In today’s hyper-connected work environment, communication is at an all-time high. According to the latest State of Business Communication Report, the volume, pace and channels of communication are increasing, making work synonymous with constant communication. The report reveals that: 88% … Continue reading
CASE STUDY – The Skilled Presenter™ – Controlling Nerves in a Challenging Environment
John experienced significant challenges in communicating as he transitioned from the military to civilian life. For many years, he struggled to communicate effectively and confidently in face-to-face interactions, often feeling extremely nervous and emotional, even to the point of tears … Continue reading
Presenting to an audience that is not an expert like you
Gilly Meek, Accredited The Skilled Presenter™ Trainer You’ve been invited to present to a non-technical audience. Excited to share your expertise and insight, you open PowerPoint® and start building your slides. You include lots of information and data, as you … Continue reading
How to engage your audience and perform with impact whether online or in-person!
Why should your presentations be more dynamic, engaging and persuasive? Whether you’re giving sales pitches, leading meetings or presenting research findings – the ability to present dynamically can set you apart and open up opportunities for growth. Dynamic presentation skills … Continue reading
Plan, Perform, Practice – the three P’s of dynamic and persuasive presentations
Many psychological surveys rank public speaking as a greater fear for us than death. Rather than run from our presentations – we need to harness those fears. Here’s our three P’s of dynamic, persuasive presentations: Plan Probably the most important step, … Continue reading
The do’s and don’ts of presenting
The pandemic presented many challenges to the way we live and work. The birth of the beloved online meeting meant that a lot of the skills we had honed and perfected before, were simply lost or substituted for other skills. … Continue reading
Forget the “Big Resignation” – what about “the Big Presentation”?
Gilly Meek, Accredited Think on Your Feet® Trainer When taking on a new role, client or job, you will likely be asked to make “that big presentation!” You know the one… the career-defining introduction, the presentation that ties your stomach … Continue reading
Impactful and effective virtual communication
Richard Morris, Accredited Trainer 2020 made businesses adapt their channels of communication. Lockdown meant a focus on virtual platforms, with internal and external stakeholders working remotely. The emphasis for many was ‘Do we have the right platforms in place?’ Perhaps … Continue reading
The big presentation
Gilly Meek, Accredited Think on Your Feet® Trainer We all have that presentation, whether it’s online or face-to-face, the one that we really want to go well – the big presentation! Maybe it’s presenting our new strategy to the board, … Continue reading
Essential soft skills for graduates
Most newly employed graduates have the sector-specific knowledge required to hit the ground running, yet many lack the fundamental practical core skills that prevent them actually doing the job and reaching their full potential. These transferable skills, used across the … Continue reading
Indigo Business Services Named Exclusive UK Distributor for Think on Your Feet®
RICHMOND, UK, 30 August 2018: McLuhan & Davies Communications, Inc. has appointed their exclusive UK distributor, Indigo Business Services Limited. Indigo will be the sole provider of their suite of business-communication workshops in the UK. “From September 2018 our 17-year relationship … Continue reading
Getting your message across when presenting
By Richard White – Master Trainer: Think on Your Feet®, Writing Dynamics™ and Grammar on the Rocks™. Most people are very nervous about public speaking and giving presentations. There are a number of ways to deal with nerves in our … Continue reading
Making your words effective and dynamic
We all know that time is money: constructing documents, presenting or in dialogue. And the time it commands from your recipient to read, attend or listen. Whatever we write and say has to hit the mark. It doesn’t matter how … Continue reading
How do your listeners perceive you?
By Richard White – Master Trainer: Think on Your Feet®, Writing Dynamics™ and Grammar on the Rocks™. The impression we make when we’re speaking is important. Whether we’re presenting, speaking on the phone or having a chat at the watercooler; … Continue reading
Getting complex and technical information across
By Richard White – Master Trainer: Think on Your Feet®, Writing Dynamics™, The Skilled Presenter™ and Grammar on the Rocks™. Communicating complex or technical information to an audience that has no special knowledge of the subject is always challenging. We recently … Continue reading
Five most common presentation mistakes
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ We’re often asked for the most common errors people make when planning and delivering a presentation. We’ve helped hundreds of people to improve their presentation skills so we have a good … Continue reading
Why The Skilled Presenter™ will benefit you
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ Presentations can pose a real dilemma in as much as we all want them to be professional, clear and persuasive but we also want them to be authentic, genuine and inspiring. … Continue reading
The Skilled Presenter™ for sales professionals
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ A successful sales presentation must win over the client in order to win the business. Great speakers and speechwriters know that the three essential elements of effective public speaking are: Logic. … Continue reading
Are you an occasional presenter?
