction, elaborate your main points in the body, and summarize your argument in the conclusion. A well-developed oral presentation adheres to the same structure.

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David FolkersonOpening, body, conclusion – a familiar structure that works