Welcome to High Impact Leaders! Your shortcut to personal growth and career success. Join Doug Staneart for leadership development training that will bring out your inner entrepreneur and make you a fearless leader in today's chaotic business world.
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Doug Staneart Podcasts
Want to eliminate public speaking fear and become a more poised and confident presenter and speaker? Fearless Presentations is the answer. This podcast is based on our famous two-day presentation skills class offered in cities all over the world. Each week, we offer free public speaking tips that help you develop the skill to present with poise when you deliver presentations. This is the fastest, easiest way to eliminate public speaking fear.
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5 Tips to Solve Employee Disengagement in Annual Meetings
31:22
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31:22Since we are at the very start of the holiday season, at least for businesses (and yes it is the start of the holiday season for business), company leaders both big and small have to start planning. Whether it's holiday parties, sales kickoffs, or, of course, annual meetings, the planning has to begin now, and it's worth planning them the right way…
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Creating the Best Training and Development Programs in 2025
27:17
27:17
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27:17On today's episode we're gonna talk about designing training and development programs for employees in 2025, and it's interesting. Even several years after the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, it really left a lasting mark on the way we kind of do things. It significantly altered the way people communicate, the way that we interact, and while some of t…
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The Importance of Presentation Skills in the Workplace
26:50
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26:50A couple of years ago, I was teaching a public speaking workshop in Detroit and three of the people in that class happened to be job placement coaches. Throughout the course, I noticed a couple of really interesting things as the class went on. First the three of these folks that all did the same thing kept mentioning over and over again how the le…
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Classroom Training Tips to Improve Learning Experience
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19:58A couple of weeks ago, I released an episode about how people learn by doing, and I touched upon how to make training sessions more interactive so that your participants actually learn better and the information sticks longer. Well, on this episode, I'm gonna show you how to make training sessions way more fun and way more interactive. I'm going to…
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In today's episode, I'm going to cover a few of the several ways that managers or supervisors can learn a lot from looking at the skills that coaches possess. A common issue across so many managers, supervisors, and bosses out there is, regardless of how qualified they are as managers, they struggle desperately with being good leaders. Being a good…
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How to Deliver Inspirational Speeches in the Workplace
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19:51Today I'm going to show you use the way that you speak to become a better leader because if you want to strengthen your presence and really motivate your team to a higher performance. One of the fastest ways to do that is to be able to deliver inspiring speeches that energize, engage, and really align with your team. So in this session I'm going to…
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Learn by Doing: Make Work Learning More Interactive
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31:01
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31:01One of the most common things that we hear after we lead a workshop or training seminar is, "I have to be honest. I was really dreading having to come to this class. But I think I had more fun and learned more in this session than I have from any other training program." The reason why we get such good results is that we learned early on that peopl…
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The 7 Best Reasons to Focus on Presentation Skills Training
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19:21Today I'll give you 7 compelling reason why you should focus more on improving your presentation skills. And, I know that I'm preaching to the choir because you're listening to the podcast. However, most people who subscribe to Fearless presentations typically subscribe to solve a single issue. Perhaps they have a big speech coming up and they want…
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Tennis Ball Team Building Game - A Great Team Building Icebreaker
19:22
19:22
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19:22I was traveling recently, and the person sitting next to me on the plane asked me what I did. I mentioned that companies hire me and my team members to come in and make meeting more fun and interesting. She said, "Give me your card. I just left one of the most boring and taxing meetings ever organized." And actually, that happens a lot. When event …
