Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Handouts are a hotly debated topic in the presentation world. What kind to give out, what you should include in them, when to distribute them, and even if you should have them at all are all major points of discussion. MORE
Giving a presentation is a daily occurrence for many of us. From travelling sales people pitching in high pressure environments, to teachers imparting knowledge in a fun way to children, presentations are vital to communication. Millions are taking place each day.… … Powerpoint featured File format PDF PowerPoint Powerpoint Alternative Software Technical Problems MORE
Wouldn’t it be great if you could grab and hold your audience’s attention through-out the webinar? Imagine – from the moment you open your mouth, your attendees can’t wait for your next move. MORE
Let’s be honest, not everyone is a designer or has a professional designer on staff. A lot of business owners and marketers are creating their own graphics from scratch. At Venngage we have a ton of designers on staff but I still create a lot of my visuals!… MORE
All conferences across the U.S. and indeed a lot of the world!) are currently on hold and the majority of offices are also being temporarily (and perhaps eventually permanently) moved online. In fact, prior to the virus, about 47 percent of companies were already offering remote options.… MORE
The impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on our daily life is unprecedented and the increasing need to work from home and work online means we have to find innovative solutions to how we can keep our businesses moving through these testing times.… MORE
A BIG BIG THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you that attended the third podcast in a series of 4, ‘How to create and use simple visuals aids that work’. It’s the third in a series of four podcasts by John Zimmer and Jim Harvey, founders of Presentation Guru.… MORE
As 2018 draws to a close, many people turn their minds to the year to come and what they hope to achieve. And with those thoughts come resolutions. If you are inclined to make New Year’s resolutions, and if you want to improve your public speaking skills, why not make a public speaking resolution or two for 2019?… … Build Your Skills Anxiety Confidence Experience Fear featured Practice Presentation Tips Public Speaking Role Models Storytelling MORE
We get lots of products pitched to us here at PG. Most of them sound good but disappoint, Prezi being probably the biggest disappointment of the last decade. I was contacted by a person to see if I wanted to try ‘Decktopus’, and I thought, OK, I’ll give it a go.… MORE
As I write this, the coronavirus pandemic is in full swing, and life as we know it has been altered forever. It’s anyone’s guess if, and when, things will return to normal. Welcome to the Twilight Zone. But somehow, even now, my impulse to work and create, to bring meaning and support to my clients and colleagues continues.… … Build Your Skills credibility featured inspiration Must-Reads for every presentation professional Practice preparation MORE
We recently featured an article with great ideas for designing your own presentations – all made so easy nowadays with the vast range of software available. But sometimes, even with all the user-friendly tips and tricks out there, you need more. MORE
Let’s face it, running a small business requires you to do things you wouldn’t normally do, like public speaking. From presenting in front of investors and lenders to speaking at conferences, public speaking is inevitable for business success. But, up to 75% of people are scared of public speaking.… … Build Your Skills Performance Anxiety Confidence featured Nerves Practice MORE
A story from Spain. I teach public speaking and presentation skills at a few Executive MBA Programmes in Switzerland and Spain. A few years ago, I was teaching a class at IESE in Barcelona. One of my students was a fellow named Manuel.… … Build Real Impact Performance Confidence Create Powerful Messaging featured Making it Memorable Presentation Delivery Voice MORE
Intellectual property can be some of the most valuable assets your business has – and yes, your presentation does come into that. You wouldn’t think twice about protecting any other property you own, so why not it? MORE
When John, Emma and I set up Presentation Guru we wanted to create a shared resource (The ‘guru’ is the community, not any one of us) of hundreds of articles for speakers, at every stage of their development, to help them do three things: Create engaging stories. B uild professional and engaging visual aids to add impact. Help people connect with their audiences. MORE
Simple visuals that emphasise the spoken message help the speaker and the audience in every way. Slides should only be used to add impact and emphasis to your spoken words but please don’t make the mistake of confusing your story (script) with your visuals. MORE
