I know I bang on about less being more, and the importance of storytelling, so this blog is going to encompass both...
Plus offer a favourite public speaking and presentations tip as well.
How's that for value? What's not to like? Call it a summer giveaway!
Ok, the public speaking tip first.
A question for you.
What's the one thing you can do at the start of a talk which achieves all three of the following:
- Lifts the audience
- Relaxes you
- Fills you full of sunshine, ready to perform at your peak
Even better, it's so amazingly simple to do, and requires almost no effort on your part.
Any guesses, before I do the big reveal?
And the answer is...
- Smile
Yep, it's that simple. But it's so often overlooked.
A smile at the start of a public talk, or presentation, can make such a difference.
Try it and you'll see.
You smile, and others tend to smile with you.
That's why it's one of my favourite tricks.
It's so easy, yet so effective.
Now for the storytelling, which is about smiling and my hypocrisy.
It comes in the form of a confession:
- I always struggle to smile at the start of a talk
Do you want to know why? Well, because...
I know, when I go out running I can look scary.
I'm six feet and a bit tall, fairly muscular, I pant like a convict on the run from the law, and I sweat in an incredibly unattractive manner.
(How's that for pictures with words?!)
I often jog around the prettier and more secluded parts of Cambridge, which means I sometimes encounter other runners doing likewise...
And they inevitably look worried at the approaching creature, and give me a wide berth.
I explained this to someone, and wondered aloud if it might help reassure the poor innocents who cross my path if...
I gave them a smile.
The answer was instant, and horrified.
- Hell, don't do that, you'll absolutely terrify them
Which, perhaps unsurprisingly, has given me a real hang up about the state of my smile, and a reluctance to use it.
But anyway, if you're fortunate enough to be less scary looking than me, deploy yours at all available opportunities, particularly when presenting.
A smile can be a wonderful asset in helping you make a good impression.
By the way, one more thing I also bang on about in blogs is the importance of pictures.
So here's signing off with a beauty, from my dear Devon, which I hope will help prompt a smile...
(And one which spreads a lot more happiness than mine!)