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On this episode, I'm going to share with you the most popular tool that we ever published on the Fearless Presentations website. And it's funny because, in the 300+ episodes of the show, I don't think I've mentioned this tool more than a couple of times -- and it's always in passing. So, I apologize for that. But with all of the new AI tools like C…
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3 Steps to Choose the Best Corporate Team Building Event
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17:02When people hear the phrase “corporate team building event”, they usually think of outdated or awkward activities. Maybe it’s trust falls, a pizza party, or that cringeworthy moment when everyone shares “something interesting about themselves.” In other words, not exactly exciting. But team building doesn’t have to be cheesy. They can be fun. They …
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Use Audience Participation to Engage All the Senses
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19:17As presenters, we often focus on how we look, what visual aids we will use, and how we sound to the audience. But Sight and sound are just two of the senses. On today's episode, I'm going to show you how you can add a few simple things to your presentation to enhance the additional senses of touch, smell, and even taste. Now, obviously, if you are …
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13 Phrases to Avoid in Your Speech at All Costs
23:53
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23:53Even great content can fall flat if it’s delivered poorly. One awkward phrase, one outdated cliché, or one moment of uncertainty can derail your entire presentation. That’s why knowing what to avoid in a speech is just as important as knowing what to include. You might have years of experience or the perfect PowerPoint presentation, but if you open…
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The Pros and Cons of Public Speaking Coaching
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15:56
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15:56I taught a public speaking class in Houston last week for a great group of people. We had an absolute blast. But the class was a little smaller than normal. And it got me thinking about a topic that I covered a couple of years ago, but we haven't really delved into a lot -- public speaking coaching. If you'd listened to a few episodes, you'll know …
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Handling Q&A Sessions During a Presentation
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17:05This week, I’m covering how to master Q&A Sessions in a speech. This is the part of the presentation that most people dread because it is spontaneous and unplanned. And, because it is spontaneous and unplanned, it can be terrifying for new presenters. So on this episode, I’m going to show you how this couple of minutes can be your secret weapon as …
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How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills in One Week (or Less)
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23:57This week, I'm going to give you a very simple, step-by-step process to help you improve your public speaking skills in just one week. This process is very similar to the one we use in our public speaking classes. And itis designed to help presenters create new habits that lead to better presentations. If you follow the process, you'll only need to…
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Get Paid to Speak: How to Make a Fortune Speaking for a Living
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27:11A couple of weeks ago, I started a series on how to get paid to speak. In week one, we talked about different types of motivational speakers and what a professional speaker is. Then, last week, I covered a few things that you absolutely need to do in order to get clients to pay you as a speaker. This week, I'll show you how to cash in on one of the…
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Five Things You Will Need to Become a Professional or Motivational Speaker
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18:42Last week I started a series on how to get paid to speak. And if you are a new listener to Fearless Presentations, you might be thinking, "How can I get paid to speak if I'm scared to death to stand up in front of a group?" If that is the case, just go back to some of the earlier episodes for tips on how to reduce nervousness. In this episode and t…
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How to Be a Motivational Speaker and Get Paid to Speak
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25:34Public speaking is one of (if not THE) highest-paid professions in the world. In this episode, I'll dispel the myth about what a professional speaker is. Basically, a professional speaker is just a person whom someone has paid to give a presentation. So, elementary school teachers are professional speakers. So are trial attorneys. So are salespeopl…
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Change Your Mindset-How to Develop a Growth Mindset
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32:15Learning how to develop a growth mindset can transform a businessperson’s career from good to great. The Growth Mindset person sees every challenge as a chance to grow, not as a dead end. For example, they turn a botched deal into a lesson that lands bigger clients. In this episode, we cover what a Growth Mindset is (and why we should even care abo…
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What Is the Best Way to Conquer Public Speaking Fear in 2025?
