“Before I begin my presentation, I’d like to ask your forgiveness. There’s a mistake on page seven of the handout. I forgot to run that page through the spell check. And I’m sorry about my voice, but I was up [...]
It can shake your nerves and keep you up at night if you plan to try something new during a safety meeting or presentation. I know I get the jitters when I stretch and add a new activity or change [...]
A fellow safety speaker who was starting out in the speaking business asked me if I would critique his style. "Sure, I said, send me a video." He had a charming style, connected well with the audience, had a wonderful [...]
I've written about this before from a different angle However, I had to include it again with this series of amateur safety speaker mistakes series because it happens so often. When I have free time at safety conventions I like [...]
Recently I was setting up for a talk, and the speaker who was ahead of me on the agenda was also in the room preparing for her talk. I brought over the hand-held mic and said: "here's the mic we have." [...]
Shake hands and say "Hello." I know what you're thinking -- "But I work with these people all the time, and they know me already." So? Isn't this a special occasion? Aren't you happy you're getting the chance to get [...]
"A good story badly told soon loses its effect." --Indian (Tamil) Proverb People love a good story well told. Proof of this lies in the fact that every society in the world, past and present, has told stories. Legends of [...]
One surefire way to arouse interest quickly during a safety meeting or safety presentation is to startle your listeners with an arresting, unusual or intriguing statement. Example: “There are more living creatures on your face than there are people in Chicago.” It’s a [...]
I have often been afraid, but I would not give in to it. I simply acted as though I was not afraid, and presently the fear disappeared. --Theodore Roosevelt Remember the little red engine. It was able to overcome a [...]
When Donna sent me the agenda for Ontario Power’s Joint Health and Safety Conference my heart sank. I saw that right before I hit the stage everyone (52 attendees) was going to stand up, one person at a time, and [...]