Public Speaking

5 Presentation Problems Every Business Leader Needs To Avoid

by Andrea Pacini —

Think about how technology has evolved over the last 20 years or so. Think about the tools we can use today to communicate our ideas to the world. Now, compare that with the tools we had a few years ago. Today in most industries we have more competition—not only from a business perspective but also from a communication perspective. The tools we have today are designed to empower people—lots of people—to share their message with the world.

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The Communication Battle Facing Us All

by Michael Rickwood —

Misinformation is the scourge of our time. It confuses and divides us and can do irreparable harm. What can we do to fight it? For the majority of us today working in business, life is good. In the last 15 years or so, I have observed huge improvements in the way large companies and corporations respond and communicate with their customers and peers on issues that matter: climate change, DE&I and Digital transformation being the most important.

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My Interview with Jerry Weissman

by Michael Rickwood —

Michael Rickwood from Ideas on Stage on how he got to meet the man who started it all for the presentation world. Once in a while we set ourselves some great tasks. Interviewing my presentation hero was a particularly appealing one. Over the years I have read many great books on business communication and have taken inspiration from authors from all facets of our industry: Nancy Duarte, Garr Reynolds, Patsy Rodenburg, Dan and Chip Heath, Guy Kawasaki, Simon Sinek, Dan Pink, Dr.

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It is always the Season for Giving

by Joe Ross —

We have recently completed coaching all the finalists for the latest installment of the INSEAD Venture Competition (IVC), an event where over one hundred teams of entrepreneurs pitch their start-up ideas for cash prizes. This is an internal competition where all MBA students are invited to participate. More than the cash prizes, teams are mentored through the process by experts in launching businesses, investors, and management consultants. Teams gain world class advice and guidance towards launching their start-up businesses.

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Boris Johnson’s Peppa Pig Moment

by Michael Rickwood —

Say what you like about Boris Johnson, his style connects with the mob. Our institutional leaders need to put aside their intellectual bias and start figuring out why it’s working. Last month in London, Boris Johnson gave a speech at the Confederation of British Industry in South Shields in the North of England. He stumbled, got lost in his notes, and started talking about Peppa Pig. You might start reading this and assume where it’s going.

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Words Matter: words breed inspiration, inspiration breeds hope, hope breeds action.

by Michael Rickwood —

Why a 13-year-old speech given by a former US president holds a blueprint solution for our modern problem. In 2008, during his campaigning, Barack Obama gave a rallying speech in Wisconsin on the power of words and resistance to hope. “Don’t tell me words don’t matter! I have a dream, just words?! All men are created equal, just words?!” It’s true that speeches don’t solve all problems, but what is also true is if we cannot inspire the country to believe again then it doesn’t matter how many policies and plans we have.

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Sharknado is the same movie as Titanic, only with more sharks

by Pierre Morsa —

Believe it or not, all American movies rely on the same formula; that formula is so sacred that scripts will get rejected if they stray from it. Whether it’s a psychological drama like American Beauty, a sci-fi movie like Star Wars or an action movie like Mission: Impossible, the same structure, plot points and character development techniques are used. I’ll just take one as an example: the hero, the main protagonist, is always an orphan, literally or figuratively, or experienced a personal drama; it is supposed to give the character more likeness.

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Is Microsoft’s PowerPoint Presenter Coach taking my job? No.

by Michael Rickwood —

I have been a presentations coach for the best part of 15 years. Coach is one of my titles along with consultant, director, trainer and whatever else describes what I do, which is help people in all sectors and walks of life to give fantastic presentations in high stakes scenarios, or train them to be simpler, more natural, better prepared and highly impactful, whether on stage or on a digital platform.

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