Powerful Presenting For Leaders

'Death By Powerpoint' has been a well worn phrase that shows just how horrifically bad most presenters use this application. But in this episode, David explains how Powerpoint - and more specifically what we put on the screen - can absolutely transform ANY presentation. He shares the following: The single greatest Powerpoint RULE that 90% of presenters break Why images are massively more powerful than words (and it's not because they are pretty) His transformational experience with explaining to audiences his Guinness record reciting Pi to 22,500 digits What you should do if Powerpoint goes down

Being the MC of a conference is a job that can make or break a fantastic event. David was recently asked to coach a client to perform this role who had volunteered to do it but had never done it before. In this episode, he shares the following: Pros and cons of using someone internal Best practice of introducing upcoming presenters The pitfalls to look out for Managing the minefield of Q&A with your superiors Why humour is the ONLY currency

All David's presentation skills coaching clients tell him the same thing. That 'their' speaking/clients/products/service is unique and different to everyone else's. But in reality, the basic principles behind great presenting are the same whether it is speaking at a Board meeting of a billion dollar company or being the compere of a Masked Dancer event at a conference, both things that David has prepared clients for in just the last two weeks. In this episode, David shares how to get the basics nailed down so you can be a presentation rockstar, whatever the audience and whatever the talk.

David's tagline is Making Leaders Presentation Rockstars and when presenting, it is brilliant to feel that way. The audience laughing at your jokes and clapping you off stage. But sometimes the reason behind improving presentation skills is more prosaic than that. In this episode, David talks about an inspirational entrepreneur who specifically asked him to turn her into a presentation rockstar while actually needing the improvement in her skills for nothing more complicated than being able to get the highest price for her business when she sells.

As a leadership presentation skills coach, David is always approached to help leaders improve their speaking in the business world first. But in this episode, David explains how it is even more important to get speaking at personal events nailed down too. Because those types of events tend to be one offs. You only get one chance to speak at someone's funeral. He also looks at how the usual presentation rules apply, even putting fun into the eulogy. 

Even as an experienced 25 year speaker, David understands one thing - speaking is a live event. Every presentation and speech he gives has the ability to teach him something because every one is unique. In this episode, he explains why he believes continuous improvement is the key to being a presentation rockstar... ...and the 9 lessons he learned in 2022 that will help make him an even better presenter in 2023.

David was ill over Xmas and had to cancel everything. His mate reframed it by saying that Xmas was just a refence point and he could see all the people at some other time over the coming weeks. David was not happy with this. It was at this point that he realised that the barrier to managing being ill at Xmas was him. In this episode, David talks about how we can all improve our chances of success in 2023 if we learn to discover what is within us that is holding us back.

David recently got asked to do somethng unusual - rewrite someone's LinkedIn profile. In this episode, he shares how this came about through a presentation skills coaching class he delivered and how, by applying the same principles to writing as speaking, every leader can dramatically improve their communication across both mediums.

David recently did a coaching session with a client who said his boss did not treat him with the respect he deserved. But this client turned up late to see David and didn't apologise. Almost every leader gets to achieve their dreams because of the dream makers in their team but not if they think they are being treated as 'lower' than them. In this episode, David explains thow this deeply damaging attitude almost certainly drips into the way that leaders talk to their colleagues and how Quiet Quitting and all its problems can be the corrosive outcome.

Speakers should never be repeaters. Churning out the same old stuff every time is stale for audiences and for you. David recently used a brand new start for an important talk at the National Sales Conference. He took a big risk as he had no idea if it would land. In this episode, he explains what he did and if it worked or not.

As a leader, you already understand that success is based on trying something new. It is about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Otherwise, you are just a hamster on a wheel going round and round doing the same old thing. That hasn't got you where you are. Yet, when it comes to speaking, a surprising number of leaders are too cautious, scared to try anything new. In this episode, David explains why this is a highly flawed approach and that trying and failing is the ONLY way to become a presentation rockstar.

YouTube research shows that the most successful channels are those where people are chatting on the video like you are the only one watching. Yet, most videos online are done in a style by people as if they are presenting on TV. In this episode, David goes through the key elements to make sure that you don't come across as contrived or even worse, insincere.