14:39
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14:39This week, I explain the difference between the different formats of public speaking training in 2025. Communication has changed a lot in the last decade, and you now have every piece of information ever printed in the world at your fingertips. AI can now write speeches for you. With all this technology and information available, what is the absolu…
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Make Strategic Thinking Part of Your Team Culture
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21:10With all the challenges going on in the economy right now, as a business owner or team leader, it's real easy to focus on the challenges and not your team. As human beings, we have a natural talent for reacting to situations versus planning for potential situations that may occur. However, if you do the latter, you can capitalize on these challenge…
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In his episode, we're going to talk about filler words and how to reduce the negative fillers that can be annoying. Fillers come in a few different formats. Some are just sounds. These fillers are the ones that, when we do them, we tend to get more nervous because we think the audience is judging us. These are the ers, the uhms, the youknows, etc. …
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Reduce Nervousness Speaking If English Is Not Your First Language
28:48
28:48
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28:48On this episode, I cover seven easy ways for ESL presenters (presenters who present in English but English is their second language) to reduce nervousness. If English is your first language, don't worry, because most of the tips will help you as well. In fact, the first four of the seven tips are things that anyone can use to reduce public speaking…
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How to Handle Difficult Employees (A Manager’s Guide)
27:09
27:09
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27:09Happy Memorial Day, everybody, and thanks to all those families whose loved one paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. On this episode, I'm going to show you how to handle difficult employees. There will always be difficult employees in any organization. Even Fortune 500 companies have rotten tomatoes in them. As a leader, your job is to lead a t…
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In his episode, I'm getting back to our roots -- so to speak. The topic is How to Overcome Stage Fright. In the past, we've covered different forms of this performance anxiety, like Imposter Syndrome, and I've covered how to reduce public speaking fear on a number of episodes. Stage fright is slightly different, though. It can come from public spea…
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Complacency in the Workplace Can Stop Company Growth
27:11
27:11
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27:11Our topic today is Complacency in the Workplace. Specifically, I'll cover seven ways that past success can limit future growth. This is one of those topics that many leaders and business owners overlook. But those who have their pulse on their own complacency, and more importantly, the complacency of their team, can keep their business growing. I'l…
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PowerPoint Tips-The 10 Biggest PowerPoint Mistakes and How to Fix Them
18:59
18:59
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18:59If you are scanning the internet for PowerPoint tips, it’s most likely because something has happened recently that wasn’t ideal. Perhaps you stood up in front of a group and forgot what you were going to say. Or, maybe, you got tongue-tied during the delivery. Or worse, your audience looked sleepy-eyed or even walked out of the room while you were…
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Improve Interpersonal Relationships in the Workplace
28:37
28:37
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28:37Our topic today is about how to improve interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Strong connections with team members make work a happier, more rewarding place. This episode shows you why and how, with practical steps to boost job satisfaction and maybe even your paycheck. Workplace friendships spark joy, reduce stress, and open career doors. …
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 12
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28:58This is lesson number 12 of our 12-lesson series on how to win group sales presentations. One of the myths that we tackled in one of the earlier episodes was that the PowerPoint slideshow itself is the shortlist presentation. That one mistake can cause teams to lose the high-level sales presentation more than any other mistake. What we started with…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 11
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29:43This is lesson number 11 of our 12-lesson series on how to win group sales presentations. So far, we've covered a lot of the foundational concepts of group selling skills and ways to get buying committees to buy from your team after you get shortlisted. Just as a 30,000-foot recap, we started by covering many of the myths about shortlist presentati…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 10
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19:11This is episode 10 of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. So far in the first 9 episodes, we've covered a lot of the foundational concepts of group selling skills. And we've spent a lot of time on how valuable case studies or success stories are in winning a committee over to hiring your team. In the last episode, I showe…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 8-9
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21:47This is episode eight and nine of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. So far, we've covered a lot of the foundational concepts of group selling skills. And we've spent a lot of time on how valuable case studies or success stories are in winning a committee over to hiring your team. Today's episode will be split into to pa…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 7
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19:51This is episode seven of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. Before the Christmas and New Years break, the last couple of sessions were about inserting case studies into your presentation as evidence that your potential clients can get what they want if they do what you want. I introduced a concept that I call an action/b…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 6
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19:55This is episode six of our 12-episode series on how to win group sales presentations. For the last couple of weeks, we talked about how a case study is a story or example of how you've helped other clients solve similar problems to what this client has. And we showed how these stories help you show your experience to the buying committee throughout…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 5B
