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,...
Don’t read that speech!
One of the things I love about my job is the incredible variety of people and subjects I am exposed to on a daily basis. Whenever I am helping someone write a speech though, the questions are very similar: How am I going to present all this information in my 20 minute...
Public Speaking 101 – How to Use Notes
Public speaking 101 – Are you still delivering a speech the way you were taught at school? During the Easter holidays my sons organised popcorn movie night with their friends to watch the movie Minions (91 minutes of my life I won’t get back) the trailer is...
Speaking at a conference? Here’s what NOT to do!
I love speaking at conferences. It’s an opportunity to meet new people, challenge myself with new ideas and to travel. Wherever possible I stay for the day so I can listen to the speakers before me. I love hearing and seeing other people present and understand how...
Three tips for avoiding the meeting from hell!
Chairing a meeting is like running a three ring circus. You have the elephants that want to slow everything down, the clowns’ intent on turning your meeting into a slapstick show and the lions in the wings waiting to bite your head off! There is a way to be a...
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.