Fearless Presentations

As presenters, we often focus on how we look, what visual aids we will use, and how we sound to the audience. But Sight and sound are just two of the senses. On today's episode, I'm going to show you how you can add a few simple things to your presentation to enhance the additional senses of touch, smell, and even taste. Now, obviously, if you are presenting the financial report to the b...

Even great content can fall flat if it’s delivered poorly. One awkward phrase, one outdated cliché, or one moment of uncertainty can derail your entire presentation. That’s why knowing what to avoid in a speech is just as important as knowing what to include. You might have years of experience or the perfect PowerPoint presentation, but if you open with a weak phrase, or worse, a cringe-worthy one...

I taught a public speaking class in Houston last week for a great group of people. We had an absolute blast. But the class was a little smaller than normal. And it got me thinking about a topic that I covered a couple of years ago, but we haven't really delved into a lot -- public speaking coaching. If you'd listened to a few episodes, you'll know that I am a big fan of public speak...

This week, I’m covering how to master Q&A Sessions in a speech . This is the part of the presentation that most people dread because it is spontaneous and unplanned. And, because it is spontaneous and unplanned, it can be terrifying for new presenters .  So on this episode, I’m going to show you how this couple of minutes can be your secret weapon as a presenter (especially if you are trying t...

This week, I'm going to give you a very simple, step-by-step process to help you improve your public speaking skills in just one week. This process is very similar to the one we use in our public speaking classes. And itis designed to help presenters create new habits that lead to better presentations. If you follow the process, you'll only need to put in 10 to 30 minutes of work on each...

A couple of weeks ago, I started a series on how to get paid to speak. In week one, we talked about different types of motivational speakers and what a professional speaker is. Then, last week, I covered a few things that you absolutely need to do in order to get clients to pay you as a speaker. This week, I'll show you how to cash in on one of the most lucrative industries on the planet. We&...

Last week I started a series on how to get paid to speak. And if you are a new listener to Fearless Presentations, you might be thinking, "How can I get paid to speak if I'm scared to death to stand up in front of a group?"  If that is the case, just go back to some of the earlier episodes for tips on how to reduce nervousness. In this episode and the next couple, I'm going to...

Public speaking is one of (if not THE) highest-paid professions in the world . In this episode, I'll dispel the myth about what a professional speaker is. Basically, a professional speaker is just a person whom someone has paid to give a presentation . So, elementary school teachers are professional speakers. So are trial attorneys. So are salespeople, Realtors, and combat officers who give m...

This week, I explain the difference between the different formats of public speaking training in 2025. Communication has changed a lot in the last decade, and you now have every piece of information ever printed in the world at your fingertips. AI can now write speeches for you. With all this technology and information available, what is the absolute best way in 2025 to reduce public speaking fear...

In his episode, we're going to talk about filler words and how to reduce the negative fillers that can be annoying. Fillers come in a few different formats. Some are just sounds. These fillers are the ones that, when we do them, we tend to get more nervous because we think the audience is judging us. These are the ers, the uhms, the youknows, etc.  How to stop saying Um is one of the most com...

On this episode, I cover seven easy ways for ESL presenters (presenters who present in English but English is their second language) to reduce nervousness. If English is your first language, don't worry, because most of the tips will help you as well. In fact, the first four of the seven tips are things that anyone can use to reduce public speaking fear. The remaining three tips are ones that...

In his episode, I'm getting back to our roots -- so to speak. The topic is How to Overcome Stage Fright. In the past, we've covered different forms of this performance anxiety, like Imposter Syndrome, and I've covered how to reduce public speaking fear on a number of episodes.  Stage fright is slightly different, though. It can come from public speaking fear or other types of stage...

If you are scanning the internet for PowerPoint tips, it’s most likely because something has happened recently that wasn’t ideal. Perhaps you stood up in front of a group and forgot what you were going to say. Or, maybe, you got tongue-tied during the delivery. Or worse, your audience looked sleepy-eyed or even walked out of the room while you were speaking. These are all symptoms of related to a...

This is lesson number 12 of our 12-lesson series on how to win group sales presentations.  One of the myths that we tackled in one of the earlier episodes was that the PowerPoint slideshow itself is the shortlist presentation. That one mistake can cause teams to lose the high-level sales presentation more than any other mistake. What we started with last week was a different concept. I began to sh...

This is lesson number 11 of our 12-lesson series on how to win group sales presentations.  So far, we've covered a lot of the foundational concepts of group selling skills and ways to get buying committees to buy from your team after you get shortlisted. Just as a 30,000-foot recap, we started by covering many of the myths about shortlist presentations.  One of those myths is that the slidesh...

This is episode 10 of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations.  So far in the first 9 episodes, we've covered a lot of the foundational concepts of group selling skills. And we've spent a lot of time on how valuable case studies or success stories are in winning a committee over to hiring your team.  In the last episode, I showed you how to pick the best presentatio...

This is episode eight and nine of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. So far, we've covered a lot of the foundational concepts of group selling skills. And we've spent a lot of time on how valuable case studies or success stories are in winning a committee over to hiring your team.  Today's episode will be split into to parts. First, I'll give you som...

This is episode seven of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. Before the Christmas and New Years break, the last couple of sessions were about inserting case studies into your presentation as evidence that your potential clients can get what they want if they do what you want. I introduced a concept that I call an action/benefit statement.  Just as a review, you'd te...

This is episode six of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. For the last couple of weeks, we talked about how a case study is a story or example of how you've helped other clients solve similar problems to what this client has. And we showed how these stories help you show your experience to the buying committee throughout your presentation. We also showed how these...

This is 2nd half of episode five of our 12-episode series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, we talked about how a case study is a story or example of how you've helped other clients solve problems similar to those of this client. They are also fantastic ways to make details in your presentation memorable and a great way to build rapp...

This is episode five of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, we talked about how you can change the way that you introduce each team member when you present so that you edify each other and build their confidence. This week, we're going to cover how to get really, really good at delivering case studies. If you remembe...

This is episode four of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, I gave you ten things you can do when preparing or delivering these presentations that will help you keep calm and poised.  I also talked about how, in shortlist presentations,  it is important to "dig your well before you're thirsty," so to speak....

This is episode three of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, I briefly overviewed the five biggest secrets I've discovered about these high-level sales presentations. These secrets are the things that have allowed us to win over 80% of the interviews that teams that I have coached have been on.  This week, I will giv...

This is episode two of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, I explained what these presentations were and how I first got exposed to them. Just as a review, a Shortlist Presentation or Shortlist Interview is a very high-level sales presentation. Companies will often submit a proposal to a potential customer or client. The...

This week, we start a new series on how to win Shortlist Presentations or Shortlist Interviews. Basically, this is a very high level sales presentation. Companies will often submit a proposal to a potential customer or client. The potential customer or client will weed through all of the proposals to create what they call a "shortlist."  Then, the remaining companies will often each get...