Close your presentation with words that support your message and maximize your impact. Never end by announcing, “We’re out of time,” even if you are. Never end by thanking the audience for being there. Never assume you can “just wing it.” Plan, script, and rehearse exactly how you will close your presentation. Here are six […]
Read More...Do Your Presentations Bore The Boardroom?
Learn the Right Way to Prepare a Presentation At every stage of your career, when you open your mouth you sell yourself, your ideas, your value, and your ability. Fortunately, even if you’re not a born communicator, the ability to deliver a powerful presentation can be learned. I share this story about one intelligent and […]
Read More...Want to Know the Secret to Sell Yourself and Your Ideas to Senior Management?
As a Presentation Skills Expert, I’m often asked, “Patricia, how do I report to my senior management without being nervous?” The secret is to be prepared, clear, concise, and to act confident. Now, how do you appear confident when you’re nervous? First, prepare. Script out exactly what you are going to say, at least the […]
Read More...What Do You Really Mean? Specificity Is The Key to Credibility
What Do You Really Mean? Every day in my role as an executive speech coach and the creator of FrippVT, I always say, “Specificity builds credibility.” I listen to intelligent engineers, experienced leaders, and true experts in every field and find that too many are sloppy speakers. If you want to build your credibility, listen […]
Read More...How to Save Time Preparing Your Presentation
Are You Spending Too Much Time Preparing Your Presentation? Have you thought, “Wish I could create a great presentation without spending hours on it!”? Let me show you how to save time when preparing your presentation. Why not speed up your preparation process by learning from someone else’s 30-plus years of experience? After delivering 3,247 […]
Read More...How to Make Your Audience Interested in Your Presentation
When you start to put together a presentation, what do you think about? You probably wonder how to make your presentation interesting to your audience. I recommend that you begin by knowing your audience and understanding not only what they need, but also what they want. They need to have “buy-in” for your topic. This […]
Read More...Why Is Rehearsing Your Presentation So Important?
Bruce Springsteen, Céline Dion, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Winton Marsalis, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Kristin Chenoweth… imagine how any one of these top performers would respond if you asked, “What role has rehearsal played in your career?” Without a doubt, rehearsal is essential to success. You’ve crafted an amazing presentation. You know that it will grab […]
Read More...What Is The Biggest Mistake Sales Professionals Make?
“Patricia, what is the biggest mistake sales professionals make?” I was recently asked this in an interview. My answer? Not rehearsing. I expected to hear, “We lock the presentation team in the board room for a week. We go over our parts, video, and review. Then we bring in at least five different audiences of […]
Read More...Do You Know How to Keep Your Audience Interested?
Is Your Speech as Good as a Movie? Do you vary your scenes? The biggest enemy of a speaker, no matter how exceptional, is sameness or lack of variety. Each time you move from story to story or example to example, you create a scene change and keep your audience interested. Early in every movie, […]
Read More...Make Your Presentation a Success – Is Your Message Clear?
What’s your message? Legendary Hollywood producer Sam Goldwyn was quoted as saying, “If I want to send a message, I’ll send a telegram.” Yet, great films and good speeches do have a message. Some recent movies consist mainly of CGI explosions and chase scenes. They’re exciting, but at the end, the audience is usually left […]
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