Research shows that we form an opinion on someone within 7 seconds of meeting them. This quick judgement is what we’re programmed to do – it doesn’t make us bad people, we just inherently need to decide quickly whether someone is friend or threat. Whatever that first...

PowerPoint is a funny old thing. We seem to love it and hate it in equal measure. Our heart sinks when the presenter opens their first slide, and yet, the first thing we do when we have to start writing our own presentation…yep, we go straight to PowerPoint. But the...

Since publishing my recent blog, “But what do I do with my hands”, I’ve been asked for advice about eye contact. A lot of us struggle with this in day to day communication, let alone when standing up and talking to people in a professional capacity. But eye contact is...

This is one of the most common questions I’m asked. Many of us use our hands when we’re talking, but the minute we enter “presentation mode” we seem to shut down this part of our communication. We feel uncomfortable and unnatural, and our arms become these useless...

Most people feel a degree of fear when asked to speak in front of an audience. It’s about vulnerability: we want the approval of our peers, and when there’s a risk of going wrong, we get scared. Simple. Having helped many people prepare for a presentation, here’s what...

How many presentations have you watched that start with “Hello, my name is ….and today I’m going to talk to you about…..”. Often delivered in a monotone and accompanied with some throat-clearing, fidgeting, and some ums and ahs for good measure. You have a matter of...

A lot of us haven’t had an interview for years. There are different reasons for this (maybe we’ve stayed in a job we love; or been stuck in a role we couldn’t progress from), but often it’s because we’ve taken a career break. Whatever the reason for taking time away...

You may feel like you know what you’re doing when it comes to presenting. You’ve done it for years; you’ve progressed in your career; you’re confident that you’re ticking the boxes. But….. what if you were even better? What if you became known for your speaking? What...

It feels very different giving a presentation to real-life people who are physically in front of you, after so many months of delivering online. Here are my tips to help you readjust and celebrate being back in the room: Nerves are normal We have spent so long shut...

By the time they get to me, a lot of my clients have experienced a number of rejections. Their confidence has taking a battering and they’re feeling inadequate and, often, hopeless. As a former actress, I know all about rejection. You turn up to an audition, wait with...

“Tell me a fact and I’ll listen. Tell me a truth and I’ll learn. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” I love this Native American saying. It makes me think of my days working for a theatre company, touring schools with historical drama workshops....

We went for a family lunch at the pub on Sunday. We were given a two hour sitting, which I understand (pubs need to get as many covers in as they can right now, and to be honest, with three kids, two hours is more than enough to be sitting down!). We waited an hour...