Presentations. We have all been there and with varying degrees of success too. While a successful presentation is a proud moment, too often these are few and far between – with most receiving a lukewarm reception and almost immediately forgotten. MORE
A big big thank you! Thanks to all of you that attended our podcast on storytelling – ‘Make your words sing’ last week. It’s the second in a series of four podcasts by John Zimmer and Jim Harvey, founders of Presentation Guru, to help you do just that.… … Uncategorised MORE
Take some time to remember one of the most famous of Aesop’s Fables. A slow, yet persistent reptile defeats a famously quick and cocky rabbit. Despite various setbacks, the underdog tortoise keeps at it and is rewarded with a victory.… … Message Storytelling featured Story Structure MORE
Ricky Gervais, the overexposed English comedian, writer, and actor, hosted Hollywood’s Golden Globes for the fifth time. MORE
The best way to become a better speaker is — wait for it — to get up on stage and speak. We never learn faster than when we have “skin in the game”. But we can also learn from others. Today, there are hundreds of books on the market that can help people become better speakers and presenters.… … Build Your Skills Resources books featured inspiration MORE
Kudos to my friend and co-founder of Presentation Guru, Jim Harvey. Jim recently took the plunge and jumped into the world of stand-up comedy. He shares some of the things that he has learned in this post, Taking it to the Next Level: Stand Up Comedy – How Hard Can it Be? … Build Your Skills Performance Confidence featured Improv Stand Up Comedy Using Humour MORE
Stories are memorable, stories make a connection and so stories stick. All good. But if you don’t consider yourself a natural raconteur where do you start? Right here… Rob D Willis shares the framework for the perfect business pitch. What’s in it for me?”… MORE
I am a big fan of TED Talks! The way people from all circles of life come up, narrating their perspectives and research helps me to nourish my intellect. What would I do if I had a chance to go up there and speak, you ask?… MORE
Putting together a presentation is a challenge most of us will face at least once in our professional lives, and although it isn’t rocket science, many people still fail to deliver on the basic principles of an effective presentation. Keep asking yourself these questions in the design process, no matter what the delivery method, and your presentation won’t fail to hit the spot.… … Write Great Speeches Apps & Add-Ins featured Presentation Writing MORE
Public speaking will always be relevant. This art is ever-evolving thanks to technology, and has now evolved again in the form of Zoom meetings or seminars and similar virtual gatherings. MORE
When I offered to a friend, who is still active in academic research and at the time was searching a new position, to help him with the presentations he’d invariably have to hold, he declined. He pointed out there was none immediately impending, and then he added what all too many people in academia take as their mantra: “Besides, in a scientific presentation, shouldn’t it all be about the data?”. MORE
Often, when scientists think of giving a presentation on their research, flow is the furthest thing from their thoughts. The accuracy of the data, quality of the experiments, and intricate details that make up experiments are typically considered to be much more important.… … Build Real Impact Create Powerful Messaging Explaining Complex Subjects featured Making it Memorable Presentation Design Presentation Writing Scientific presentations MORE
You don’t need to be a PowerPoint expert to create great slides. They are a simple set of rules for you to follow in every presentation that you make, and the rules are: Remove clutter. Replace bullet points wherever you can. Present only one idea per slide and one idea at a time. MORE
Most people don’t spend their lives giving presentations. Many people spend NONE of their lives giving presentations. Lots of leaders I’ve met would rather not have to give any. More and more however, ‘presentation’ isn’t about some distant figure onstage telling you about how exciting your KPIs are and how everyone’s passionate about ROI in Q3 as we leverage synergies going forward.… MORE
When you deliver a presentation, you know what you want to say but your audience doesn’t. It’s like you are on one side of a body of water and your audience is on the other. Your goal is to get the audience across to your side; your presentation is the bridge that will help them do just that.… … Message featured Presentation Writing Story Structure MORE
Every day, up and down the country, and across the globe, thousands if not millions of poor audience members are sat down in a conference hall ready to endure up to 3 hours of painstaking presentations. Most won’t make it to the end without nodding off at least once, and most will spend the majority of the time on their phones or distracted by something other than the presenter and their slides which were likely worked on for an obscene amount of company time.… MORE
