Speaking Secrets Every Business Leader Should Know with Chris McAuley

 “When we speak from our heart, the audience feels that. They are going to listen from their heart, that’s how you move people “

Chris McAuley

[EP005] – In this episode Chris shares insights on the importance of owning your material, managing nerves, and connecting with your audience. We discuss the power of storytelling, how to handle hecklers, and why understanding your audience is key. Chris also shares simple, practical tips to help you create presentations that leave an impact. Whether you’re a business leader or just starting out as a speaker, this episode has some great advice to help you communicate with more confidence and clarity.

Highlights from this episode: 

[02:35] Overcoming Presentation Fears

[04:30] The Power of Owning Your Material

[17:36] The Impact of Storytelling in Presentations

[30:37] The Benefits of Co-Presenting

[33:21] Handling Distractions During Presentations

[35:41] Engaging Different Types of Audience Members

[37:02] The Ideal Presentation Length

[44:55] The Importance of Human Connection in Business

Connect with Chris McAuley:

Website

LinkedIn

Books or Resources Mentioned:

Toastmasters

TEDx

A little bit about Chris McAuley:

Chris McAuley is a seasoned speaker and business storyteller with over 35 years of experience in both not-for-profit and for-profit sectors. His expertise in crafting impactful narratives helps him effectively communicate with diverse audiences, from executives to frontline employees. Chris is also an accomplished actor, with over 40 stage and film productions under his belt, bringing a strong understanding of performance techniques to his storytelling approach. As the founder of MCAVOY Inc., he helps professionals enhance their presentation skills and delivers coaching and workshops focused on building trust, improving employee engagement, and revitalizing workplace culture. Outside of work, Chris is an active volunteer, jazz enthusiast, family-oriented, and is preparing a solo show for a 2025 tour.

Transcript:

Welcome to Choice, Not Chance. Simplifying success. I’m your host Marie Chindamo. In each episode, we’ll explore how to simplify life’s toughest decisions, helping you cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters boldly. It’s simply directing your success. It’s time to stop leaving your future to chance and start making choices to shape your destiny.

Marie Chindamo: Welcome to another episode of Choice, Not Chance, Simplifying Success. I’m really excited about my guest today, Chris McAuley. Chris has been an accomplished speaker in the art of business storytelling and he possesses exceptional presentation skills. Chris is also an accomplished actor or a seasoned actor.

Yes. Over 40 stage productions and film, both live and film, yeah.

Chris McAuley: Yeah. Mostly live. Yes. Mostly theater.

Marie Chindamo: Mostly live. That’s awesome. And Chris is the founder of and owner of McEvoy Inc. This company is dedicated to helping business professionals deliver presentations with confidence, workshops, individual coaching sessions.

And he helps us. Professionals build relationships through our speaking skills and building ways to engage and read a lot revitalize also the workplace culture. So welcome Chris. I’m excited to talk to you because for my work in, how I build, client success is. We start with vision, right?

And we all have vision, but the most fundamental part of vision is to share it. To share it with others. And a big part of that is sharing through communication, rallying people around your belief, right? That’s the, what I talk to my clients about in terms of how do you communicate what’s important to you and what you want to accomplish and how do you find your tribe?

] I’m really excited to hear how you’ve helped people like myself and people within a corporate structure get their clarify their communication skills, clarify their ability to find comfort with sharing their message which is incredibly important. When we want to accomplish something, some of the great orators of time, right?

Like Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela. They’re all some ones that come to mind for me that, they just seem to have an innate ability to get people to come alive to their purpose. And so we can all use some help there. So I would love to hear what are some of the most common fears or challenges that professionals have when they are working with developing and delivering their.

Communication skills with their presentation skills.

Chris McAuley: Yeah, great question, Marie And thank you so much for having me on. I’m glad to be here today. Yeah, that is a great question. The nerves are probably one of the biggest things that I deal with any business professional. I always tell everyone, you know what, if you’re not nervous.

Then I’m concerned being nervous is a good thing and you learn that very quickly. I in the acting world I remember feeling extremely nervous before every performance. I remember working with professional actors who had absolute Massive stage fright, but they got on and they were able to deliver it So the biggest fear a lot of it is just being nervous to get up and stand up in front of a crowd because I think a lot of people have a tendency just before they get on and they start to speak You They are focusing on themselves and their nerves.

So I work a lot with helping people build some confidence and as well as showing them how they can reduce some of that nervous energy. Nothing wrong with being nervous, but it’s when it becomes overwhelming that it can get out of control. And when that starts to happen, then that’s when we feel like we’re going to go blank.

Our hands will shake, our mouth will go. We’ll dry all those automatic functions in our body start to happen because we’re terrified, we’re fearful, and it’s the fight or flight response. And that’s just what automatically happens. So it’s really learning how to manage that and how to reduce that so that you’re able to maintain some composure and deliver the message that you want to deliver.

One of the biggest things that I talk to people a lot about, because a lot of people are fearful that they’re going to forget. Or they’re gonna say something or they’re gonna blank or what if I’m boring what if I say something wrong and there’s all those fears that go along with it.

Those are some of the common fears. One of the things I work on people with a lot is what I call owning the material and what I’m talking about is that we spend so much time in our business world and in our day to day business and In our heads and we talk from there. Generally, that’s what we do.

Most of the time. We talk from our head. We rarely talk from our heart. And so I work a lot with business professionals in making that connection so that stop speaking from the head and start to speak from your heart. And one of the best ways to be able to do that is to what I call owning the material, which really means knowing it so well that no matter what happens, You’ll find your way back.

The nerves become a non issue because you know what to say. It’s all there. You don’t have to worry about losing what you’re going to say. And not only is it easier to be able to deliver it that way, but because you have a passion about it, you always have to remember that when you’re asked to speak, It’s because you’re the expert.

