by Tina Blake | Jan 23, 2020 | Body Language, Public Speaking Tips
When we have a conversation with someone, we look at them. It’s obvious in your day-to-day life but, when you’re on stage, out of your comfort zone, it’s worth thinking about. Eye contact creates a sense of closeness. Would you talk to a friend while looking at the...
by Tina Blake | Dec 19, 2019 | Speech-writing
Are you fed up with political speeches? After three general elections in four years, the answer is probably, “yes!” The challenge for politicians now is to grab our attention, yet again, and they can only do this with two things: good content, and good delivery. In...
by Tina Blake | Nov 29, 2019 | Overcoming Stage Fright & Anxiety Tips, Public Speaking Tips
People buy people, not products or services. That makes the panel discussion a particularly powerful way to get across their benefits – because having a group of speaking onstage allows you to bring in voices from right across the business. However, when you...
by Tina Blake | Oct 23, 2019 | Public Speaking Tips
Speakers – and speaker trainers – rightly focus on the “tricks of the trade”. Breathing, body language, voice. All these things matter, and are critical to speaking success. They can all be grouped together as “how” skills, though – and just as important in any...
by Tina Blake | Oct 4, 2019 | Public Speaking Tips, Speech-writing
All successful speeches are scripted. Fact. The most successful, however, seem like they trip off the tongue of the speaker. It may seem weird, but the best way to make your script sound fresh is to commit it to your memory. This isn’t about knowing every word and...
by Tina Blake | Sep 9, 2019 | Public Speaking Tips
We are often called upon to speak persuasively in a work context: to recommend a report’s conclusions, or to advocate for a particular change. This can be a challenging task – sometimes more so than persuading a room full of strangers. We have pre-existing...
by Tina Blake | Jul 22, 2019 | Public Speaking Tips
The whole of the internet, it seems is currently going Game of Thrones crazy – and who am I to disappoint? So here is a blog with a Westerosi theme – and no spoilers for the finale! It’s also a post which, I hope, will help you think of speaking a little...
by Tina Blake | May 24, 2019 | Public Speaking Tips
I’ve just completed a two-day event featuring 43 speakers and over 6,500 delegates, and wanted to share some thoughts on what it takes for them to create that amount of energy on stage. The event was the Utility Warehouse 20 20 Vision conference, and the order...
by Tina Blake | Apr 8, 2019 | Powerful Video Presenting Tips
Even for speakers who are more than happy to stand in front of large audiences, the humble camera can pose a real challenge. Novice speakers aren’t alone in feeling nervous around a lens, – there’s something a bit unusual about it’s unblinking eye that can unnerve the...