What a seasoned public speaker brings to the stage is a collection of presentation skills. It is these skills that help the speaker connect with the audience, communicate a clear message, and make that message memorable. The best speakers can achieve all these goals plus leave their audience feeling enriched, educated, and entertained.… … Performance Anxiety Body Language featured Nerves MORE
Have you ever been in the middle of a great presentation and all of a sudden your mind went completely blank about the next part of your presentation? Have a little sympathy with this guy then: As you stand there and try to remember what you were going to say next, you can feel the silence growing and the awkwardness build in the room.… … Performance Anxiety featured Nerves Presentation Delivery MORE
Vocal coaches do not just coach those who sing. Just as people who want to improve their singing voice will seek out voice coaches to help them learn how to match pitch, sing out, and increase their range, vocal lessons can also be utilized for those who wish to improve their speaking voice, work on their stage presence, or learn how to speak more clearly and effectively in front of an audience.… … Performance featured Voice MORE
Chantal Bossé has been a TEDx speaker coach since 2012 and Microsoft PowerPoint MVP since 2013. As a presentation & visual communication leader, she spends her time between writing, training, coaching and designing for her clients and speakers. MORE
In the latest in my occasional “How to…” series, we’re going to discuss how to tell stories as part of your presentation. ‘Storytelling’ is perhaps one of the biggest management fads over the last few years, and it will therefore come as no surprise that it forms a key part of presenting too.… … Storytelling Uncategorised featured MORE
If you are one of those 588 Apple users worldwide, own a Mac and use iPhone and iCloud; then you’re no stranger to the Apple ecosystem and its own exciting presentation software called Keynote. However, you still might not know how to use several tools that can make your presentation appealing.… MORE
Most adults fear public speaking and, let’s me honest, lots of us aren’t actually very good at it. If adults who have had years to hone the skills are not very good, what do you think the average school kid is like? MORE
You don’t need to be a PowerPoint expert to create effective visual aids. The rules I outline here are based on scientific research and human experience. I recommend that you watch this TED talk from David J Phillips. MORE
We live in a world of public speakers who are so good at presenting information, they’re famous for it. There’s something about their style and delivery that just gets us to listen. As public speakers, they’re skilled and well-practised. They don’t stammer, mutter or use filler words but are loud, clear and confident.… MORE
Everywhere you look, digital signage screens are popping up. Banks, restaurants, waiting rooms, government facilities, and factory floors are all using this new technology to keep their employees and customers informed. MORE
Earlier in September, my fellow columnist Rob Oliver wrote a great piece on using video in sales presentations. If you are in sales or pitching, he has some fantastic ideas for you. In this blog, as part of my occasional “How to…” series, I want to build on and expand his ideas and reflect on the use of video more generally.… … Technology Visuals featured Video MORE
There are lots of articles on here that will help you build a strong foundation as a public speaker: articles to help you create a strong story , articles to help you build professional and engaging visual aids , and articles to help you connect with your audience as you speak. … Build Your Skills Persuasion Storytelling Understand your Audience Write Great Speeches Audience Connection Confidence featured inspiration Role Models MORE
Presentation Guru
AUGUST 3, 2020
If you are one of those 588 Apple users worldwide, own a Mac and use iPhone and iCloud; then you’re no stranger to the Apple ecosystem and its own exciting presentation software called Keynote. However, you still might not know how to use several tools that can make your presentation appealing.…
Presentation Guru
JANUARY 22, 2020
Let’s be honest, not everyone is a designer or has a professional designer on staff. A lot of business owners and marketers are creating their own graphics from scratch. At Venngage we have a ton of designers on staff but I still create a lot of my visuals!…
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Presentation Guru
FEBRUARY 5, 2020
Most adults fear public speaking and, let’s me honest, lots of us aren’t actually very good at it. If adults who have had years to hone the skills are not very good, what do you think the average school kid is like?
