Steve Mandel, Founder

A Little-Known Technique for Calming Your Anxiety About Public Speaking

by Steve Mandel

Admittedly, I've struggled to find a reliable way to help people reduce their public speaking anxiety, despite years of trying. I’ve advised people to do just about anything I could think of that might help, e.g., breathing, meditation. While I haven't found the thing that works every time for every person, there is one technique that seems to be more effective than most. Even if you've already found something that works well for you, this technique is worth trying out.

by Steve Mandel

Executive Presence, Presentation Skills

Are your presentations memorable? You may be shocked by how little your audience retains over time. Everyone is overwhelmed by information all day long. Emails, messages, texts, phone calls, meetings, to do lists—and it all competes for space in our brains. So how can you make your presentations stick? How do you make your message memorable? Here are 3 simple tips.

by Steve Mandel

Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, Storytelling

Two Important Tips for Better Leadership Communications

by Steve Mandel

Did you know “Communication Skills” was ranked one of the top three (out of 50!) most important skills for good leadership? Great communication is critical to making progress on goals, to job satisfaction, and to avoiding the steep cost of poor communication. Want to move your leadership communication forward? Here are two important tips.

by Steve Mandel

Communication Skills, Leadership, SCIPAB

How to Deal With Speaking Anxiety During Your Presentation

by Steve Mandel

In my previous post, I talked about what you can do before a presentation to help you feel less nervous about speaking. This week, I want to focus on things you can do to reduce anxiety during your presentation. And, I want to offer an important tip at the end of this post about something you can do if none of these techniques work for you!

by Steve Mandel

Event Preparation, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills

How to Deal With Speaking Anxiety Before Your Presentation

by Steve Mandel

Of all the topics I’m asked about in my 30-plus years of coaching speakers, dealing with anxiety is the most common. Here are several anxiety-reducing techniques you can use before your presentation to help calm your nerves and make your experience a more enjoyable one for you and your audience!

by Steve Mandel

Event Preparation, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

6 Crucial Tips from a Public Speaking Coach

by Steve Mandel

In my 32 years of experience as a speaking coach, I’ve learned a few things that could be helpful to you as you strive to make your own ideas heard and to improve how you communicate with others—whether it’s making a sales presentation, updating stakeholders on the status of a project, or presenting to the Board of a Fortune 100 company. Here are 6 crucial tips to help you on your journey.

by Steve Mandel

In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

3 Tips for Delivering a Great Conference Session

by Steve Mandel

You’ve been asked to speak at a customer user conference, an internal sales meeting, or a similar type of event. It seems like lately, whenever you attend these types of events, you’re either wowed by greatness or bored by mediocrity. Of course, you want your presentation to be remembered as one of the greats! So, here are some pitfalls to avoid and things you can do to keep your audience engaged.

by Steve Mandel

Event Preparation, Presentation Skills

How to Better Communicate with Executives

by Steve Mandel

In his 30-plus years as a communications coach and trainer, Steve Mandel says there are two concerns Fortune 500 executives raise again and again about how people communicate with them. He shares what those concerns are and how they directly correlate to steps you can take to become a more skilled, confident, and highly competent executive communicator.

Note to our readers: This is an edited version of a blog post originally published on April 3, 2014.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Executives

Clearing Cobwebs: More Presentation Tips for 2016

by Steve Mandel

Ready or not, you’ve probably already had to present to stakeholders or customers this year. And, the stakes are high. Building on my last blog post, here are some additional presentation tips to help you hone your skills and start 2016 off right.

by Steve Mandel

Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Virtual Presentations

It’s a New Year…Time to Dust Off Your Presentation Skills

by Steve Mandel

Vacations are wonderful. That said, it’s easy for presentation skills to get a bit rusty over a long holiday break. Soon enough, you’ll be expected to present your ideas in person, or perhaps virtually, and many of those presentations will be high-stakes. So, here’s a quick refresher to help you brush up on your presentation skills.

by Steve Mandel

Presentation Skills

Can Great Presentations Help Save the Polar Bears?

by Steve Mandel

The scientists and staff at Polar Bears International are dedicated to polar bear conservation. And, they face many of the same challenges business presenters do: they need to present complex data in ways anyone can understand and they need to suggest solutions that others will buy into and adopt. They asked Mandel for advice on how to do that. Here are three tips we shared with them...

by Steve Mandel

In-Person Presentations, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Throwback Thursday (#tbt): Making a Thank You More Meaningful

by Steve Mandel

Expressing thanks not only makes you feel good, it makes the recipient of your thanks feel seen, heard, and valued. Saying "Thank you" is a small act with a potentially big impact. It can help you build rapport and make your future interactions with people, both, more memorable and rewarding. In business, this can be especially helpful. Today, I thought it fitting to share a few tips for making a “thank you” as meaningful as possible.

by Steve Mandel

Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills

When Tough Questions Attack, Here’s How to Respond

by Steve Mandel

Everyone has had to answer tough questions in their careers. Questions that challenge your ideas and opinions – perhaps even your credibility. How you respond to tough questions can make or break your relationship with listeners. Here's how to handle tough questions, while staying calm, cool, and collected.

by Steve Mandel

Briefing Center, Conversation Skills, Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills

Throwback Thursday (#tbt): A Better Way to Plan Your Presentation

by Steve Mandel

Want better presentation results? Plan strategically, not tactically. Instead of recycling slides from older decks and making them fit your presentation, start with who your audience is and what you want to accomplish. Here's how.

by Steve Mandel

Messaging Skills, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Slide deck, Virtual Presentations

3 Presentation Myths Exposed

by Steve Mandel

In the 30 years that I’ve been training presenters, the same presentation myths (disguised as tips) have resurfaced time and again. While most are well intentioned, they do more harm than good. Today, I’d like to expose and dispel 3 of the most potentially damaging myths about presenting.

by Steve Mandel

Eye Contact, In-Person Presentations, Presentation Slides, Virtual Presentations

Last-Minute Presentation Tips

by Steve Mandel

Do you ever have to give a presentation at the last minute? Whatever you do, resist the temptation to re-label old slides or repurpose an entire presentation. Instead, when you have no choice but to do a rush job, here are some tips on how to prepare for and deliver last-minute presentations that your audience will appreciate.

by Steve Mandel

In-Person Presentations, Presentation Skills

Avoid Slide Projection Snafus When Presenting

by Steve Mandel

If you've given presentations in places other than networked conference rooms, you've probably used an LCD projector hooked up to your computer, to project your slides. You may not realize, however, that there are slide projection snafus to avoid, as well as ways to use a projector to improve the quality of your presentations.

by Steve Mandel

In-Person Presentations, PowerPoint, Presentation Skills, Presentation Slides, Slide deck

Improve How You Communicate Next Year

by Steve Mandel

Have you ever made communication resolutions? As the New Year approaches, I always like to reflect on what I’ve done well and what I could improve next year when it comes to communicating with my colleagues, employees, and clients. You may be surprised at how much doing so can strengthen your relationships with the people around you.