You’re already very closely connected to what you’re presenting. You’ve already got a real head start on that, but it’s being able to make sure that you know it well enough that it just becomes like a conversation. The great orators that you talked about, the Martin Luther Kings, the Winston Churchills, the JFKs, the, anybody that you consider to be a great orator and you sit there and you go, how do they make it look so easy?

] It’s because they know it so well. And often they’re talking about something that they talk about. Every day much like you and I are having this conversation. It’s easy. They’re not talking from [00:06:00] their head They’re speaking from their heart. So that’s probably one of the biggest things I work with is people knowing their material That’s one of the biggest fears because when they know it so They can reduce that nervous energy and deliver a presentation

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, and I suppose, teaching them how to be comfortable with making a mistake too.

We tend to get totally we need to nail it the first go around and that makes it a little bit more the stakes become higher.

Chris McAuley: Absolutely. And so the more that you know it, and again, the more that it’s something that you’re passionate about, it’s a challenge for anyone to get up and do a presentation or to speak about something that they’re not really connected to.

That’s hard for anyone. I don’t care what kind of speaker you are. You might be able to make something up and deliver something, but to really mean it and to really speak from your heart and have, no mic, no podium, no nothing, just you. Telling the audience how you feel and what you think about something and moving them forward.

That, that’s extremely powerful. And like I said, when you own that material and it’s something you’re passionate about, the audience is going to listen that way. So it’s a real gift. I look at it as a real gift and a real opportunity to be able to do that.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, to be able to help others build that confidence for sure.

 I’ve seen some great leaders in my professional world, like literally crumble when they’re in front of an audience and you just want to reach out to them and give them a hug. Yeah.

Chris McAuley: Exactly. And it’s so funny you say that because that’s one of the things that I talked to a lot of clients about is that, who’s more terrified when you make a mistake.

audience. Yeah. Think about it. You just talked about how many of us have sat there when someone has struggled and it’s painful. You’re sitting there, you feel so bad for them. I always tell people the audience is rooting for you. The audience doesn’t want to feel that the audience wants you to succeed.

So they’re your best friend out there. They’re not judging you there. They just want you to succeed and they want to hear what you have to say. If you make a mistake, And you bring it up and they notice it then. Yeah, that’s a really that’s really uncomfortable for them. So yeah, but definitely as you said, I think if you’re going to be a business leader, I do believe that’s speaking and being able to get up in front of an audience, whether it’s shareholders.

customers or your employees and be able to motivate them and, move the needle as it were in your workplace. Being a good speaker I think is really important. It’s a valuable skill to have.

Marie Chindamo: How effective is like Toastmasters or organizations like that to help someone with their speaking skills?

Have you used them yourself?

 Chris McAuley: Yes, Toastmasters a long time ago. I was part of Toastmasters great organization very reasonably priced. The only difference I would find that with Toastmasters is very structured, which is good because I think structure helps. Knowing that this is the way that that you can present something, but it’s not very customized is what I found is, and being able to customize it to who you are and what your unique voice is.

I think that’s maybe where a coach like myself, and there’s a lot of speaking coaches out there who do the same work I do, they focus a lot on the individual and start. And meet the client where they’re at. Toastmasters has got that model that they use and it works and some people get a lot out of it.

Some people I know don’t get a lot out of it like anything. But it is very effective. Yes, for sure.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, because you want your speaker to have their authentic voice too, right? Absolutely that’s got to that’s important. It’s really important and you know conveying a message and making it heartfelt.

Is just making sure that it’s unique and unique to you. Exactly.

Chris McAuley: And

Marie Chindamo: someone said some, I think it was a podcast I listened to some time ago and it could have even been yours. So if it is, hold me out on this. One of the things that I heard was like, when you go to a live event, whether it’s a, someone speaking, whether it’s a performance, whatever the case may be.

That’s a unique opportunity. You will never have that duplicated. Ever a second time because People may change the order of how they present something or what they say slightly, even if it’s just a little bit and in the same podcast, it was, I was listening to, they were talking about the Grateful Dead and how unique they were as a performing, musician, musical band and legend that they are because they prided themselves on never ever in all of their history, having two sets of The same two performances, the same, they changed up the set list.

They were okay with, they had a flub. Maybe they jammed out longer in one section than another. And I found that to be very comforting. Because when you open up to a crowd, you’re vulnerable. And so one of the things you do want to pride yourself on is, hey, you’re getting the live me, right? You’re getting all of me and hopefully everything I want to share with you comes out clear and succinct.

And so how do we deal with that? Or how do you help us deal with people that have different communication styles, right? Like you said, as a communicator, you have a different style of communicating, but your audience is all very, has a variety of styles and where they receive information. How do you help us as leaders?

Communicate that we’re attracting, we’re getting our message across to the different types of styles of communication.

Chris McAuley: Yeah that’s an excellent question because I think. In many cases, one of the things that I work a lot with clients on is and it’s something not a lot of presenters do.

And I think it’s something that, that I think people fall short on. And that is first of all, really knowing your audience, like really doing a deep dive in your audience. It’s often people will do a quick demographic. Okay. It is a group of. managers in the automotive industry and they stop there without going further to a Taking a further deep dive in a further look into what does the audience know about my topic?

And what don’t they know? And then really, really clearly putting that down on paper and then also coming up with What’s the big deal that they don’t know this information? Because I often find with a lot of presenters, they will tell people what they know, not what the audience needs to know.

So first of all, getting that information out is really important. As far as the different styles go, that becomes a real skill that starts to develop over practice and doing presentations and working with different audiences, knowing how to gauge your talk, because certainly.

