Public Speaking

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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Seven Lessons From Apple's Spring-Loaded Event

by Pierre Morsa —

Apple’s Spring-loaded event was the talk of the internet town yesterday, and for a good reason: it was mind-blowingly great. Everything was perfect: the products, the speakers, the locations, the scenography, the production. How proud Apple employees must feel today after such a great event. I have identified seven elements that set Apple apart from its competitors. Coaching. Get public speaking coaching. If you look at the video, the delivery of each speaker is impeccable: their diction, their voice, their posture, their body language.

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5 timeless principles from Presentation Zen

by Pierre Morsa —

When it was first published, Garr Reynolds’ first book Presentation Zen took the traditional world of presentations by storm. It brought the presentation revolution to a wider audience of enthusiasts. We propose to revisit five essential principles from the book that have stood the test of time and can still be considered as best presentation practices today. Plan analog. There are many theories that try to explain how creativity works, but one thing is sure.

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Enough with Presenting On Zoom Already!

by Michael Rickwood —

It’s March, 2021. The numbers continue to rise, vaccines are rolling out slowly (here in Europe anyway) and governments and communities remain at loggerheads about what to do going forward. There is a general expectation that this status quo will continue to the end of the year and businesses are continuing to either postpone large in-person gatherings or are adopting alternative ones using the tools we have at our disposal.

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The Ikigai of Your TED Presentation

by Pierre Morsa —

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means “a reason for being.” Ikigai is the intersection between what you love, what you are good at, what you can be paid for and what the world needs. If you ever want to speak at TED or TEDx event, you should find the ikigai of your presentation. It should be at the intersection of: What you love, or in the context of a presentation, what you really care about.

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Unleash the Hans Rösling in You

by Pierre Morsa —

If you ever talked with me about my favorite TEDx talks, then I am sure I mentioned the late Hans Rösling, one of my all-time favorite TED speakers. On paper, he didn’t really start with an advantage; he spoke English with a strong foreign accent, and his key topic was statistics and demographics, something most of us associate with good sleep, not with great presentations. Yet, Hans’ enthusiasm and passion on stage, combined with his unique way to use numbers to tell meaningful stories, meant that his presentations were always a high point of any TED conference.

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To learn or not to learn your speech by heart

by Pierre Morsa —

Some people think that to make a great TEDx presentation, they should learn their text by heart. Our collective experience as coaches shows that it’s a good solution only IF: You like to know your speech word for word and it fits your personal style and you know how to do it properly. If you don’t meet one of these conditions, then it’s best to avoid learning your text by heart.

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