Presentation Guru
APRIL 17, 2020
Simple visuals that emphasise the spoken message help the speaker and the audience in every way. Slides should only be used to add impact and emphasis to your spoken words but please don’t make the mistake of confusing your story (script) with your visuals.
Presentation Guru
JANUARY 29, 2020
Everywhere you look, digital signage screens are popping up. Banks, restaurants, waiting rooms, government facilities, and factory floors are all using this new technology to keep their employees and customers informed.
Presentation Guru
JUNE 22, 2020
You don’t need to be a PowerPoint expert to create effective visual aids. The rules I outline here are based on scientific research and human experience. I recommend that you watch this TED talk from David J Phillips.
Presentation Guru
SEPTEMBER 14, 2020
Wouldn’t it be great if you could grab and hold your audience’s attention through-out the webinar? Imagine – from the moment you open your mouth, your attendees can’t wait for your next move.
Presentation Guru
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
Intellectual property can be some of the most valuable assets your business has – and yes, your presentation does come into that. You wouldn’t think twice about protecting any other property you own, so why not it?
Presentation Guru
MAY 1, 2020
All conferences across the U.S. and indeed a lot of the world!) are currently on hold and the majority of offices are also being temporarily (and perhaps eventually permanently) moved online. In fact, prior to the virus, about 47 percent of companies were already offering remote options.…
Presentation Guru
JANUARY 15, 2020
Ricky Gervais, the overexposed English comedian, writer, and actor, hosted Hollywood’s Golden Globes for the fifth time.
Presentation Guru
MARCH 18, 2020
I am a big fan of TED Talks! The way people from all circles of life come up, narrating their perspectives and research helps me to nourish my intellect. What would I do if I had a chance to go up there and speak, you ask?…
Presentation Guru
NOVEMBER 27, 2019
Presentations. We have all been there and with varying degrees of success too. While a successful presentation is a proud moment, too often these are few and far between – with most receiving a lukewarm reception and almost immediately forgotten.
Presentation Guru
SEPTEMBER 8, 2020
Public speaking will always be relevant. This art is ever-evolving thanks to technology, and has now evolved again in the form of Zoom meetings or seminars and similar virtual gatherings.
Presentation Guru
FEBRUARY 12, 2020
We recently featured an article with great ideas for designing your own presentations – all made so easy nowadays with the vast range of software available. But sometimes, even with all the user-friendly tips and tricks out there, you need more.
Presentation Guru
AUGUST 1, 2019
Have you ever been in the middle of a great presentation and all of a sudden your mind went completely blank about the next part of your presentation? Have a little sympathy with this guy then: As you stand there and try to remember what you were going to say next, you can feel the silence growing and the awkwardness build in the room.… … Performance Anxiety featured Nerves Presentation Delivery
Presentation Guru
JULY 24, 2019
Vocal coaches do not just coach those who sing. Just as people who want to improve their singing voice will seek out voice coaches to help them learn how to match pitch, sing out, and increase their range, vocal lessons can also be utilized for those who wish to improve their speaking voice, work on their stage presence, or learn how to speak more clearly and effectively in front of an audience.… … Performance featured Voice
Presentation Guru
MARCH 6, 2019
A story from Spain. I teach public speaking and presentation skills at a few Executive MBA Programmes in Switzerland and Spain. A few years ago, I was teaching a class at IESE in Barcelona. One of my students was a fellow named Manuel.… … Build Real Impact Performance Confidence Create Powerful Messaging featured Making it Memorable Presentation Delivery Voice
Presentation Guru
MARCH 24, 2020
As I write this, the coronavirus pandemic is in full swing, and life as we know it has been altered forever. It’s anyone’s guess if, and when, things will return to normal. Welcome to the Twilight Zone. But somehow, even now, my impulse to work and create, to bring meaning and support to my clients and colleagues continues.… … Build Your Skills credibility featured inspiration Must-Reads for every presentation professional Practice preparation
Presentation Guru
NOVEMBER 12, 2019
When you deliver a presentation, you know what you want to say but your audience doesn’t. It’s like you are on one side of a body of water and your audience is on the other. Your goal is to get the audience across to your side; your presentation is the bridge that will help them do just that.… … Message featured Presentation Writing Story Structure
Presentation Guru
MAY 8, 2019
When John, Emma and I set up Presentation Guru we wanted to create a shared resource (The ‘guru’ is the community, not any one of us) of hundreds of articles for speakers, at every stage of their development, to help them do three things: Create engaging stories. B uild professional and engaging visual aids to add impact. Help people connect with their audiences.