If you know what I like to call the headspace of the audience, I’m walking into a tense room or I’m walking into a company or speaking to a group of people who are feeling very positive, then that’s very different. I may alter how I deliver something that may alter a story I’m going to tell. I may not be as upbeat.

So there are certain adjustments that you can make with your delivery. To adjust for what I call the headspace of the audience pretty well where they’re at. Obviously, you can’t know what every single person is feeling out there, nor can you necessarily really know the different styles. But if you do some homework on your audience, then you can make some small adjustments, not only in your delivery, but also in your content.

And it really becomes very specific. There’s countless different ways to deliver your information and the information that you share, but definitely you’ve always got to be. Concern about the fact that whatever you’re talking about the audience is relating to It’s something that they can relate to it’s something that they share and so I think that means that if you’re going to share a story about something and you know your audience really Maybe it’s a serious story.

Maybe it’s a story that requires a little more laughter to it Maybe it’s something that’s a little more humorous so you can make those adjustments But again, it all starts with really knowing your audience and then being able to adjust to the different communication styles that you have out there

Marie Chindamo: Thank you for that.

How important is body language and, moving around or just physical, where you are standing to presenting?

Chris McAuley: One of the things I find, and I always remind everyone that one of the things that keeps an audience engaged is changing things up. Varying things slightly in your presentation one of those tools that you have not just your content [00:14:00] because your content’s always changing because you’re Bringing people along and sharing a story that’s standard But you are able to use your body to be able to move a little bit if you’re standing still And you’re frozen at the podium Then you know the audience just sits there and it’s very easy for your audience to Become distracted.

Maybe i’ll check my watch. Maybe i’ll look at my phone, but once I start moving Then that changes it. So now, oh, okay, the speaker’s moving over here and now I’ve got something to do. So it wakes up the audience and they follow you over. The key to remember that though, is that it is a delicate balance. You don’t want to be changing too much.

Because one of the things that we’re all guilty of is something that I call shadow moves. And those are things that we don’t know that we do when we’re nervous. For instance, I had a real problem when I was performing on stage with shifting my body. As I was speaking on stage, I would shift this way, and I would shift this way.

And I would shift this way until the director stopped me and said, Chris! Stop moving. It’s too distracting. I’m not hearing what you’re saying because I’m watching you go back and forth Similarly when we’re doing a presentation We may have something that can be very distracted to the audience like endless endlessly pacing moving back and forth It’s okay to move but I would suggest to you that if you’re going to move Always remember that as you move you take the power out of what you’re saying It’s okay to move, but I would structure it so that, okay, I’m going to take a few steps over here at this part of my presentation, but this is a really important point that I want to get across, so I’m going to plant.

The minute you stand still and don’t move, that sends out the message of strength, confidence, and this is important. Once I deliver that message, I can continue. Maybe I can move and move over a little bit because definitely movement gives off that air confidence and easygoing relaxed atmosphere. Again, coming back if you know your audience, but always remember if you want to drive home a point, make something [00:16:00] really clear that the audience is going to remember.

Stop.

Marie Chindamo: It’s good to know because I think of some movement, some speakers That do move around a lot and you’re like, wow, they’re so compelling because they’re over here and then they’re in the audience and then they’re speaking from that corner. But you’re right. Your attention moves away from what they’re saying and more about what they’re doing.

Chris McAuley: Correct.

Marie Chindamo: What I’ve observed, it’s, the point might just be muted a little bit.

Chris McAuley: Because always remember. Your audience, you know that if you’ve got 20 people in a room, they are coming to listen to you and they’re thinking about, I hope my son’s okay at school. What are we going to have for dinner?

Are we going to make the quarter? What am I going to do with that problem? Heads are full. You’re always competing with that. So the goal of a presenter is don’t make the audience twerk. Because the minute if I’m sitting there, I want to listen to you. But if you’re going to make me work for that, in other words, you’re always moving.

And or speaking too quickly or saying a lot of you knows It becomes hard for me.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah,

Chris McAuley: and i’m like

Marie Chindamo: counting them. I start counting right

Chris McAuley: Exactly. Exactly. So not now it becomes too hard and let’s be honest generally as Humans, we are lazy. Let’s just be honest with it. And, we generally don’t like to work at things.

So i’m going to take these away and just sit back and probably tune out a little bit and maybe look at my phone or Check my watch or chat with my person beside me my friend beside me So that’s just my caution around the movement. It’s good to move it helps, but I do think it’s got to be Purposely designed very intentional and then you stop when you want to drive home an important point

Marie Chindamo: I always hear that storytelling is very impactful when you’re, presenting.

What are your thoughts on that? And if there is impactful, how can we better be better storytellers?

Chris McAuley: I can’t think of a good. I don’t think a good presentation can be delivered without a story connected to it on in some way. Stories are the most underrated, but yet the most powerful tool we have in business and the most powerful to we have, whether it’s business or whether it’s a volunteer role or whatever we’re doing.

But to me, it is at the center of persuasion. It’s how you persuade people. Stories are the Part of us, it’s part of who we are. We’ve known stories since we were born. We can probably remember our first experience of strong emotions was from a story. Our first levels of communication came from a story.

Our first education and learning about things were all through stories. We are inundated every day with stories. Hollywood has built a multi billion dollar industry on stories. So when that happens, and we’re so used to it, it really is part of what I like to call the human condition. And it’s been proven, and there’s a lot of research out there that there is actually a chemical cocktail if you will, that happens in our bodies when we listen to a story.

Something that we relate to and we’re interested in. And those cocktails, or sorry, those chemicals that are released in our body make us more connected to our emotions. Make us more open to new ideas make us better listeners So I can’t think of a better place to have an audience or have a set of customers or a team Or a group of volunteers that I want to speak to I can’t think of a better place for them to be Than in that headspace.

