http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help Advice from Skillstudio to help improve your Presentation Skills, Public Speaking, Communication Skills, Interview Skills, Media Skills, Vocal Skills Fri, 08 Oct 2010 16:30:17 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en You can halve your comms budget, but double its impact? It sounds too good to be true. In fact it isn’t true. It’s actually more like quadruple or octuple or… this is where my Latin starts to desert me. But the basic idea is that it is possible to get much, ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/communication-skills/can-you-cut-your-comms-budget-in-half-while-doubling-its-impact.htm You weren’t hired as a salesperson and yet here you are with a target for goodness sake. They didn’t tell you about this when you were taking your engineering degree. Sales ability wasn’t tested in the laboratory when you were analyzing spores through a microscope. The ‘sales mindset’ was probably ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/sales-skills/so-now-they-want-you-to-sell-as-well.htm Do you ever fall into that really obvious, hugely gaping elephant trap? The one where you’re presenting or explaining something to someone and those readily available, deadly words slip out: “It’s a bit complicated”. Because your audience will take their lead from you. If you believe it’s complicated (which, of course, ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/why-even-complicated-messages-are-always-simple.htm Your worst nightmare has become flesh. You're in the meeting that your colleague was supposed to have got the presentation ready for. But they're conveniently sick. Instead, it's you flustering your way through a mass of charts, graphs and figures that resemble nothing less than a Jackson Pollock. As you speak, you ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/how-to-use-clear-english-as-your-stressometer.htm When you are interviewed on radio you have an incredibly short amount of time to make an impact.  So it’s important that you don’t waste a second or mess up – as you probably won’t have time to recover from a mistake. This can put you under a lot of pressure ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/media-skills/media-skills-tips-for-radio-interviews.htm In these recessionary times, you might well need to be a highly effective presenter just to remain in your current job - or find new employment. To achieve this, it's first necessary to identify what creates an effective presentation and what skills are needed. It is also important to understand that ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/effective-presentation-skills.htm Why is it that as soon as the term public speaking is mentioned many people start to feel a dread creeping up inside them? Having a conversation with a few people is something that most people do quite naturally, but if they are suddenly asked to stand up in front ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/conquer-the-fear-of-public-speaking.htm In today's competitive world, the need to present a highly professional image is now more important than ever. Unfortunately however, it's easy to miss some of the opportunities available to help you present yourself in the best possible light and, as a result, enjoy the success you deserve. A professional presentation ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/professional-presentation-skills.htm Whether you are speaking on television or in a video conference, the need to be able to answer tricky questions with ease and get your message across successfully is very important. However, although you may know your subject well and have no difficultly in being interviewed in a face to face ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/media-skills/media-coach-tips-for-tv-or-video-interviews.htm You probably use your voice for a substantial part of your working day but you may take it for granted that it will do what you want it to do. You may need to speak with greater authority over the telephone, get your ideas across well in a meeting, persuade ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/vocal-skills/the-benefits-of-voice-coaching.htm Many people dread the thought of having to attend a job interview, but with the right preparation it can be your best opportunity to show potential employers why you are the right person for the job. The skills you display at your job interview play a critical role in whether or ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/job-interview-skills.htm With the continuing demand for news stories and articles to fill the hours/pages of the media, more and more of us, for one reason or another, are finding ourselves the object of media attention. The exposure the media can give you and your company is enormous and equivalent to thousands of ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/media-skills/face-the-media-with-confidence-a-media-coach-writes.htm Speaking to the media has become far more common in recent years for people from all kinds of industries. If you have a media interview coming up, here are some tips to help you feel more prepared and thus present yourself more confidently. Managing the Media The prospect of being faced with ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/media-skills/how-to-improve-your-media-skills.htm Presentations or speeches, whether to a large or small group of people are essentially about three things. Energy clarity and humanity. Energy, in that we all need lightly more energy than we think we do need. Clarity, that's clarity of thought, clarity of message, clarity of delivery. So that the listener will understand and remember ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/how-to-become-a-powerful-charismatic-public-speaker.htm If we are trying to make a good impression - both socially and in business - we often smile and hold contact the other person's eyes as we shake their hand. The difficulty is that we give off thousands of other unconscious signals through our body language that other people ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/communication-skills/why-is-body-language-important.htm What can our own politicians learn from the soaring public speaking skills of the new President of the United States of America? Marina Hyde (A bad week for the cause of banality and witless snidery, Guardian, Saturday 8 November) talks of politicians both past and present listening to Obama's victory ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/the-poetry-of-obamas-campaign.htm What's happened to David Miliband's voice? At the 2008 Labour conference he sounded like Rory Bremner doing Tony Blair. Or, to put it technically, the heir to Blair has abandoned the "dark L". That's not some sinister Labour faction plotting against Gordon Brown but the sound we make when pronouncing ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/vocal-skills/david-miliband-tony-blair-voice-coaching.htm When we stand up in front of a group of people and start to speak nerves kick in. This is an animal response to nerves that sends our equilibrium reeling. But there are many factors that increase our feelings of nervousness when public speaking. There are two broad types:  Internal - that is ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/common-fears-about-public-speaking.htm Why the body responds as it does to public speaking. When early man was attacked by wild animals, the body sent panic alarms to the neural pathways in the oldest part of the brain, the amygdala. When you are nervous, the amygdala, still assumes you are in physical danger and sends ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/public-speaking-nerves.htm Many people absolutely dread the thought of public speaking or having to do a presentation as it fills them with complete fear. As soon as they think about it, their minds become full of negative thoughts and reasons to avoid it.  