By Richard White, Master Trainer – The Skilled Presenter™ People who plan and deliver presentations regularly have plenty of opportunity to develop and hone their skills. But, if you are an occasional presenter it’s not so easy. So, if your … Continue reading
The (ugly) truth about workplace communication.
Excellent verbal and written communication-skills is a standard requirement in today’s workplace. Communication plays a vital role in your company’s success and productivity. And ignoring it can be dangerous. Download our FREE infographic: The (ugly) truth about workplace communication. It reveals the … Continue reading
Don’t talk too long
Adapted from an original article by Roger HB Davies, Think on Your Feet International Inc Do a “dry run” to focus on the timing of your presentation. Listeners commonly complain that speakers waste their time and talk too long. If … Continue reading
The three P’s of dynamic, persuasive presentations
Public speaking is a top fear for many people. It’s okay to be afraid as long as you try to keep that fear at bay when you give a presentation. Here’s our three P’s of dynamic, persuasive presentations: Plan Probably … Continue reading
Selling your ideas – stakeholder communication
Our blended, computer simulation based, Stakeholder Engagement (including Simulation)™ defines a stakeholder as ‘anyone that can affect what you are trying to achieve.’ Engaging and communicating with these groups is core to business and project success. These include colleagues, customers, … Continue reading
Selling your ideas – cutting though the noise…
Guaranteeing clarity of your message is becoming harder because of increasing disruption and distraction in today’s business environment. You still need to get people to read, see, listen and understand what you are trying to say. How can you be … Continue reading
How do you turn a complaint into an opportunity?
Nobody likes hearing customers or stakeholders complain. So here are some suggestions from the globally delivered Think on Your Feet® workshop. Continue reading
It’s not what you say – but the way that you say it!
In a recent study by job website Monster.co.uk, graduates have just 6 minutes and 25 seconds to impress a prospective employer during an interview! Continue reading
Presenting boring facts and figures in an interesting way…
One of our recent Skilled Presenter delegates (thanks John Shaw) saw this pretty impressive way of communicating those dull statistics and sent it to us. Take a few moments to view this and tell me your not impressed with Stockholm… Continue reading
Presentation Panic! How to Control Your Nerves
Public speaking is a top fear for many people. It’s okay to be afraid as long as you try to keep that fear at bay when you give a presentation. You can be successful and be remembered by your audience. Here’s how: Continue reading
Love from Indigo – your Valentine gift from us…
With love in the air, and as Valentine’s Day approaches, we at Indigo would like to share the love by giving you a heart warming 20% off selected open workshops – but only for the next 48 hours. There are 27 open … Continue reading
Did you miss the Skilled Presenter webinar today?
If you missed the Skilled Presenter webinar, or would like to forward it to a friend to listen / watch, simply go to this link: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/430260254 Continue reading
Think on Your Feet: 3 Steps to Success – Top Tip No. 3 – Remember the rule of threes to stay on track.
Our final ‘Top Tip’ is this series looks at when we are subject matter experts and get wrapped up in too much detail. If we are passionate, our emotions override our logic and we ramble. Continue reading
Think on Your Feet: 3 Steps to Success – Tip No.2 – Identify triggers to know how to respond.
In our last blog of this series, (see http://www.indigobusiness.co.uk/blog/?p=1108), we discussed listening skills, to gain understanding before reacting. The example we used was when you are talking to your team about implementing a new process and you hear “Why is this company always making things more complicated”. A good listener will acknowledge that change can be challenging. If spoken with sincerity it will help move the conversation in the right direction. Continue reading
Think On Your Feet: 3 Steps to Success – Tip No.1 – Listen before reacting.
How many times have you been asked a question that causes ‘brain fog’ even if you know the answer? Maybe your audience is intimidating. Perhaps the topic is sensitive or emotional. Suddenly, you find yourself stammering or rambling. And after the damage is done you remember what you should have said. Continue reading
Presentation Tip: Know when to quit!
The Skilled Presenter™ always does at least one dry run to focus on timing. Be willing to remove major sections of your presentation. Ask the following questions: Do my listeners really want to know this? Is it engaging? Is it persuasive? Continue reading
How to master the art of thinking quickly on your feet.
Caught off guard by a question at work, do you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind? Or do you take a moment to marshal your thoughts? Continue reading
Think on Your Feet – Tell ’em, tell ’em and tell ’em again!
What if your sound bite is only a minute? Isn’t this too much ‘telling ‘em’? If so, try what we call the ‘informal’ standard format. Continue reading
Death vs. Public Speaking – And the winner is…
I read an article the other day about the comedian Jerry Seinfeld – recalling his standup routine lampooning a survey, which found that people’s number one fear was “public speaking”, with “death” coming in second. Continue reading
