Eye-Contact (Part 2 in our Non-Verbal Communication series)

Spoken communication is inherently interpersonal. Whether you’re standing in front of hundreds or sitting across from a single person, you’re asking your audience to join you, to listen to you, and to explore ideas with you. You’re inviting them on a journey, through information and implication. You need them with you. And a great way to spark that connection is through meaningful eye contact.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldDecember 1, 2024Business Communication, Nonverbal communication, Eye contact, Public speaking, Persuasive communication

Mirroring (Part 1 in our Non-Verbal Communication series)

Over the next few Speaker Soundbites, we will delve into the fascinating science of nonverbal communication and provide actionable tips to align what your audience sees with what they hear. And we’ll start with a fascinating concept called mirroring.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldSeptember 1, 2024Public speaking, Leadership communication, Nonverbal communication, Mirroring, Gesturing, Audience engagement

Speed Kills

Regardless of the reason for going quickly, speeding through content is a major presentation faux pas.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJuly 1, 2024Public speaking, Executive communication, Leadership, Business presentations, Public speaking anxiety

Presenting Numbers with Impact

To realize their potential, numbers need to be put into perspective in your presentations and meetings.

Consider the numbers for the NCAA Basketball Championship games as reported by Nielsen[1]:

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldMay 1, 2024Business communication, Public speaking, Presenting numbers, QBRs, Board reports, Investment pitches, Professional Communicators

Be a Tour Guide to Your Slides

While we advocate for simple, image-first slides, there are times when complex slides–with graphs, charts, images, and analysis–are unavoidable. In these instances, you need to channel your internal tour guide and tell your audience 3 things:

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldMarch 1, 2024Business presentations, PowerPoint, Death by PowerPoint, Business Communication, Bring the Focus

Option C: The Efficiency Funnel

The “Efficiency Funnel” allows presenters to introduce a lot of content without getting mired in the details. Learn about the efficiency funnel and how to deploy it, here…

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldDecember 1, 2023Communication efficiency, Business presentations, The Professional Communicators, Meeting efficiency, Leadership presentation

The Power of an Iterative Process

Here’s our 5-step, iterative process to develop and deliver a great presentation…

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldNovember 1, 2023Speaker preparation, Speech development, Business presentations, Business Communication, The Professional Communicators

Avoid Toggling into 'Presentation Mode'

Business professionals tasked with important presentations can script a ‘perfect’ presentation, practice it flawlessly, but then stiffen up when presenting to the Board, an important client, or the company. They revert to recitation, their sentences are choppy, their tone is flat, and the presentation no longer feels like a conversation. We call this toggling into ‘presentation mode,’ and it can be a communication liability.

Here are five tips to help you avoid toggling into ‘presentation mode.’

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldAugust 1, 2023Business presentations, Business Communication, Executive communication, Board presentations, QBRs, The Professional Communicators, Executive presence

Presenting Data

Data have become a mainstay of most business presentations. Whether presenting employee retention rates, client churn, operational efficiency, EBITDA, NPS scores, or revenue under contract, data are foundational to many presentations.

We have four tips to help your data drive the results you intend.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJune 1, 2023Presenting data, Financial presentations, Business updates, QBRs, Executive communication, Board reports