John Dawson - public speaking and taking your place in the world - film 4

Final film for a while. An interview with me by Clare Hughes!

public speaking tips - never forget we are animals!

let me know what you think

William Kamkwamba: How I harnessed the wind

A speech that is moving, inspiring, authentic and humbling. Again its not polished but it doesn't matter.

being yourself - Jamie Oliver

Gloriously passionate, moving and inspiring. Rough and ready but do you care? Just step back and marvel at a speaker with a heart on his sleeve. Of course you could wish for more pauses, less movement and more eye contact but thats just my take on it rather than Jamie's.

powerpoint tips? Or are you using the typeface of a kidnapper?

Of course when I'm researching my films I look at others. Here is one I found that powerpoint users might enjoy. Some American references I don't understand but apart from that its a well-crafted funny reminder about power point. (I'm not against powerpoint but just the mis-use of it and the lack of respect for the audience)

Public speaking tips - The secret everyone should know.

It only takes a minute - well - 56 seconds! This is a fundamental aspect of speaking that is really important. Learning to deal with this secret helps you relax more when you are in front of people.

Love to know what you think. By the way you need volume up to get the film.

rethinking public speaking - a film by John Dawson

FAQs - frequently asked questions

1. Will I be the only nervous one on the course? Will everyone else be better than me?
No is the quick answer. Most people on my course don't want to be there! Public speaking is something that lots of people want to avoid so they come on my course with reluctance. The good thing about that is that everybody is the same boat and quite often there is a sense of huge relief that "Its not just me who feels like this". I encourage participants to support each other and very quickly the group becomes a place where people feel encouraged to safely explore what gets in the way for them.

2. Will you fix me?
Again no is the answer. I can't make that promise to fix you - it would be unrealistic. What I promise is that I will do my best - I've got 10 years experience of running this course. What I hope for is that you will see public speaking in a very different light; simpler, far less stressful, and far more possible. And I also offer a course guarantee so if you really don't get what you want from the cousre you get your money back. Only one person in 10 years have asked for their money returned.

3. Do I need to prepare anything?
Guess what? The answer is no again! What you will learn is the real fundamentals of public speaking so that you can be in front of people with ease. So we concentrate on this important stage of speaking so that you will find it a lot easier to be in front of people. If you are more comfortable in front of people then you will have more capability, more potential to be yourself in front of people. Then you have far more options.

4. I am so scared - do I need to book three workshops?
Book one and see if you need to book any more after that. You can always reserve a place and let me know after the workshop. Most people are pleasantly surprised how much they have changed in one day. A few people do one workshop a year just to get a top up but its more because they now love doing the course!

5. I have a huge fear of public speaking - can you help me?
I often get emails like this: " i have great difficulty with public speaking. I have even gone to therapy in a bid to cure this but nothing seems to worked. I feel very anxious, tight chest and short of breath at the mere thought of doing a presentation. Could you help me in any way?"
Yes, what you write about is exactly why I do the work. It is possible to make a huge difference in how we see public speaking even in a day.



speak publicly as if ........????? Any writers out there?

Do I have an admirer? Well I know my wife likes me most of the time! But I have just been sent an anonymous postcard with

"Work as if you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt
And dance as if no-ones watching"

Thank you whoever that was. But immediately of course I start to think about a public speaking addition. It may need more crafting but this is my first attempt.

"Work as if you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt
speak publicly as if you are having a conversation
And dance as if no-one's watching"

or more clumsily

"Work as if you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt
speak publicly as if you are serving the audience rather than thinking about yourself
And dance as if no-one's watching"

Of course this saying is all about taking the pressure of us when we do things. So that worry doesn't get in the way.

Any other suggestions?

speak as if you have nothing to hide - thats just occured to me a week later after watching Garr Reynolds. I think it is getting pretty close but love to hear your suggests

"Work as if you don't need the money
Love like you've never been hurt
speak as if you have nothing to hide
And dance as if no-one's watching

police shootings and public speaking?

What's the connection between shooting and speaking?. Well,  Malcolm Gladwell in his book Blink, writes about the what happens to police officers in the USA under extreme stress. Tunnel vision, diminished sounds and the sense that time is slowing down. Under too much pressure "we get too aroused and past a certain point our bodies begin to shut down to many sources of information that we start to become useless"

After 145 heart beats per minute (bpm) complex motor skills begin to break down, after 175 bpm parts of the brain start shutting down, vision becomes restricted, we become clumsy, people even often fail to even dial 911 properly. Often people dial 411. So our thinking narrows.

Now in my public speaking workshops often people talk about blank minds and losing the ability to think clearly. Unlike being an American police officer this doesn't lead to the occasional wrongful shootings. Thank goodness.  But it can lead  to very unpleasant feelings - the feeling of being overwhelmed, or not being able to cope. Learning the right skills around public speaking and understanding more of what is going on helps us to reduce the stress levels massively so that the brain is not under stress and it doesn't give us a blank mind when we most need to be fully resourced and functioning.