David has just done the same talk 44 times in 9 consecutive working days to 10,000 students in 9 different schools in the UK. The #1 question he got asked every single day was "How do you keep it fresh when delivering the same talk over and over again?" In this episode, David explains how to INCREASE the impact the more you do the same talk and how to manage yourself in front of the most difficult audience of all - schoolkids!

When you present externally, you are the best one in the room. If you weren't, someone else would be standing at the front. So act like it. Make sure you get the exact speaking circumstances that you need to make the highest impact you can. In this episode, David shares how he told The Oprah Winfrey Show that they had to meet his demands if he was to go on the show. And how, just last week, he was prepared to walk away from a speaking engagement if they didn't allow him to speak when he wanted to.  

Quite rightly, you should focus heavily on the delivery part of your presentation, getting all your technical ducks in a row. But to have maximum impact on an audience, there are two other elements to consider - before and after the talk. In this episode, David shares a bunch of things every speaker can do before their presentation to maximise its impact and things they can do after the talk that increase take home value and implementation.

Andy Bounds, a brilliant sales trainer, talks about how you must sell the 'afters'. This is what will the client get AFTER they have bought the product or service you are selling. Leaders need to do the same when they present. You need to think about what the audience will do AFTER you have spoken. In this episode, David explains how leaders get this completely wrong 95% of the time, losing the impact they have on their audiences. He also explains how to put it right so your audiences will want to take action.

A venture capitalist was interviewed in a podcast. He said that he saw an entrepreneur with a chip on their shoulder as being a positive because when the brown stuff hits the fan, they are the ones who will knuckle down and fight through. In this episode, David explains why it is the same with presenting. Being abrasive, even slightly aggressive, shows deep passion and that is what people buy into. He also shares a fantastic example of how he 'made' a Managing Director be more abrasive, making a client feel slightly uncomfortable in the process and in so doing, land a £75m ($100m) contract that he was sure they had lost.

In a previous life, David had one of the most powerful memories in history as a multiple Guinness and world memory record breaker and US Memory Champion. The #1 question he got asked was 'Have you a gift or is it a trained skill?' In this episode, David gives his response and how this relates to improving your presentation skills. Understanding the difference between natural speaking talent and trained improvement is essential to you achieving your potential.

Someone contacted David recently and asked how to choose a presentation skills coach. This is something that David had never considered but realised one thing - the process is the same as when choosing a coach for ANY endeavour. In this episode, David goes through the 6 key elements that every leader MUST consider when looking for a presentation skills coach for that next big presentation.

2022 is World Cup year in rugby league and as a huge Brucie bonus, it is being held in England. Last week, David got invited to speak to the players and backroom staff at one of their camps just 12 weeks before it starts. In this episode David explains how he made schoolboy errors by cocking up the briefing and how his confidence evaporated when he found out that the last speaker was the England football manager, Gareth Southgate. But he also shares some amazing advice he got from a fellow speaker about how to overcome his impostor syndrome and occupy his speaking space.

We all have medals and scars. Successes, failures, amazing highs, devastating lows. But traditional speaking says to only share the war stories. In this episode, David explains why this is horseshit and how we should learn from both medals and scars as they both have a great deal to teach us. It is also the same when we present. Audiences love to hear how you overcame adversity but also want to hear about the mountains you have reached the top of.

You don't look for a presentation skills coach in the Yellow Pages. Oh no, that much is obvious. After all, why would you put one of the most important presentations of your life in the hands of a stranger? Well, actually, many do and don't have much choice. In this episode, David goes through the 6 key things to consider when looking for a coach including the questions to ask, what the perfect trifecta of a speaking coach looks like, how long it will take and investment.

Most leaders resist like mad when it comes to putting entertainment into their presentations. They usually tell David that they are not a 'performing monkey.' To which he always replies 'Yes you are and if you're not now, you'd better learn.' In this episode, David explains why every presentation requires a certain amount of entertainment. Otherwise, it will be boring, you will be boring, the audience will disengage and you will not get your message across and effect real change. Which is the only real point of doing any presentation.