So I think stories are extremely powerful and I Maria, I can tell you i’ve watched some really solid presenters where they talk And you see everybody lean back in their seat when, if there’s some data which has to be presented and some information shared, the minute they break into a story, everybody, you literally can see people move forward, or all the heads come up, the phones go down, the watches go away everybody stops and when you tell the story as a presenter, it is really captivating.

It can really grip an audience. Now, how do we do that? And as you said, now you can become a better storyteller. Again, knowing your audience is really important, because again, if you know your audience, you want to make your story relatable. Something that they can easily relate to. For instance, I did a presentation recently on storytelling for a group.

It was a half day workshop, and it was a group of sales professionals very strong business minded sales professionals. And I’ve got stories I could talk about that are interesting, I think, and are funny, from the theater. But I wouldn’t share that with them because they’re sales professionals.

They don’t understand theater. The it’s not their thing. I wouldn’t tell a story that had to do with that. I had to pick a story or write a story that was connected to selling. And so they can get to. So when you sit there as an audience member, you’re like, ah, Oh, yeah. Okay. I know what they’re talking about.

I know what he’s saying. Okay. Yeah, I can relate to that And we all feel that way when we hear something we often do it with comedians we laugh And we get right into a comedian When they crack a joke or say something about something that’s us like we see ourselves, right? And so that brings us in so always make sure that whatever story you’re going to tell The audience that you’re speaking to can relate to your story.

It’s something they’ve shared. It’s something maybe they’ve done or have seen or have been part of at some point in their life. And then I think, you always want to be able to have a hook. You want to start off with the opposite. a good beginning. You want to wake people up. You want to get people to, to, start to wake up and listen to you.

It’s almost like getting their permission. So starting a story with a good hook conflict is really works. Something as simple as a startling statistic can be very effective. Anything to get people’s attention. And then once you’ve got their attention, As a storyteller, you always need to have a middle, which is a tough part, but you always need to put things into context.

And then of course, what’s really important is that you’ve got a, an ending where either the conflict is resolved or, you want to make sure that the audience, after they listen to your story, it’s like what do you want me to do with this story? How do you want me, how do you want it to end?

Make sure that it, it resolves the conflict and that it leaves them with something. So those are the basic things that I would talk about if you were going to be telling a story, trying to fit one into your presentation. And if you are going to do a presentation with a story, start your presentation with the story.

I think it’s a great way to start. It brings everybody in. And it’s a great way to, to Bring the audience in and get them listening to you.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah I see tremendous value in that when I listen to people, I love to hear vignettes and stories. And sometimes even if they’re a little, they’re not true, they’ll reveal it could be true, right?

So sometimes they can make up a story and say this could be really, this could be in real life. I’m just changing the names and the details. Would you in your services, would you be able to help somebody who felt like they weren’t a very good storyteller? Would that be something that you could help them do?

Chris McAuley: Yes, that’s exactly what I do. Yeah.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah. Oh, good.

Chris McAuley: Yeah, definitely. No, definitely. I can help people with that. Yes. Yes. I think everybody can be a great storyteller. Everyone’s got stories. Everyone’s got stories. Yes. I just think that you got to be a little more strategic, give it some thought. And yeah, definitely.

I can help people with that for sure. Yes. I love doing that. Enjoy it.

Marie Chindamo: What’s the one piece of advice that you would give anyone that’s looking to improve their ability to speak to groups of people whether it’s private groups or public to help them regardless of their experience?

Chris McAuley: I really, to me, having stories, knowing how to tell a good story is definitely something that’s really valuable. I think it’s one of the best tools you have. Not only in business, but when doing presentations And I also have to come back to what I said earlier and that is about knowing what you’re going to say Not memorizing it, but really knowing what it is that you are going to say as a presenter I think that is probably the best piece of advice is like I said, it’s owning your material and it’s being able to Once I know what I’m going to say, again, you’re going to check your audience, which is really important to do.

But the more you know your material and the more comfortable you are with what it is that you’re going to say, then the easier it is for you to be able to deliver that, the more compelling it’s going to be. And you’re going to be speaking from your heart [00:24:00] because you’re not going to be worried about it so much and thinking about what I’m going to say next, because you know it so well, you’ll be speaking from your heart.

And when we speak from our heart, the audience feels that. They’re going to listen from their heart that’s how you move people. That’s how you connect with people I think in a presentation is just knowing your stuff so well and being so comfortable with it that you’re able to express it in a way that the audience is just going to resonate with them Hey, I want to hear this.

I like this. I really feel this. I really feel that emotion And that’s what a lot of us want when we go to see someone speak So I think that is probably the most critical thing. I think I would ask anybody and if you were to say to me How do we own the material? You I’ll be honest with you, a lot of it, it’s practice.

Practice, practice, run it. Say it again, and repeat it. And we’ve all watched TED Talks, I think we can all agree, TED Talks are phenomenal. And so many people, I’ve had some conversations around this, where they said How come they make it look so easy and so flowing and so excellent?

They practiced it so much.

Marie Chindamo: They call it down too, don’t they? Oh,

Chris McAuley: yes.

Marie Chindamo: They’re only a certain length of time. I think they make sure it’s very, the brevity of it. Yes. Is in place. Yeah. I’ve

Chris McAuley: known people who’ve done TED Talks and they will tell you, yeah the people they work with at TEDx events and TED events.

Cut, cut, cut. Like I don’t think anything is beyond. Maybe 15 minutes 12 to 15 minutes and you walk in with a 30 minute present. Yep. Got it in half Yeah, so and not only that Gotta have a story. Yes, I was gonna be a story in there And then finally you’ve got to know it so well, and I’m not saying people have to do this But I have known TED talk presenters to run their presentation 200 times a hundred times like just Going again and again.

