Death by PowerPoint 10 Years On
Ten years ago I delivered ‘Escaping PowerPoint Purgatory’ at the Australian Institute of Training and Development (AITD) conference. I spoke about the research from Prof John Sweller¹ and how putting text up on the screen encourages us to multitask and this, in turn,...
I Was Wrong
When I talk to people about their public speaking fears, one of the most common is: “What if what I say is wrong?”Last year I gave a presentation to PhD students at the University of Adelaide and I realised that what I was saying was incorrect, and had...
Perfecting the Pitch
Earlier this year I attended the Conduit Accel Pitch Demo Day event hosted by the University of Adelaide. I had met many of the entrepreneurs who pitched at this event and I was delighted to see how much they have progressed over the months that I had worked with...
Stand Up Speak Up And Persuade
Think about your job. How much would you get done if you were passive? Probably not much. What if you were pushy? You might get something done – once. Why? Because pushy kills relationships. People may let you get away with it once and then after that...
5 Tips From Oprah’s Golden Globe Speech You Can Apply In Your Next Presentation
Last week Oprah Winfrey became the first African-American woman to receive the Cecil B DeMille Award for outstanding contribution to the world of entertainment at the Golden Globes. She used this opportunity to deliver a rousing presentation that was personal,...
Sharon Ferrier, through her business ‘Persuasive Presentations’ consults to organisations and individuals who have a need to improve their communication, presentation skills and confidence in public speaking.