Want to do hybrid meetings? Think carefully!

Over the last few weeks, I have heard from many people and quarters – “the future of Toastmasters is hybrid” or “the post-pandemic new normal will be one of hybrid meetings and events.” Yet just like the assertion that the future of public speaking is online. I believe that the actual mechanics of and what … Read more

Why the future of public speaking isn’t online

It feels strange to realise that it will soon be one year since we moved online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our post-pandemic world will be far more attuned to the idea of working remotely and attending remote meetings with team members, friends and colleagues from all over the world. Meanwhile, new services make it … Read more

The challenges of speaking online

One year ago, I would have never imagined that nearly all of my speaking would move online to the virtual world. Yet, the pandemic changed the world beyond recognition and forced organisations worldwide to move their activities online or face extinction. By leading the transition from physical to online meetings in my own organisation. I … Read more

Speaking with Impact Webinar Tomorrow

I am delighted to be presenting a webinar for the Nuclear Institute tomorrow entitled ‘Speaking with Impact’. It is always a pleasure for me to do anything relating to the industry where I learnt a lot about leadership and made some cool memories like walking atop working Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors. Here is why you should … Read more

Don’t let technology control you when you speak!

I’ve run a lot of workshops over the last few weeks. Typically, an email exchange takes place between myself and my host regarding the equipment I’ll need and whether I’ll be using slides or not. Most of the time I present, everything happens smoothly and I’m capable of handling any small glitches happening on the … Read more

Practice often to become a confident speaker

This Monday I delivered a technical speech to secure help to implement a data project for the organisation I lead. Technically, the speech was good, my objective was clear and so was the central idea at its core. However, a couple of things didn’t go as planned and I ended up learning valuable lessons from … Read more

Top tips for running an online meeting

Over the past few months, I’ve increasingly started using Zoom for conference calls and online meetings in my senior leadership role for Toastmasters International. Yesterday, I facilitated an online meeting followed by a series of virtual workshops. Online meetings are a powerful tool to add to your leadership and communication arsenal. Here are some of … Read more

Poor uses and abuses of PowerPoint

It is only when I started my University degree in Chemistry that I was introduced to PowerPoint. I even remember booking a course on the University’s training programme to learn how to use it. Since then, I’ve seen PowerPoint used in all kinds of situations and most of the time the software was used very … Read more