During my ongoing journey as an executive leader for an international organisation. I’ve been able to see a lot of things related to leadership quite differently. From the unexpected discovery that my strengths could be leveraged into super strengths. To realising that my own natural curiosity would always be rewarded. However, and especially in the … Read more
It is part of the UK’s political tradition, that outgoing and incoming Prime Ministers give respectively a farewell speech and an inaugural speech. Let’s have a look at Boris Johnson’s speech delivered yesterday on the steps on 10 Downing Street. Purpose The likely anticipated purpose of this speech, was to inspire the British people … Read more
JFK’s speech delivered in 1962 at Rice University in favour of the Apollo programme. Is in my opinion one of the best political speeches of the 20th century. There is a lot that can be learnt from this speech. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, this speech is a very good example of … Read more
“Over 90% of people aren’t serious about developing themselves.” This is what a past World Champion of Public Speaking said to me in passing some months ago. This remark may seem negative but I think its entirely true. I have often seen aspiring speakers in Toastmasters who had high goals and aspirations but never lived … Read more
I’ve always been interested in space exploration and I spent countless hours as a kid reading books on NASA’s and Russian cosmonauts exploits. My younger self dreamt of seeing humans return to the Moon, walk on Mars and exploring new solar systems. I am still fascinated by the subject and to me, the Apollo Moon … Read more
Standing out as a memorable speaker and clear presenter can open new doors to you, and help you establish credibility as a leader in your field. A very effective way to stand out while you speak is to have a clear sense of purpose. Here are a few tips to help you when you next … Read more
Looking at my nuclear industry career with hindsight. It is actually quite striking to see that many leadership lessons can be drawn from the industry. The more I think about it, the more I actually realise that it even influenced elements of my own leadership style. So, let’s find out what the industry can teach … Read more
Tyrion Lannister character in the Game of Thrones books and TV series is famous for his wit and sharp remarks. Public speaking is nevertheless not something that one would associate with him, unlike other characters in the show. Yet one of his defining moment is a speech delivered in the midst of the battle of … Read more
The secret sauce in the very successful Toastmasters formula is peer to peer evaluations. Evaluations are structured oral and verbal feedback that members give to each other after delivering a speech. The structure will typically cover what the person did well as well as areas for improvements. However, the power of leverage that they provide … Read more
When I started my public speaking journey. I had an image in my mind of what a great public speaker was. To me, a great public speaker was somebody using bombastic body language when speaking in front of an audience. Somebody, using rhymes and rhetorical devices to bring the richness of a subject to life. … Read more