Powerful Presenting For Leaders

I spoke at Wembley Stadium to 300 leaders — here's everything I did to prepare, what went wrong on the day and the lessons every presenter needs to hear. Whether you're stepping onto a stage for the first time or you've been presenting for years, this episode breaks down the real behind-the-scenes intensity of delivering a high-stakes talk — from the moment you get the call to the second you leave...

When non-professional speakers can memorise a speech and deliver it without notes, that puts them in the top 1%. But Jamie Oliver won 2010 TED speaker of the Year while clutching a pile of notes a mile thick all the way through. So which is best? Memorise it and get stressed that you will forget something? Or use notes and lose connection with the audience?  In this episode, David goes through thr...

Want to smash that next presentation? Put your content in the right order. There is one structure that is perfect for every single presentation whether that is a keynote speech, a sales pitch or 1-2-1 appraisal. But hardly anyone does it. In this episode, David goes through how, working with apprentices, he has been able to hone this process to make it universally powerful.

A presentation with only education in it is like a Xmas tree without baubles. Boring and forgettable. Stories, humour and entertainment are the baubles, tinsel and lighting that bring every presentation alive. In this edpisode, David relates a story and why it works so well with his target audience.

There are three things that EVERY presentation should have - education, inspiration and entertainment. Problem is, most presentations are 99% education and that makes them a lecture. And no-one wants to hear a lecture.

David is not just a presentation skills coach, he is out there banging out talks in front of audiences every week. In this episode, he outlines 12 different lessons he learned from 12 different events, one from each month. As a leader who wants to be the best version of themselves every time they present, you can apply every lesson he has .

David recently watched a fantastic interview with the creator of DeepTomCruise, a TikTok channel. He thought it would be a frivolous (ish) conversation about creating fun videos. But it was way different than that. The creator of the videos was thoughtful, smart, business savvy and had a very deep insight into the future of AI, deep fake videos and what it means for all of us. What David heard and...

'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...

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 yo...

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 p...

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 wh...

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 present...

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 pre...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 im...

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...

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 tr...