Someone challenged David about his Facebook feed commenting that he has too many testimonials. Basically, he is bragging too much. A great challenge. In this episode, David talks about how the changes he implemented in his social media feed are the same we should put into our speaking.

A 1955 Mercedes SL 'gullwing' currently costs around $2m at auction. When they come up. A 1955 Mercedes SLR 'gullwing' Uhlenhaut just sold for a shocking $142m. The only major difference between the two cars is the wonderful back story and history attached to the Uhlenhaut. In this episode, David explains the value of a back story and how we can use it to get greater engagement from our audiences.

David recently went to Croatia to do last minute on site coaching with a client who he had been working with for 6 weeks from home. Coaching at the event they were speaking at was a first for him and taught a ton of stuff. In this episode, David is going to share what he learned and also what he did that made them come off stage fist pumping the air.

David recently got asked to speak at a major event. Problem is, he didn't know how major...because he didn't ask! In this week's episode, David goes through what you should ask a client when speaking externally. Or you could REALLY miss out.

David has just appeared on The Rob Beckett Show on BBC Radio 2. It was a fun slot called Geek Of The Week! As always, David uses his media appearances as a great example of how to apply presentation skills. With Beckett being a professional comedian, it made for a very fun and lively interview. The clip is included in this week's podcast.  

The second half of the interview that David conducted with Dave Hyner. Dave does not hold back in giving his opinion on the good, bad and ugly in the world of speaking. He drops knowledge bombs all the way through this interview. A fascinating insight into a top class speaker.

Dave Hyner has spoken to more than 1 million people over the last 25 years. He is a Hall Of Fame speaker with the former Academy for Chief Executives. He has spoken internationally, written books and done enormous amounts of study and research to make sure that what he speaks about works. In this episode, David interviews Dave and gets into everything involved in the world of top class speaking.  

Brevity is the #1 law in all of speaking. Get on, say your bit in the shortest time with the least number of slides and the fewest number of words then get off. Even if you have a time slot to fill, keeping it super succinct and moving along is really key. In this episode, David talks about why it is so important and uses a really cool example of selling fish!

This week, David bought a new microphone to improve the quality of his podcast recordings. It has only taken the idiot 120+ episodes to do it. In this episode, David talks about how important it is to crank up your professionalism BEFORE it starts to become noticeable. Unless you're an idiot, of course in which case, stay as you are.

The Oscars generated billions of words about the Will Smith and Chris Rock situation. And about the same number of conversations about what is acceptable for a host to say to an audience member. In this episode, David goes through his very specific formula about what you can and definitely should NOT say to an audience.

As a leader, people in our circle of influence expect to hear our voice and opinion but when and how we use that voice to mention current affairs can be a delicate issue. In this episode, David talks about how to do just that, shares examples of how to do it badly and gives an example from one speaker who won't discuss it publicly at all. And for very good reason.

It's always a nervy time testing new material. You don't want to be stuck delivering the same old stuff every time you present but it takes courage and a leap of faith to use brand new material. In this episode, David talks about how dead ducks don't quack (bad material is just bad material and will never come good), how to measure how successful material is from the response of an audience response and most importantly, when to cut and run.

Coaching commercial clients is fun and inspiring because they walk through the door keen to learn and improve. But teaching kids round the kitchen table is a trial that most parents would rather substitute with tooth removal without anaesthetic. In this episode, David talks about how he recently coached his daughter on presentation skills and how improving yours isn't just about you becoming a presentation rockstar; it's also about the ability to share your new found toolkit with others.

A successful senior manager in a major company spent the day with David yesterday at his house learning presentation skills. Problem was, she was already speaking beautifully for the very narrow type of presenting she does. And will probably do for the remaining 5 years or so in her career. But the problem was only for David. His client walked away with the most important thing she was looking to achieve - validation that she was on the right track. In this episode, David talks about how speaking isn't always about educating your audience. Sometimes, it is about validating their path.

Mel Robbins is a fantastic motivational speaker and David has both listened to her Audible podcast series and an interview with her. She was asked about her presenting style and she said that she fills her talks with analogies to get her message across. In this episode, David explains how analogies are incredibly powerful but also that putting in more variety and using other techniques is the optimum way to help you achieve your true speaking potential.