So I think with anybody getting up to do any kind of presentation, really practicing I think is really important. That’s, there’s no easy way around it. It’s you’ve got to put the work in to be able to sound that natural. Yeah.

 Marie Chindamo: Yes. And I noticed myself too. It’s When you’re introducing new material to yourself, it just keep 99 percent of that presentation and just 1%, 5 percent of new material, right?

Because there are things I train on that. I just know so well. And then I learn a new piece of science or I try to integrate it. And that’s usually what trips me up. It’s this new information that I have to find a way to continue to learn that same level of familiarity with it.

Chris McAuley: Yes.

Marie Chindamo: When you say no it brings me to, some of the best storytellers I’ve heard, and I’ve just recently started to do this as I’m launching my podcast is to share personal stories and, that’s opening up, maybe a little vulnerability from the speaker’s side.

It’s a little bit of exposure. What is your take on that? What, how do you feel that influences the audience? And do you think that they see the speaker differently?

Chris McAuley: Oh, very much very much I think to me the best thing a speaker can do is and I think I mentioned this earlier, no podium, no notes, no slide, no PowerPoint.

As a matter of fact, I encourage people that if you need PowerPoint, fine, do the PowerPoint last, get your message down first. What are you going to say? Get that down. The PowerPoint is to support that. Often what I see is people flip that. Their speech supports their PowerPoint. No. The PowerPoint supports you.

When you get up, and if you do share something, that’s why stories work so well, is because it does, you do expose yourself sometimes. There is some more vulnerability. And I think if there is nothing there with you, it’s just you and the audience. That is really vulnerable. The audience sees that they will instantly respect that and they’re going to listen that way The way you present is what they’re going to feel and I learned that a lot with acting when you’re on stage What’s the number one thing with actors to be honest?

And to speak from here not from your head But to feel what it is that you’re feeling for that character at that moment when you do that it’s what the audience feels. I know I’ve experienced it many times it’s a [00:28:00] great feeling the audience feels. You don’t even have to say anything how many times have we watched a really good actor maybe seen a live play or a live show or even in movies.

They don’t say anything, but you know what they’re feeling.

Marie Chindamo: Oh, yeah.

Chris McAuley: And it’s because they’ve just it’s coming from here. And so it’s the same thing with the speaker, get rid of all the props, and find ways to be able to expose that vulnerability that you feel comfortable with. And a story is one of the best ways to be able to do that.

So yeah, for sure. I think that’s really critical. It’s important. And the audience will see you differently.

Marie Chindamo: What you remind me of what you bring my mind back to is just recently, I started watching reruns of All in the Family. And Jean Stapleton. I don’t know if you ever watched that. It’s yeah. So it was in a time when it was, things were just very simple and you can just see the facial expressions on Jean Stapleton Edith Bunker, the main character, and you can just, you just know exactly what’s going on with that.

Words. It’s just it’s just so simple, but yet so complex, right?

Chris McAuley: It’s correct

Marie Chindamo: and I often have a question and maybe my audience has the same question when they hear this. How much as an actor, how much of how much latitude do you get with the script? As you’re in the moment and you’re communicating your.

Your part. Do you have to be verbatim to the script or can you like manage that a little bit on your Little it

Chris McAuley: really that’s it. That’s a that really comes down to the director i’ve had two extremes i’ve had it where the director has been there’s been a lot of freedom and as long as they feel some directors feel like you’re getting the point across You’re being honest and the message the right message is being sent and you’re working with your fellow actors on stage You And it’s keeping the story moving forward.

There is some flexibility in the text, but I’ve also worked with some directors where no, you forgot to say a person. You just said a no, it’s like very strict more often than not though. I’ve worked with more directors who are a little more free because they understand that in order for an actor, again, to own the material, you’ve got to say it your way.

[00:30:05] You’ve got to do it your way. That’s what part of being an actor is that yeah, you’re playing a character, but you’re playing the character from you. So you’ve got to own it and you again you’ve got to feel comfortable with and it’s got to be natural for you And so that’s why sometimes it can be a little bit of room in the script I think most directors do that, but there are some out there that are very strict on the text and for instance if you’re doing shakespeare, you really They don’t have a lot of choice.

You’re on there word for word in that instance You’re on it. Yeah, not much.

Marie Chindamo: So you brought up another point that brings me comfort when I have to present to new groups, large groups, having a co presenter, like a co facilitator I find as personally that it helps because, It just takes the pressure off of the me, right?

And we kind of work, work on the message together. So one of us could just pick up if someone is missing some. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think it takes away from the audience to the message to the audience, or do you think it could enhance it?

Chris McAuley: Yeah, I think there’s a definite it’s, More so it would enhance it than then take away, obviously, the only thing that would take away from the audience is if there was some disagreement with the co facilitators.

Obviously, that would be hard to follow. You’re saying something differently. I think what’s really important with that is and I’ve done that and I’ve helped people with that as long as you’re in sync with each other. And as long as you’re supporting each other and providing that support, I think it could be very good.

And that definitely keeps an audience engaged because remember I talked about earlier. One of the things that’s so important in a presentation is changing things up. Yeah, it helps keep the audience with you They got all this stuff in their head. We’re not great listeners. So we’ve got to focus a lot when you change things You Oh, okay.

Now I want to come back. Oh, yeah. Oh, okay. There you go again. So the two people will do that. It just can’t be so drastic, but I think it can really enhance the performance and the delivery of the presentation, as long as you’re in sync with each other, and you’re there to support each other.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, before you get into a good fight, you give them something to remember.

Chris McAuley: Hey,

Marie Chindamo: actually had an actual

Chris McAuley: fist fight happened in a presentation. I did. Yeah, I’ve seen that. No,

Marie Chindamo: you did not. I

Chris McAuley: did. Couldn’t believe it. Anyway.