Presentation Guru
MARCH 13, 2020
The impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on our daily life is unprecedented and the increasing need to work from home and work online means we have to find innovative solutions to how we can keep our businesses moving through these testing times.…
Presentation Guru
MARCH 13, 2020
Handouts are a hotly debated topic in the presentation world. What kind to give out, what you should include in them, when to distribute them, and even if you should have them at all are all major points of discussion.
Presentation Guru
DECEMBER 21, 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, many people turn their minds to the year to come and what they hope to achieve. And with those thoughts come resolutions. If you are inclined to make New Year’s resolutions, and if you want to improve your public speaking skills, why not make a public speaking resolution or two for 2019?… … Build Your Skills Anxiety Confidence Experience Fear featured Practice Presentation Tips Public Speaking Role Models Storytelling
Presentation Guru
OCTOBER 6, 2020
We get lots of products pitched to us here at PG. Most of them sound good but disappoint, Prezi being probably the biggest disappointment of the last decade. I was contacted by a person to see if I wanted to try ‘Decktopus’, and I thought, OK, I’ll give it a go.…
Presentation Guru
JULY 21, 2020
You don’t need to be a PowerPoint expert to create great slides. They are a simple set of rules for you to follow in every presentation that you make, and the rules are: Remove clutter. Replace bullet points wherever you can. Present only one idea per slide and one idea at a time.
Presentation Guru
JULY 12, 2019
Putting together a presentation is a challenge most of us will face at least once in our professional lives, and although it isn’t rocket science, many people still fail to deliver on the basic principles of an effective presentation. Keep asking yourself these questions in the design process, no matter what the delivery method, and your presentation won’t fail to hit the spot.… … Write Great Speeches Apps & Add-Ins featured Presentation Writing
Presentation Guru
NOVEMBER 20, 2018
Most people don’t spend their lives giving presentations. Many people spend NONE of their lives giving presentations. Lots of leaders I’ve met would rather not have to give any. More and more however, ‘presentation’ isn’t about some distant figure onstage telling you about how exciting your KPIs are and how everyone’s passionate about ROI in Q3 as we leverage synergies going forward.…
Presentation Guru
APRIL 25, 2019
Let’s face it, running a small business requires you to do things you wouldn’t normally do, like public speaking. From presenting in front of investors and lenders to speaking at conferences, public speaking is inevitable for business success. But, up to 75% of people are scared of public speaking.… … Build Your Skills Performance Anxiety Confidence featured Nerves Practice
Presentation Guru
SEPTEMBER 13, 2019
Take some time to remember one of the most famous of Aesop’s Fables. A slow, yet persistent reptile defeats a famously quick and cocky rabbit. Despite various setbacks, the underdog tortoise keeps at it and is rewarded with a victory.… … Message Storytelling featured Story Structure
Presentation Guru
OCTOBER 3, 2019
Earlier in September, my fellow columnist Rob Oliver wrote a great piece on using video in sales presentations. If you are in sales or pitching, he has some fantastic ideas for you. In this blog, as part of my occasional “How to…” series, I want to build on and expand his ideas and reflect on the use of video more generally.… … Technology Visuals featured Video
Presentation Guru
SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
What a seasoned public speaker brings to the stage is a collection of presentation skills. It is these skills that help the speaker connect with the audience, communicate a clear message, and make that message memorable. The best speakers can achieve all these goals plus leave their audience feeling enriched, educated, and entertained.… … Performance Anxiety Body Language featured Nerves
Presentation Guru
OCTOBER 2, 2018
In the latest in my occasional “How to…” series, we’re going to discuss how to tell stories as part of your presentation. ‘Storytelling’ is perhaps one of the biggest management fads over the last few years, and it will therefore come as no surprise that it forms a key part of presenting too.… … Storytelling Uncategorised featured
