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The Duchess of Cambridge public speaking – building on your strengths in presentations

So, at last, Kate Speaks!

What’s the verdict? Any feedback for her?

The Duchess of Cambridge makes her first public speech on her own. With the world’s press hanging not only on what she looks like but, now, on the words she utters, and indeed how she utters them. She only gets one stab at this. No pressure there then…

Bearing in mind this is something she’s going to have to do a lot more of, what would be most helpful to Kate as she progresses along the rocky road of presentations and public speaking?

Do we criticise or do we praise?

Have a look and see how you think she’s doing……honestly….

Whatever your thoughts, there are some things that work well and others that don’t work so well.

The thing is, what will be useful to her to hear? Read more

nerves

Assertiveness, feedback, the declaration of independence, and being OK

800px-All_men_are_created_equal

The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness

Who are we to argue with that one? (well….assuming when we say men we’re including women and children in the mix…but that’s another blog…)

And when it comes to the way we relate to other people and looking at the reasonable assertion of our rights – Jefferson’s statement roughly translates into the healthy psychological positions described in Transactional Analysis:

 

“I’m OK, you’re OK”

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presentations jumping off cliff

Coyote, Roadrunner, and Raising the Bar in Presentation Skills

You know that scene where Coyote is chasing Roadrunner and Roadrunner hides behind a rock so Coyote goes right past him and hell for leather off the edge of the cliff? Well he’s fine, of course, until he looks down.

That’s when he realises he’s running in mid air. He plummets to his doom….Until the next time. Read more