Marie Chindamo: No, you did. So you were coaching it or you were in the audience? No, I

Chris McAuley: was the presenter.

Marie Chindamo: You were presenter.

Chris McAuley: I was the presenter.

Marie Chindamo: Despite what in the audience or in the

Chris McAuley: off to the side, there was this all of a sudden, as I was talking, I heard yelling and screaming and so I kept going and, but I could tell that the audience, everybody started to turn their heads and look to see what was going on.

And it broke out. You could hear the smacks and the push and people falling over and a couple of people run over and there was a commotion.

Marie Chindamo: Wow. Yeah, I managed that. What did you do? Did you stop? Did you pretend it didn’t happen? What did you do? No,

Chris McAuley: I think if you did that, the audience was gone.

It was a very obvious to me as I looked out to the audience. They were more interested in the fight than me. And I get that probably more interesting at that time to see what was going to happen. And then I just waited for people to come back and. I just did, I had to cut back in time, obviously, because it took a few minutes for things to settle down.

Then you just started to bring everybody back again. Here’s what I was saying. So yeah, that was an interesting one.

Marie Chindamo: That had to be for sure. And it could take the speaker off their tilt, right? It could distract you.

Chris McAuley: Very much

Marie Chindamo: so speaking of distractions, What are a couple of tips that you could give us to help with someone in the audience or your, a participant who is distracting or, I don’t know, speaking very vocally and interrupting your flow or perhaps making things uncomfortable?

Do you have any tips for us?

Chris McAuley: Yeah, what are two ways? And again, I think it depends on the venue you’re in. One of the most effective ways I’ve seen that, because I’ve had a number of hecklers, from the know it all to the person that’s bored, that their boss told them they had to be there. You run into those.

That happens. They don’t want to be there, but the boss said, yeah, you’re going to the training. And so if I have the [00:34:00] opportunity, if it’s a wide open room and I’m not on stage, what I will often do is I will continue to speak. And as I continue to deliver the presentation, I will move from the front of the room.

Providing that people can still hear me and maybe see me even if they have to turn that’s fine And I will walk in the direction of that individual And what i’ll do is i’ll stand right beside them because keep in mind as the presenter. Where is the audience typically looking?

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, they’re on you

Chris McAuley: at you So everybody’s looking at you all of a sudden I now become part of the audience and the heckler becomes the standout.

So they become the presenter and they don’t want to be most of the people who are hecklers. They don’t want that. If I move over that direction i’ve often found 100 percent of the time so far. It’s never failed me that heckler quietens down And they sit back and they stop and i’ll deliver the presentation from that spot for a while Just to let them know that i’m aware That they’re there and that they’re distracting me.

And so that is one way to do it. The other way is, I really think Marie, there are times you’re just gonna have to call the person out and make the suggestion that, perhaps we can talk afterwards. I’m really concerned that the rest of the people aren’t benefiting from this. I don’t want to not answer your question, but I’d be glad to meet with you right after the class if I could just get through this next piece.

That’s probably the best way to deal with it if it’s someone that’s really vocal and wants to disrupt. It’s also good if you’ve got a great relationship with your host. They’ll often look after it. Someone will be able to come over and remove them. But yeah, to me, I find the most non, the passive way to do it is, as I suggested, walk in the direction, stand right beside them, right behind them.

And trust me, they will stop immediately and they’ll instantly pay attention because all their eyes are on them at that point.

Marie Chindamo: That’s

Chris McAuley: funny.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, I from a long time ago when I was presenting inside corporations, I’d always ask the audience self declare who is here as a prisoner. Who’s here as a vacationer?

Excellent. Get away from your normal job. And who’s here to learn, right? Who’s here on an education and let them self declare. At least we have a little fun with it. And I love it. I try to go into it saying, everybody will, have some, some value in the ad.

Chris McAuley: Love it. Wow. That’s a great approach.

I like that.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah. Prisoners, vacationers and education, university dwellers, if you will. Have you ever had

Chris McAuley: anybody raise their hand at prisoners?

Marie Chindamo: They could tell by their face by just not, not self declaring, but,

Chris McAuley: yeah.

Marie Chindamo: And I assure them. I see, usually I’m so confident when I walk in to a setting like that, that they’re gonna walk out with it with something of value.

And I ask them at the end, what’s one thing that you’ve walked away from today that turned this into less of a prisoner experience and more of an educational experience?

Chris McAuley: And

Marie Chindamo: most of the time it works. And have fun. You have fun with it, right? You have fun with it. You have to people are human, instead of having their people having bad days and people are just, preoccupied as you said earlier they preoccupied going on in their lives and if you can help give them an experience.

It takes them away for even if it’s 15 minutes or 30 minutes and speaking of time. So what do you think would be like, I guess it depends on the material, but I’ll let you answer this. The most ideal timeframe, the sweet spot when you’re presenting information, is it, keep it short and succinct like a TEDx, is it, unlimited?

What do you think?

Chris McAuley: I would always keep it short and brief. Yeah. Gotta be concise. And one of the things I suggest all the time with people is that if you have got a 50 because usually you have a time slot. People will say 10 minutes, 15 or 30 minutes and then you adjust your content as you said.

Sometimes your content will determine that. But I always suggest everyone, so for instance if I’m asked to do a talk for 30 minutes Run your presentation to end at 25. Stop early. Always stop early. Trust me. You can do an amazing presentation, but if you go five minutes over, the audience isn’t going to remember the amazing presentation.

