Storytelling, Vulnerability & Power: An interview with Sarah Agnew
As a speaker, you’re a storyteller. Your best material comes from your experiences, from what happens in your world. Then you use and share those experiences – your stories – to inspire, motivate and persuade your audiences. In May, I was privileged to hear Sarah Agnew speak at TEDx Adelaide. I was moved by Sarah’s […]
How to penetrate a lack of attention from your audience
Speaking at a lunch is tricky. With waiters clearing plates and topping up wine glasses, people trying not to speak but whispering anyway because they haven’t finished with their calamari and want to say so before their plate’s whisked away, a guy reaching down to pick up his napkin, and the woman at the end […]
Assume equality
I’m fortunate to regularly present to different groups of women who feel safe to share with me their frustrations and struggles at work. From personal and executive assistants to future leaders and those in executive leadership roles, there’s a theme that’s come up time and again these past few weeks. It goes like this: I […]
The art of the ask
A favour. A pay rise. A new project. An opportunity. Want it? Then ask for it. Be bold. I work with a lot of women, and know quite a few more, who don’t ask. They don’t like to. It’s as if they believe that if they ask, they’re being a nuisance, or making life difficult […]
The conversations you don’t want to have… and why they’re good.
Tough. Difficult. Confronting. Conversations that conjure fear and trepidation before they even begin. Confronting Conversations is a topic I’m frequently asked to speak about. After my first presentation to a women’s mentoring group, news spread like wild fire, and I’ve been invited to other groups again and again. It doesn’t surprise me. There are two […]
Not everyone will like you. Speak anyway.
Not everyone will like you. You know that. Your mind comprehends it. So why does the fear or rejection stretch all the way to the moon when you have to stand up in front of an audience? A few months back I spoke at a paper bag lunch. I’d been invited by a consultant to […]
Why and how powerful speakers tell people what to do
My daughter doesn’t like being told what to do. In fact, in our household of three rather strong characters, no-one likes being told what to do. My darling girl’s usual response to a directive (more so to one of her dad’s than mine) is: You’re not the boss of me! Just for the record, she […]
Eye Contact: Look at me please!
This is my daughter playing a mini green giant in a kids’ performance of Ella Enchanted last week. Shows like these warm the cockles of my heart. I love watching my girl on stage, even though she forgets half the words in the songs and lots of the dance steps. Which is why, she told […]
The key to being an unforgettable speaker
There are plenty of people who do what you do. People who’ve earned the same credentials as you, have been taught by the same teachers, have taken a similar career path, have worked with the same clients, and have as much experience as you. It’s true too that only you can do what you do […]
How to get noticed and build respect
When I was creating my latest workshop program, Unprecedented Confidence, I interviewed a range of leaders – men and women – from large organisations. I wanted to know how the women in their organisations hold themselves back when it comes to presentations, meetings, interviews and pitches. Our discussions were frank. I gleaned a massive amount […]