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20:38This is 2nd half of episode five of our 12-episode series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, we talked about how a case study is a story or example of how you've helped other clients solve problems similar to those of this client. They are also fantastic ways to make details in your present…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 5
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23:22This is episode five of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, we talked about how you can change the way that you introduce each team member when you present so that you edify each other and build their confidence. This week, we're going to cover how to get really, really go…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 4
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20:07This is episode four of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, I gave you ten things you can do when preparing or delivering these presentations that will help you keep calm and poised. I also talked about how, in shortlist presentations, it is important to "dig your well bef…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 3
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25:32This is episode three of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, I briefly overviewed the five biggest secrets I've discovered about these high-level sales presentations. These secrets are the things that have allowed us to win over 80% of the interviews that teams that I have…
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How to Win High Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 2
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32:31This is episode two of our 12-week series on how to win shortlist presentations or other types of group sales presentations. Last week, I explained what these presentations were and how I first got exposed to them. Just as a review, a Shortlist Presentation or Shortlist Interview is a very high-level sales presentation. Companies will often submit …
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How to Win High-Level Shortlist Interviews (Sales Presentations) Part 1
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22:17This week, we start a new series on how to win Shortlist Presentations or Shortlist Interviews. Basically, this is a very high level sales presentation. Companies will often submit a proposal to a potential customer or client. The potential customer or client will weed through all of the proposals to create what they call a "shortlist." Then, the r…
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Christmas and Holiday Team Building Ideas
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19:13Happy Halloween week everyone! Since the holiday season is right around the corner, I thought it might be a good idea to cover a few Christmas team building ideas. We are just a few weeks away from Thanksgiving here in the United States. And then, the hustle and bustle of the Christmas and Hannukah season will sneak up on you if you aren't careful.…
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Deliver Presentations So That Your Audience Perceives You as the Expert
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19:09One of the real fears that many speakers have is that they don't feel like they are an "expert" on the topic. It actually leads to what some people call imposter syndrome. In this episode, I'm going to help you reduce that anxiety. Especially in the business world, if you are the person speaking, then, most likely, it is because you know more about…
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How to Know if Someone (A Politician for Instance) Is Manipulating You - Part 3 of 3
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27:57This is part three of a three part series on how to know if someone is manipulating you. In the first two episodes, I talked about the three steps of manipulation. Step one is to put the person being manipulated into an emotional state. Typically, the manipulator will get you angry or create fear in the victim. Step two is to create both a villain …
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How to Know if Someone (A Politician for Instance) Is Manipulating You - Part 2 of 3
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38:32This is part two of a three part series on how to know if someone is manipulating you. Last week, we talked about the first step in manipulation which is creating and emotional response. So, as you listen to the rest of the series, set your emotion aside. I'll give a ton of different types of examples. Each of the examples that I give are situation…
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A Few Ways to Make Your Presentations More Interesting for Your Audience Part 4 of 4
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19:27This is part four of a four-part series on how to make your presentations more interesting. So far, we spent the first couple of weeks cover my seven "impact ideas" which are fun things to add into presentations to jazz them up. Last week, we cover audience participation. In that episode I covered a few mistakes that presenters make when they try t…
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How to Know if Someone (A Politician for Instance) Is Manipulating You Part 1 of 3
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34:37The Presidential Elections of 2024 are next month. And every election year, politicians make a lot of promises and demonize the other candidate. In 2020, just for fun, I did a series on How to Manipulate People and the Signs of a Con Artist. If you recall, in 2020, there was a ton of political speech, social media, new reports, and the like that, i…
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A Few Ways to Make Your Presentations More Interesting for Your Audience Part 3 of 4
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24:09This is part three of a four-part series on how to make your presentations more interesting. This week, we cover audience participation -- how to get your audience to help you deliver your presentation. When you do audience participation well, you can really elevate your presentations! In the last couple of weeks, I mentioned that there are two maj…
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A Few Ways to Make Your Presentations More Interesting for Your Audience Part 2 of 4
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15:09This is part two of a four-part series on how to make your presentations more interesting. If you recall, last week, I mentioned that there are two major components of a fantastic speech. First, you have to have good content that the audience wants or needs to hear. And second -- and this is the part that many presenters overlook -- you have to hav…
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A Few Ways to Make Your Presentations More Interesting for Your Audience Part 1 of 4
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16:00We've spent the last few months covering ways to reduce nervousness and the last couple of weeks uncovering a few low-risk venues to practice presenting. For the next few weeks, I'm going to show you how to make your presentations more fun and interesting. There are two major components of a fantastic speech. First, you have to have good content th…
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