They’re going to remember your five minutes of overtime. Really keep it tight. And I think you’ve got to [00:38:00] finish early, always finish early. There are technical things that happen. Sometimes there’s things out of your control that may push you over a little bit. And even if that’s the case, if you have a lot of questions or a long Q and A, if the Q and A is part of that, then I think you’ve got to let everybody know, we’re at our time limit.

Is everybody okay to stick around? If you’d like to leave as long as people know they have that out. But yeah, the shorter, the better. Most presenters and keynotes up there. They’re probably not pushing an hour. You’re usually 45 50 minutes It’s a long time to be up there. Yeah That’s a long presentation.

So that would be on the long end Probably the sweet spots that 20 minutes 30 minutes is probably a great spot to stop And as you as I said earlier TEDx talks TED talks are usually I think they’re 15 The longest one I’ve heard is maybe 18 minutes 19 minutes, but Yeah.

Marie Chindamo: Oh, okay. So hopefully hopefully at some point I’m going to, enlist your services because speaking to me is very important to sharing my message, right?

It’s so part of this experience here in, in this podcast, which is a new experience for me. I’ve always spoke in corporate settings. So what were some of the things, I know you give us some tips, but I want to simplify my success. That’s my key, right? In anything I do, I want to simplify my success. How can I do that easily, immediately, not easily, because easy is different than simple, right?

It doesn’t mean it’s easy, but simplifying means taking out as many steps as you can, removing complexity.

And you, maybe I’m not being clear. Once again, I need a speaking coach. If I’m going to go present something tomorrow. And now I have a 45 minute presentation that I want to call down to 30.

How would I simplify my success?

Chris McAuley: I would start first. If you’re asking me, how do I, how am I going to get my 45 minute presentation down to 30? Or are you saying, how am I going to make, how do I simply simplify my success by making that a successful presentation?

Marie Chindamo: I guess it’s the same question then. Yeah. I want it to be successful.

You’re saying that the sweet spot is 30, right? So I’m assuming that one of the ways to be, to simplify my success is to keep it short. Okay. So is it two different questions? How can I simplify my success? That would be question number one. And then I’ll break it out. And then question number two is if calling it down to 30 is the answer, how can I do that?

Chris McAuley: First of all like I can answer both I think with the one tip is what I mentioned earlier. Know your audience. Know your audience unbelievably well. And always remember that to really keep things very simple and very concise, know that when you do a 30 minute presentation, Maureen, There’s probably one thing that the audience is going to take away.

You’ll say more than that. Okay But there’s one thing that they’re going to walk away with because as humans we don’t remember we forget things very quickly and in today’s world with all that’s going on You’re lucky if one person walks out of a presentation remembering two things. I think you’re very fortunate if that happens So one of the ways in which you simplify that is that you do you have to do some work at the beginning about What does the audience know and what don’t they know about my topic?

And then ask yourself once you get down a couple of points minimum two or three maximum three or four Things they don’t know about what i’m talking about Then ask so what? Who cares if they don’t know this? What’s the big deal? You’re asking that question. What’s the big deal about what I’m talking about?

Why is that so important? You’ve got to really narrow down and simplify your presentation down to just one or two really key points That you want to be able to communicate to people That’s probably one of the best ways I would say to simplify it also helps you Cut down that presentation in time.

Now you add more because obviously, like I said, you’d like to add a story. You’ve got to put in some context or maybe some background information that’s necessary in order for them to walk away with that one thing that you want them to feel differently [00:42:00] about. And that’s always a big question to ask.

Ask yourself, how do I want my audience to feel after they hear me present? What is it? No one’s writing down stuff. A workshop is different as we know if you’re doing a full day workshop That’s a different type of presentation and I work with people on that But if it’s just a presentation you at the front of the room delivering a message Really simplify it down to one or two things max that you want that audience to walk away from

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, that’s a very good way Yeah.

Sometimes when we get in front of an audience, we’re so happy to share a lot of things, right? For the privilege of being in front of them that you want to concentrate a lot of things into one short period of time. And exactly. Yeah. And we

Chris McAuley: often like to say here’s what I know, but remember, it’s not about you.

Of the audience. Don’t tell them what you know, tell them what they need to know.

Marie Chindamo: Okay.

Chris McAuley: And there often can be two very different things.

Marie Chindamo: And they can always ask for more. Correct. If they need more, they can ask you to come back or they can follow up with you afterward.

Chris McAuley: Exactly.

Marie Chindamo: Wow.

Chris McAuley: I would say that out of my experience in working with people, about 80 percent of us, we provide too much information. Yeah. Way a lot. I don’t think I’ve had anybody actually, any of the clients I’ve worked with, but they didn’t have enough maybe not enough context small tweaks, but for the most part, we have tons of information.

And so it’s working on getting that really. , as you say, simplify. ’cause the shorter and the more brief you are and the clearer and the con, the more concise you are. That’s how you can simplify it.

Marie Chindamo: Gotcha. Thank you for that. Sorry for the miscommunication, . No, not at all. Not at all.

Chris McAuley: No.

Marie Chindamo: So it answers both. So let’s just talk about a little bit your consulting services. When did you start, branching on your own? Were you always in your own business? Not always, but for a long time? Or is it something that you’ve started re relatively recently?

Chris McAuley: Yeah, it’s about three years ago now that I’ve started into it.

I was doing this similar services obviously within the company I was working for I worked for an organization called Spectrum communications based out of here in london, ontario And I was in that business for about 25 years working or 20 years rather where I was working as a salesperson, I worked my way through sales became the manager became one of the owners of the company And during all that time I was always doing a lot of sales presentations and a lot of training with salespeople.

But at the same time I was doing that, my real true love was acting. And so I was also acting. I thought I didn’t want to live the artist life. It’s a tough life. I’ve known friends who’ve done it and it’s hard. Wanted a family, wanted a regular paycheck. So I thought, you know what? I’m going to work in business because I do enjoy that.

