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Articles by Philippa Hammond on public speaking, leadership, train the trainer and employability / outplacement

Latest news – Upcoming Training And Instructional Techniques course

Philippa Hammond

Delighted to say that next week I’m delivering another of the Training and Instructional Techniques courses I designed for the Civil Aviation Authority International at Gatwick Airport.

It’s a public course, for aspiring, new and developing trainers, and for brushing up the basics if it’s been a while.

Subject matter experts are a brilliant resource in your business, and with this three day in classroom course at Gatwick, your SMEs will start their journey to become an extra asset – with the new knowledge, skills and mindsets they need to pass on that expertise to your people.

It’s practical and engaging and on the last day every delegate delivers a short training presentation to the group with discussion and feedback.

If you’d like to book a place or find out about later courses, details here

If you’d like to discuss the course content, let me know.

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Philippa Hammond

Psst – want to know a secret?

Philippa Hammond

That one great public speaking secret that everyone needs to know? It’s this …

Psst – want to know a secret? That one great public speaking secret that everyone needs to know? It’s this …

Everyone gets nervous! Literally everyone.

That person you admire and think is super cool – isn’t.

They’ve learnt, practiced, screwed up, messed up, got better, learned to hide, manage and reduce nerves til they actually look forward to it and enjoy it.

It’s a complete myth to think it’s a natural talent.

It’s a skill like any other – and anyone can learn.

Philippa x

07594 825730

philippa@speakingwellinpublic.co.uk

Confident Public Speaking skills for leadership, training and business

How can I calm down before a presentation?

Philippa Hammond

‘Box breathing’ tip for serenity and calm

‘Box breathing’ tip for serenity and calm. I found an article on an NHS site, not for patients but for staff on how to cope in difficult times by using this technique.

I tried it myself, shared it with some 1-1 public speaking clients and students on my acting workshop last month, and was pleased with their response. So here it is:

Imagine a square box in the air in front of you.

Take a moment to relax and gather yourself.

Breathe out, then breathe in for four beats, tracing your finger up the side of the ‘box’ in the air.

Holding your breath, trace along the top for four.

Breathe out for four, tracing your finger down.

Hold for four, tracing your finger along.

Now you’re back where you started – go round again.

Once you’ve learned it, just imagining the finger counting bit while you’re doing the breathing bit helps you feel calmer and more collected, ready to face whatever’s happening, in business and in life.

Philippa x

Notes – or no notes?

Philippa Hammond

When you’ve written it – you have to deliver it, there’s no escape! Top tips for the question ‘notes – or no notes?’

When you’ve written it – you have to deliver it, there’s no escape! Top tips for the question ‘notes – or no notes?’

You’ve several options for delivering your speech:

❓No notes at all.

Winging it and hoping for the best 🤞 – or confident you know your stuff and it’ll flow naturally 😃? Only you know the answer.

❓Learning and reciting it word for word.

Great if you know it inside out so it’s ironed into your memory 😊. But lose your place, forget what comes next in front of an audience … it’s called ‘drying’ and it’s every actor’s ghastly nightmare 😱.

❓Full script.

Well, you know you’ll deliver it all and how long it should take 🤔. But – reading aloud from the text is a very specific set of skills that actors learn and develop. If you don’t have the skill, you can become monotonous and unnatural, which will quickly put them off 😴. And when you look up (highly advised), you may find you’ve lost your place when you look back 😬.

❓Keywords and bullet points.

My favourite – little memory joggers that keep you on track, quick glance – ‘ oh yeah, that bit – and you’re in the flow 🤗.

✔️So when you’ve finished writing your presentation, and you’re super-familiar with it – put it down. Turn it into bullets and keywords. And speak from the heart.

Enjoy Confident Public Speaking!

Philippa

Humour – should speakers tell jokes?

Philippa Hammond

‘Just start with a joke’ is so often given as advice to nervous speakers – but I DON’T advise it!

Why not – surely getting them laughing is a great way to relax everyone?

Sure … but are you an experienced professional stand-up comedian with years of honing your craft at open mic nights and social clubs?

If yes, fantastic! Go for it.

But if not …

Trying to tell a joke or opening with a funny remark that falls flat because you’re nervous or inexperienced will only make you feel worse.

So instead, keep it sincere, and short. And leave the jokes to the experts.

Philippa Hammond

Philippa Hammond

Presentations are said not read – things designed to be read use a different writing style.

So when you’re writing your presentation, remember three key tips:

🌟Use clear, plain English. Would you say ‘buy a house’ – or ‘purchase a property?’

Simplicity is a skill, so aim for conversational language in your presentations.

🌟Use positive language. ‘Don’t think about a pink elephant in a ballet dress.’ What are you thinking about now?

Remove those dos and don’ts lists – and just say what you want them to DO.

🌟Use the active voice. Would you say ‘the form should be filled in’ – or ‘please fill in the form’?

If you could add ‘by zombies’ after your sentence, you’ve probably used the passive voice.

These tips will help you create engaging instantly relatable content they’ll take in and remember.

Philippa x

07594 825730

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More trainer tales

Philippa Hammond

I’ve had some incredible experiences as a trainer and coach!

A starlight trip into the Yemeni desert by jeep

A stay at a spare palace with gold plated escalators in Brunei

A riverboat trip through the Ukrainian countryside and exploring the glorious gold domed churches of Kyiv

Visits to the underground water cistern and covered bazaar of Istanbul

Delivering workshops in the former German railway headquarters in Cologne in a room called Zeppelin

Eating flaming fruit in a restaurant in a ruined hotel in Gabon

A trainee in Jersey explaining the reason he was late back from lunch – he’d taken off his watch to wade out to check his lobster pots and had lost track of the time

Looking forward to the next adventure

Philippa Hammond