1. Tricks of the trade
becoming a confident conference
presenter
Kenton Lewis
E kenton.lewis@heacademy.ac.uk
@kenton_lewis

2. Crisis moment – Heathrow Airport, 1998
@kenton_lewis

3. Key themes
 Find
your voice
presenting is a learned skill which will improve with
practice
 Engage
your passions
only present on topics you’re enthusiastic about
 Clarify
your message
communicate your big ideas(s) through what you
say AND how you say it
@kenton_lewis

4. Exercise 1
I worry about…
On a single post-it note, write down the
one things that worries you most about
public speaking
@kenton_lewis

5. Find your voice
We’re probably talking too fast and
breathing too little
Movement is freeing, both for you and
the audience
You control the energy in the room
@kenton_lewis

6. Top tips - Find your voice
Slower and stronger is better and
better
The bigger the room, the slower you
speak
Applied modulation
(pace + volume = emphasis)
@kenton_lewis

7. Positive self-speak
When good things happen:
Internalise
Consider as permanent
Generalise
“I did that well”
“I now know how to do this”
“Things are working out well”
When bad things happen:
Externalise
Consider as temporary
Isolate
“Bad weather reduced attendance”
“That was a tough crowd”
“THAT slide was confusing, but…”
@kenton_lewis

8. Positive self-speak
Externalise / Consider as temporary / Isolate
@kenton_lewis

9. Exercise 2
Positive self speak…
All the power in this room…
…is in my chest
All the purpose in this room…
…is in my legs
All the intelligence in this room…
…is in my head
@kenton_lewis

10. Engage your passions
Passion and enthusiasm are contagious
let it out, don’t hide it away
If you’re not passionate, why are you presenting?
Attention spans are c20 minutes (on a good day)
- mix up your methods to help the audience
@kenton_lewis

11. Exercise 3
Gestures…
In turn, you will each deliver a short “sales
pitch” about an interest or hobby to your
group (10-20 seconds)
You will use big / over-the-top gestures
@kenton_lewis

12. Clarity of message
Rule of three
 This
is what I’m going to tell you
 This is me telling you it
 This is what I’ve just told you
@kenton_lewis

13. Clarity of message
“If I had more time, I would
write a shorter letter.”
Mark Twain
Can you explain your presentation in 15
words or less?
“Helping colleagues build their
confidence in public speaking”
@kenton_lewis

14. Top tips - Preparation
Visual aids and hand outs
 Travel logistics and arrival
 Room layout and size
 Technical challenges/support
 Stage and space
 Blowing hot, not cold
- getting your voice going
 Positive self talk

@kenton_lewis

15. Top tips - PowerPoint
W
B
Ctrl P
turns the screen white
(W to return)
turns the screen black
(B to return)
turns the pointer into a pen
(E to erase)
Fancy transitions / multimedia
Sometimes good for waking up the audience
– key question is, why are they asleep?
@kenton_lewis

16. Positive self-speak
Addressing your worries,
sharing your ideas
@kenton_lewis

17. Exercise 4
I commit to…
Individually, identify three key commitments
related to presenting.
I, Kenton Lewis, commit to:
 reducing my use of PowerPoint slides as notes
 ending my presentations at the end
 singing more to strengthen my voice
@kenton_lewis

18. Key themes
 Find
your voice
presenting is a learned skill which will improve with
practice
 Engage
your passions
only present on topics you’re enthusiastic about
 Clarify
your message
communicate your big ideas(s) through what you
say AND how you say it
@kenton_lewis

19. Tricks of the trade
becoming a confident conference
presenter
Kenton Lewis
E kenton.lewis@heacademy.ac.uk
@kenton_lewis

20. I worry about…
Being heard
Warm up your voice (mutter, hum, sing, speak, anything!)
Keep your chin up
Punch out the end of the sentence
Speak to the person sat at the back
Dealing with a dry mouth
Have, and sip, water
Gently bite the end of your tongue to produce saliva
Engaging the audience
Only talk when you have eye contact
Move between eyes at the end of a phrase
Minimising anxiety (by slowing down)
Insert, and breathe at, commas and full stops
Breathe, and speak, from the diaphragm, not the chest
Use silence for audience attention, and to think and breathe
Always speak in your own accent
@kenton_lewis