Presentation Guru
JANUARY 15, 2019
Giving a presentation is a daily occurrence for many of us. From travelling sales people pitching in high pressure environments, to teachers imparting knowledge in a fun way to children, presentations are vital to communication. Millions are taking place each day.… … Powerpoint featured File format PDF PowerPoint Powerpoint Alternative Software Technical Problems
Presentation Guru
MAY 6, 2020
A BIG BIG THANK YOU! Thanks to all of you that attended the third podcast in a series of 4, ‘How to create and use simple visuals aids that work’. It’s the third in a series of four podcasts by John Zimmer and Jim Harvey, founders of Presentation Guru.…
Presentation Guru
MAY 28, 2019
Kudos to my friend and co-founder of Presentation Guru, Jim Harvey. Jim recently took the plunge and jumped into the world of stand-up comedy. He shares some of the things that he has learned in this post, Taking it to the Next Level: Stand Up Comedy – How Hard Can it Be? … Build Your Skills Performance Confidence featured Improv Stand Up Comedy Using Humour
Presentation Guru
JANUARY 10, 2020
Chantal Bossé has been a TEDx speaker coach since 2012 and Microsoft PowerPoint MVP since 2013. As a presentation & visual communication leader, she spends her time between writing, training, coaching and designing for her clients and speakers.
Presentation Guru
SEPTEMBER 27, 2018
The best way to become a better speaker is — wait for it — to get up on stage and speak. We never learn faster than when we have “skin in the game”. But we can also learn from others. Today, there are hundreds of books on the market that can help people become better speakers and presenters.… … Build Your Skills Resources books featured inspiration
Presentation Guru
MAY 3, 2019
Every day, up and down the country, and across the globe, thousands if not millions of poor audience members are sat down in a conference hall ready to endure up to 3 hours of painstaking presentations. Most won’t make it to the end without nodding off at least once, and most will spend the majority of the time on their phones or distracted by something other than the presenter and their slides which were likely worked on for an obscene amount of company time.…
Presentation Guru
APRIL 28, 2020
A big big thank you! Thanks to all of you that attended our podcast on storytelling – ‘Make your words sing’ last week. It’s the second in a series of four podcasts by John Zimmer and Jim Harvey, founders of Presentation Guru, to help you do just that.… … Uncategorised
Presentation Guru
APRIL 3, 2019
Often, when scientists think of giving a presentation on their research, flow is the furthest thing from their thoughts. The accuracy of the data, quality of the experiments, and intricate details that make up experiments are typically considered to be much more important.… … Build Real Impact Create Powerful Messaging Explaining Complex Subjects featured Making it Memorable Presentation Design Presentation Writing Scientific presentations
Presentation Guru
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
When I offered to a friend, who is still active in academic research and at the time was searching a new position, to help him with the presentations he’d invariably have to hold, he declined. He pointed out there was none immediately impending, and then he added what all too many people in academia take as their mantra: “Besides, in a scientific presentation, shouldn’t it all be about the data?”.
Presentation Guru
NOVEMBER 19, 2019
We live in a world of public speakers who are so good at presenting information, they’re famous for it. There’s something about their style and delivery that just gets us to listen. As public speakers, they’re skilled and well-practised. They don’t stammer, mutter or use filler words but are loud, clear and confident.…
Presentation Guru
MARCH 20, 2019
There are lots of articles on here that will help you build a strong foundation as a public speaker: articles to help you create a strong story , articles to help you build professional and engaging visual aids , and articles to help you connect with your audience as you speak. … Build Your Skills Persuasion Storytelling Understand your Audience Write Great Speeches Audience Connection Confidence featured inspiration Role Models
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