Presenting

The 3 Magic Ingredients of Great Presentations

by Phil Waknell

Is there a perfect recipe for a successful presentation? No. Partly it depends on the audience and the context: a boardroom presentation shouldn’t look like a TED talk, even if the subject is the same. And different presentations at the same event – a conference, a demo day, an Executive Committee meeting – should also look different from each other, because otherwise none of them will stand out. So if there is no magic formula, are there at least some key ingredients we should always include?

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The body language myth of crossing your arms

by Pierre Morsa

The communication industry is full of myths that are repeated without any scientific backing. I recently watched this video by a former FBI body language specialist. He used his skills to help bust criminals. The first thing he does (at 1'10") is bust the myth that crossing your arms is a blocking behavior. Bingo. I cannot agree more with this. Most people cross their arms because it’s a comfortable position, not because they have a mental block, period.

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5 Speaking Lessons from President Macron

by Phil Waknell

Yesterday French President Emmanuel Macron took live, unscripted questions from an audience of 2000 tech entrepreneurs and investors at Station F, the undisputed hub of the French startup community. Ideas on Stage may not be a tech company, but we have helped thousands of start-ups with their pitches, and partner with many accelerators including Ashoka’s ShareIT.io, based at Station F. So we are very much part of the French Tech ecosystem, and very interested in how it is evolving under its new Director, our good friend Kat Borlongan.

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7 Tips for Overcoming the Fear of Presenting

by Michael Rickwood

Fear doesn’t remove the danger. Embrace it and get on top of your presentations. “There is nothing to fear but fear itself” - a memorable line from President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural address in 1932 at the depths of the Great Depression. At the time he may not have realized it, but his words are among the most powerful pieces of advice for public speaking. After all, what we all fear in presentations is succumbing to fear.

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