TOASTMASTERS: where leaders are made Many years ago, I used to feel uncomfortable when I was asked to speak in situations where I hadn’t prepared. When I was at university someone suggested I join Toastmasters to help improve my impromptu speaking. Since then I have never looked back. Toastmasters gets its name from a toast …
Many of my former students have dreamed about speaking English like the Queen or like an American action movie star, but this can be very hard to do. Even advanced students with perfect grammar still don’t always have native sounding English accents. As Mark Twain wrote, “I have traveled more than any one else, and …
A new study released by Microsoft shows that humans now have attention spans shorter than a goldfish! This makes it even more important to capture your audience’s attention with the first words of your presentation. The old-fashioned “Good evening ladies and gentlemen” isn’t enough any more. You need and introduction that will surprise them, intrigue …
EYE CONTACT: the situation in which two people look at each other’s eyes at the same time. -Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary How would you feel if you were having a conversation with someone and they never looked at you directly? You might feel that they were nervous or that they weren’t really interested in talking …
When we talk about rate in speaking it means how fast someone speaks. This is very important when giving a presentation because you don’t want to be too fast and difficult to understand or too slow and bore everyone. According to the National Center for Voice and Speech, the average American speaks at about 150 words per …
This is one of the most common questions I get asked. The answer: it depends. To begin with, if you are able to read this blog you can give a presentation in English! It means that your vocabulary is large enough to communicate with people on detailed subjects. Under the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages …
This magic three-letter word is the key to connecting with your audience and the most important word you can use in presentations. In English it is grammatically correct and culturally appropriate to use the word you when addressing the audience as a whole or just one person. Your audience is self-centered. They don’t care about …