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Articles by Kevin
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How can you use storytelling to make your presentations more engaging?
Pay attention to incidents that happen to you. Not a quote from a book, not a story from someone else, but pay attention to what is your experience. Then before you use it in a presentation test it. Tell it conversationally to 8-10 people...just fit it in to your normal day-to-day conversations. Notice their response. You can even tell the story 10 different ways and see which one hits! Write these stories down because it is very normal to forget them. And make sure that you not only tell a good story, but that it relates closely, intimately to the topic at hand. Even funny stories (never tell jokes) need to have some relevance to the topic. And did I mention never tell jokes?! Leave those to the pros. You are the 'pro' of your own stories.
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Here's how you can ace your job interview presentation.
Many interviews will begin with "tell me a little about yourself." Many will mistakenly think that they have to recap their resume, job history, education, etc. The interviewer already has that information. Try this instead: "Would you like to know something about me that is not on my resume?" Then wait...when they say "Yes" tell them something about you personally, sports as a kid, your parent's encouragement, won the debate in fourth grade (!), how many countries you've been to and which you found significant...anything! This is usually a good rapport builder and you can then easily transition to a skill for this job. Avoid telling them what they already know.
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Here's how you can prevent burnout in the field of Presentation Skills.
Sometimes you may have to give the same presentation multiple times for different audiences but essentially the same talk. The trick to avoid being bored yourself (and your audience) is to envision the audience, not you, as new. They never heard this before and for some there it may be a life changing experience. Even a data heavy presentation that you think is 'boring' can be important to someone in the audience who is needing the information or they need your 'take' on the data (this is why they really came!) or very simply they have taken the time to show up and our job is to respect the audience however they came. Presenter burnout is more about the presenter focusing on oneself instead of the real and only target: the audience.
Activity
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A growth mindset allows you to add the word “yet” after acknowledging that you don’t know how to do something or if you are still developing skills…
A growth mindset allows you to add the word “yet” after acknowledging that you don’t know how to do something or if you are still developing skills…
Shared by Kevin E. O'Connor, CSP CEC
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Wow Your Customer in 2025 (or somebody else will) Every business needs customers to survive. It doesn’t matter what industry we are talking about…
Wow Your Customer in 2025 (or somebody else will) Every business needs customers to survive. It doesn’t matter what industry we are talking about…
Liked by Kevin E. O'Connor, CSP CEC
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"Somewhere between 'meh' and nausea". That's how my client responded when I asked how she was feeling about getting back to work this week. Here…
"Somewhere between 'meh' and nausea". That's how my client responded when I asked how she was feeling about getting back to work this week. Here…
Liked by Kevin E. O'Connor, CSP CEC
Experience & Education
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Kevin E. O'Connor and Associates, Ltd.
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Publications
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Fearless Facilitation: The Ultimate Field Guide to Engaging (and Involving!) Your Audience
Gildan Media
As the workforce ages and younger trainers and managers emerge, facilitation skills take on a new importance and, with the increased use of social networks, new facilitation skills are needed. Written by two facilitation gurus, this book shows how to make any learning environment come alive. It outlines proven guidelines any trainer can use to unify groups, inspire creativity, and get audiences, teams, and colleagues to speak up, talk back, participate, and engage in meetings.
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Speak Up: A Woman's Guide to Presenting Like a Pro
St. Martin's Press/NY
Whether speaking one-on-one or one to one thousand, women have specific challenges that can get in the way of their ability to convey ideas and engage an audience. Public speaking professionals Cyndi Maxey and Kevin O'Connor give women the tips and tools they need to be able to speak clearly, with confidence and conviction, and present information effectively.
Other authors -
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Present Like a Pro: The Field Guide to Mastering the Art of Business, Professional, and Public Speaking
St. Martin's Griffin
Improve your speaking skills today with this carry-along coach written by two of the top professionals in the field
Sales calls. Weddings. Business conferences. Weekly meetings. We're all called on to speak in public. Often, professional success and advancement depend on it. Yet many people find the experience draining or terrifying, or remain unsatisfied with their own ability to engage and sway an audience. In Present Like a Pro, you'll learn how to:
· Solicit useful…Improve your speaking skills today with this carry-along coach written by two of the top professionals in the field
Sales calls. Weddings. Business conferences. Weekly meetings. We're all called on to speak in public. Often, professional success and advancement depend on it. Yet many people find the experience draining or terrifying, or remain unsatisfied with their own ability to engage and sway an audience. In Present Like a Pro, you'll learn how to:
· Solicit useful feedback.
· Deal with hecklers.
· Gracefully handle A/V malfunctions.
· Sell your point through audience participation.
· Evoke the power of your own life in your talk.
· And much more!
Kevin E. O'Connor and Cyndi Maxey have distilled the knowledge they've acquired from more than forty-five years combined of professional speaking into a concise, easy-to-use guide that will help anyone Present Like a Pro!Other authors -
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Starting IPE is exciting. Sustaining it? ➡️ That’s the hard part. Here’s the deal: 🎯 Starting IPE feels easy because collaboration is fresh and…
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As we enter the new year, it’s the perfect time to rethink our approach to stress, business, and success. Stress is often framed as an unavoidable…
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Emily Gillies, a baseball coach and learner of Circle Process, saw an opportunity to teach more than balls and strikes to the boys and girls she…
Emily Gillies, a baseball coach and learner of Circle Process, saw an opportunity to teach more than balls and strikes to the boys and girls she…
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So ... How have you done? Five years ago, you dreamed about where you are today. How close have you come to realizing your dream? Scaling your…
So ... How have you done? Five years ago, you dreamed about where you are today. How close have you come to realizing your dream? Scaling your…
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Embrace the Unexpected by R. Hickman The beauty of embracing uncertainty lies in the potential for serendipitous discoveries. Each step Ronald…
Embrace the Unexpected by R. Hickman The beauty of embracing uncertainty lies in the potential for serendipitous discoveries. Each step Ronald…
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My eldest sister passed away peacefully Jan 1st after a short and welcomed hospice stay. She was ready. I received the usual heartfelt condolences, a…
My eldest sister passed away peacefully Jan 1st after a short and welcomed hospice stay. She was ready. I received the usual heartfelt condolences, a…
Shared by Kevin E. O'Connor, CSP CEC
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We all recognize that networking is important, and it may be daunting, especially if you are out of practice. The pandemic has an impact on our…
We all recognize that networking is important, and it may be daunting, especially if you are out of practice. The pandemic has an impact on our…
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