You Are Interesting. Your Presentations Should Prove It.
413 Dundas Street East, Suite 200 M5A 2A9 Toronto, ON, Canada

Bob Dylan's Nobel Lecture. Easily the most captivating set of remarks I've ever listened to. (I especially like the soundtrack.) \https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TlcPRlau2Q

Many people get a bit tense before a presentation. Why? Everyone's reasons are different. But one thing is universal: if you can understand the source of that tension, and control it, you'll take a huge step forward in being a more confident presenter. I often start group training session off with an exercise meant to identify "what can go wrong" with a presentation. It's an illuminating, and slightly indirect, way to get all possible worries out in the open -- not only for the group, but for each individual. Attached is the result of a recent session where we used a "bracket" to pair off all the group's suggested factors to determine which is the most troublesome. (Interesting note: while they often have some common themes, no two groups have ever had the exact same bracket.)

I am very, extremely, heavily, anti-teleprompter; they represent everything I DON'T believe about the art of a great presentation. (I even have a shot at them in the "Presentation Myths" section of my website at www.liamscott.com/presentation_myths.html). This article is a much more thoughtful consideration of the past and future of the device than I have yet been able to theorize. (h/t to David Murray at Vital Speeches of the Day - vsotd.com - for the link.)

One of my favourite Twitter follows is "Richard Nixon", or whoever tweets in his name with such eerie and uncanny accuracy of tone and insight. In the wake of President Trump's remarks the other night, "he" had a particularly insightful series of comments on the different between a "good" and and "effective" speech. ("He" is @dick_nixon.)