David appeared on the TV show, The Weakest Link, many years ago. He got through to the final three but astonishingly, one of the other two contestants didn't realise that the strategy that would WIN her the money in the final would not be the one that had got her TO the final. In this episode, David recounts the amazing experience and how leaders need to understand that the style of speaking they do when they are on their way TO the top is not the type of presenting they need to do when they GET to the top.

In business, everyone brags about the key elements that make them stand out. In David's case, he is forever going on about appearing on Oprah, having a #1 bestselling book and breaking a Guinness record. But sadly, when leaders speak, their humility means they pass over these crucial points too quickly in their talks. In this episode, David explains how to make your credibility work for you and most importantly, when to tell the audience.

David heard the title to this podcast in a newsletter and thought it very apt for his progress through his speaking career. In this episode, he explains why presentation skills progress only happens when we truly push ourselves out of our comfort zone, as cliched as that sounds. David also talks about the difference between who we are and who we are becoming through the concept of the Hegelian dialectic and most importantly, how this applies to leaders when they present.

In this episode, David goes through the top 10 lessons he has learned about presenting in 2021. This is from the perspective of his own speaking having presented in person and remotely in over 50 countries. And from his perspective as a presentation skills coach having prepared many CEOs for big talks.

As a presentation skills coach for leaders, David gets to work on specific talks with real material and over the years, he has worked on every kind of talk imaginable. He is not easily shocked or surprised. But recently, he got a call from a CEO doing a simple long service awards ceremony and wanted some advice. There was an unusual and devastating twist to the presentation. In this episode, David explains how it is possible to reframe the most difficult of talks but that it is also essential to always address the elephant in the room.

Last week, David did two very different talks. Both had a really positive outcome but both also had polar opposite starts. The first talk started with a lot of love for David in the room. Welcoming, engaging and fun. The second talk, two days later, started at sub zero. The audience was ice cold. The only difference between the two was the pre-frame. In this episode, David explains how to get your audience off to a flying start with a cracking pre-frame.

PLEASE NOTE: This episode talks very briefly about the abuse that David received at the hands of his mother and bizarrely, how it got him a major book deal resulting in a #1 bestselling book. David has just received a batch of his new books from the printers and while he could use them, there is just enough wrong with the printing for him to not be able to do so. In this episode, David explains how you don't have to mis-match your message to the audience by much for it to get totally lost.

David recently coached a guy going for a major job interview. The company made various stipulations. David told his client to ignore them and do something different. In this episode, he explains how, in a competitive environment, it is critical to do something different to what everyone else is doing.

You'd think that after 25 years of speaking, David would be drilled in the art of everything speaking, including the pre-presentation preparation, maybe the most important thing of all. In this episode, David explains how he was thought he was being the guest of honour at a ceremony only to be introduced as the speaker and have to produce a 20 min presentation 5 seconds later. If only he had prepared better!

Marginal gains has been around for many a year now and is de rigeur in sport. But the same can definitely be applied in presentation skills. In this episode, David explains how applying marginal gains to get a different pillow made a massive difference to his speaking.    

JK Rowling used to grab spare minutes while her baby was asleep to write Harry Potter when she was a single Mum. Jeffrey Archer writes from his home in Mallorca from a purpose-built writing room overlooking the Bay of Palma with no distractions. Which is best? Both. In this episode, David explains how to manage the process of writing a presentation whether it is all in one go or piecemeal. 

Managing interruptions is where every leader earns their presentation stripes. Being able to handle hecklers (rare but happens), disruptors (less rare), objectors (relatively common) and people interrupting with questions (very common) is difficult. Yet, it is one of the areas that leaders almost never prepare for. In this episode, David shares how he got some weird and wonderful interruptions from students in a recent schools tour.

When leaders present, they fret over a ton of stuff like their voice projection, whether their slides are formatted properly and the engagement level of the audience. Question is - should they be fretting over this stuff? Answer - yes! But the challenge I have seen with leaders is that in focussing solely on all these elements, they lose sight of the REAL reason they are presenting at all. In this episode, David explains how this was brought home to him recently in a school he was speaking at when a student asked the question that is the title of this podcast. And he also shares what he said in reply.