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

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

Listening: A Presenter Perspective

My job is to present. Their job is to listen.

That’s a mistaken mindset.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldOctober 1, 2020Listening, Leadership communication, Executive communication, Public Speaking, Business Communication

Communication Moments Matter

Michael Bloomberg is exhibit A in the case for ‘communication matters.’

Preparing for every communication moment (whether it’s a national debate or a company meeting) can be the difference between:

success and failure,
clarity and confusion,
profit and loss.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldMarch 2, 2020Business communication, Public speaking, Executive presence, Executive communication, Professional Communicators, Presentation coaching, Debate preparation

Executive Presence

Executive Presence is an essential aspect of being a great leader. But defining the specific skills and attributes that make up executive presence can be difficult. While experts continue to debate the exact ingredients of executive presence, they all agree that exceptional and commanding communication skills are essential.

The key communication skills necessary for C-suite level executive presence include:

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJanuary 1, 2020Executive presence, Executive leadership, Communication, Public speaking, Executive communication, Professional Communicators