by Steven Maddocks | 14 April, 2022 | Body Language, Building Confidence, Nerves, Public Speaking, Voice
To Speak Well, First Breathe Well Talking: most of us spend many waking hours (and even some sleeping hours!) pouring torrents of language out of our mouths. Have you ever stopped to wonder how your body manages this amazing feat? Unless you have some vocal training –...
by Steven Maddocks | 1 April, 2022 | Body Language, Building Confidence, Communication, Nerves, Voice
The topic of breathing arises in practically every coaching session, masterclass and workshop we run at MSB Executive. You’d be forgiven for rolling your eyes at the thought of being taught how to breathe! Surely we already know everything there is to know? After all,...
by Steven Maddocks | 3 February, 2022 | Online Meetings, Public Speaking, Voice
A Great Teacher Without saying a word, the woman siting in front of me clenched her fists, arched her back, opened her mouth as wide as it would go and yawned luxuriantly. As the seconds ticked by, I and my fellow students watched in amazement as she twisted and...
by Nicola Hainey | 13 January, 2022 | Body Language, Client Skills, Presentation Skills, Voice
Our Head of Coaching, Nicola Hainey, reviews Microsoft Powerpoint’s new feature: Presenter Coach. An AI tool to help rehearse presentations? In honesty, we were slightly sceptical. However, having reviewed Microsoft’s new Presenter Coach in Powerpoint, we do think...
by Nicola Hainey | 30 September, 2021 | Body Language, Communication, Emotional Engagement, Networking Skills, Voice
If I were to ask you, “What part of the body do you use for listening?” most English speakers would emphatically shout ‘EARS’. Of course, that’s what gets drummed into us in our infancy. However, the Chinese symbol for listening embodies a far more complex and...
by Steven Maddocks | 31 March, 2021 | Online Meetings, Presentation Skills, Presenting to Camera, Voice
Among all the terms future dictionaries will inherit from COVID-19, ‘Zoom fatigue’ is certain to feature. (It applies to all video conferencing software, but ‘Microsoft Teams fatigue’ doesn’t have the same ring.) Citigroup employees are clearly fatigued: on 23 March,...