Has this ever happened to you?  And have you ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/overcome-public-speaking-phobia.htm Public Speaking is one of the most common fears and something that lots of people try to avoid at all costs.  But if you really want to be successful in your career, the ability to overcome your fear and deliver a speech to an audience in a confident and persuasive manner is one of the key skills you ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/overcome-fear-of-public-speaking.htm Many people when faced with an important job interview panic because they dont really know how to answer many of the likely questions they will be asked on the day. Simply put, their interview skills are poor. Some of them spend lots of time trying to memorise the set answers they have ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/job-interview-questions-answers.htm Being able to deliver a speech to a large audience in a confident and persuasive manner is one of the key skills needed by many company executives.  But isn't this public speaking just the same as delivering a business presentation to your team back in the office?  Or do several other factors come into play ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/public-speaking/executive-public-speaking-coaching.htm Having the confidence and presentation skills needed to present a powerful and persuasive message are key skills needed by all company executives if they really want to succeed in today's business environment.  Whether its delivering that all important company pitch, presenting at the next executive board meeting, or motivating and inspiring your team at the next company conference.  But how ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/executive-presentation-coaching.htm It is becoming increasingly important in today's business environment for the executive to be an expert communicator in order to be successful.  In any area of business, the people who are good communicators are generally the ones who get ahead and achieve the success they want.  Having the confidence and presentation skills needed ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/executive-presentation-skills.htm "Words account for only 7% of communication"  Fact or Fiction? Have you ever heard (or seen) some people mentioning that words only represent 7% of our communication? If so, you might also have heard them mention that tone of voice makes up 38% of our communication and that body language takes up ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/communication-skills/is-body-language-important.htm Many of us have probably been there, done it and have the teeshirt as well.  But what are the key presentation skills needed when lulling your presentation audience into a stupor just before you apply the master stroke of inflicting a slow death by PowerPoint?  How do so many people succeed at this?  What's their secrets?  And can we ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/death-by-powerpoint.htm "Good afternoon and today I am going to present my thirty slides on ...." .. This common presentation opening is now sounding increasingly more like an apology. As soon as the presenter starts to speak they sense that the audience's reaction is to brace themselves for the endurance test that ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/improve-your-powerpoint-presentation-skills.htm In today's competitive business environment, the ability to communicate well with others is very important. Good communicators are able to give out the right ‘vibes' - which in turn encourages a positive response from others. This can be seen as a natural ‘gift' that some people possess and other don't ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/communication-skills/interpersonal-skills.htm Your voice is one of your main vehicles for clear communication. You probably spend a large amount of your working life using your voice to make an impact - whether it is speaking in meetings, on the telephone or giving presentations. But have you ever considered having some voice training ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/vocal-skills/elocution-for-business.htm For many of us presenting is an important part of our business lives. The ability to communicate ideas, whether in a small meeting, or to a large audience is essential to our ongoing success. However, many of us continue to feel uncomfortable at the prospect of speaking in front of ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/presentation-skills.htm In today's highly competitive business environment, one of the key ways to succeed is the ability to communicate well. When presenting, it is often said that you are your best audio and visual aid and knowing how to exploit the use of your soft skills - the way you use ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/presentation-skills/personal-presentation-skills.htm For some people an interview can feel so daunting that they’d rather not think about it beforehand but hope that they can wing it on the day. But if you just rely on leaving it to luck you are more likely to be affected by nerves and a lack of ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/how-to-prepare-for-interview-questions-answers.htm Like many people, you may have an interview coming up.  Its great to be asked for an interview.  But it can also be a daunting experience especially if its for a job that you really want.  You may know our subject very well, have a good level of experience and ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/interview-techniques-for-success.htm An interview can be a daunting experience - especially if you haven't had much practice recently. To help you control your nerves it is worthwhile preparing for common questions that you may get asked. But what are the most common  and sometimes the most difficult interview questions? Here are three common ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/common-interview-questions.htm Got an important job interview coming up?  Want to stand out from the rest of the applicants?  Then have a read through the second part of our two-part article giving you 10 great tips on how to make the right impression at your interview and get the job offer! (A link to the first ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/job-interview-tips-2.htm Got an important job interview coming up?  Want to stand out from the rest of the applicants?  Then have a read through the first of this two-part article giving you 10 great tips on how to make the right impression at your interview and get the job offer! Convince the interviewer you're the best ... http://www.skillstudio.co.uk/help/job-interview-skills/job-interview-tips-1.htm