But I’m going to act whenever I can and that’s what led to me being on stage for like over 40 productions and over doing it for about 20 years that so when I decided to leave the organization, I thought, I don’t want to go off on my own. What kind of business, what is it I really want to do?

And so I combined my passion for acting, my passion for business, and then brought it together to form the speaking the coaching side of things. So

Marie Chindamo: terrific. So what is the purpose? What is your why? What keeps you really, alive doing what you do?

Chris McAuley: It’s about connection.

To me, business is about connection. Humans are connection. We need it. We thrive for it and we need it. And when you get up and speak, what are you doing? You are connecting with the audience. When I deliver a presentation to work with corporate training, the training that I specialize in is relational skills and business storytelling.

It’s about connecting with people. It’s about creating a work environment where people feel like they belong and they are connected. Cause once you build that connection, That lays the foundation for trusting relationships and starts to build on moving forward to develop something that can be really beneficial Whether it’s to improve productivity or whatever that may be, but it all starts with a connection.

And that really is where I like to make a difference is to help people make more connections and to feel to have people feel more connected. And that’s something that I think a speaker does when they get up and they do a presentation. You’re connecting with that audience. You’re creating that community for 30 minutes.

It’s you’re the mayor, you’re running it. You’re connecting with everyone in that audience. And they’re connecting with you. And that’s where things start. That’s where you start to move people. [00:46:00] That’s where people learn. That’s where lives are impacted, is when you have that connection. So that really is my why.

It’s all about human connection.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, that’s so important. When I work inside organizations, I call it social capital. It’s about building social capital, even amongst colleagues. Water cooler talk is very important, because people get to understand one another. And therefore, when I get an email from you, I just had a conversation about your cat yesterday by the coffee machine.

Wow. Let me make sure I don’t ignore you today. Perfect. Yeah, it’s very important for leaders as well, of course, for many reasons, but even people that are, not reporting into somebody else, maybe they’re just, trying to build relationships with their lateral teams and, and their departments and whatnot.

It’s very important and getting your point across and being understood. Is part of the battle, right? Agreed. Not battle, but challenge could be a challenge. I

Chris McAuley: absolutely agree.

Marie Chindamo: So what’s next for you? So you’ve started your business 3 years ago. What do you see in the next 3 to 5 years in terms of how you can impact your services can impact others?

What do you see where you’re going with this? Are you going to, do more group things? Are you doing more one on one or just a variety of both?

Chris McAuley: It’s a variety of both. Definitely the individual coaching is where I’d like to start. Eventually, I do have plans that I’d like to make it a coaching, like a course.

So it’s something that they can do either online or do as a group when you create that community, much like a lot of other coaches have done where you create that Facebook community where people can get on and where they share and you’re sharing this. It always works when you’ve got like minded people who are going through the same thing.

It’s very helpful. That’s where I see that going. And same with the relational skills side of things. The training I want to be part of that movement, something that you just talked about, because I do believe it’s going to become more and more important. And it’s that sense of, it’s not just a paycheck.

I’m going into a place that I spend the majority of my life. Less and less now obviously is, there’s there are, we may go to that, 40 [00:48:00] that work week 20 hour work week that may things may start to move in that direction. But at the end of the day, so much of our life is revolved around a workplace.

That it’s, why not make it a place that you feel safe in and you can do your best and you want to do your best and you want to have impact and you want to belong and you want to feel connected. And so I really want to be part of encouraging that more. I really want to be part of a movement that starts to see the workplace being so much more than just a place that I can punch in a clock and go and leave.

But it’s something that I feel really connected to and part of. And I think that’s so important. I think we’re getting better. But there’s still a lot of work to do in that direction. And I want to be part of that work.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, we were getting better, through this whole, silent quitting stage, in the heat of the COVID coming out of COVID.

And now with big organizations pushing people to get back to work as a mandate. I’m just worried that and the job market has shifted a little bit. So more unemployed people, the job market has shifted a bit. And from where I sit, trying to give people a voice, inside organizations, it’s, there is a hierarchy and you have to respect that, but you also have to articulate what you need, and how you need it.

And so there’s a lot of work that we can do around giving people some sense of power and control. Not a sense of ego, right? But a sense of, I, my needs are being met or they’re not being met. And how do I articulate that without fear of reprisal?

Chris McAuley: Yeah.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah. And building a life that becomes a career.

Chris McAuley: Yes.

Marie Chindamo: Is having a career that becomes your life.

Chris McAuley: Yes.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah. Very

Chris McAuley: much.

Marie Chindamo: And, you can do it if you just, if you find yourself in your, if you allow yourself to be honest with where you are. , in the organizations that you’re in and as a senior, HR I-C-H-R-O for many years, I always would tell people that are struggling is this really what you want?

Just because you’re not doing well here doesn’t mean [00:50:00] you’re not a good person. And it’s not that you aren’t worthy of more. It’s just here may not be where you want to be or Right. It might not. Not the right fit. Exactly. Communicate that to me. Let’s communicate it. Yeah. So we can help you find your space.

Even if it’s with another company.

Chris McAuley: Excellent point.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah.

Chris McAuley: Very true.

Marie Chindamo: And I want people to have that sense of ownership over their futures their career, how they make a living. And give them that voice. I think there’s that happy medium between, the generation that I think we both came from, where we just to work, we do, we were told to do whether we liked it or not.

And we went home to, cause we had to feed our families.

Chris McAuley: Yeah. And that’s such an excellent point. And recently I had that discussion with a business leader because there are times I think business leaders feel it’s all on them and say there is an expert, there’s definitely a responsibility. You’ve got a role model.

I would never sell that short on anybody. You’ve definitely got to. Demonstrate and role model and support what’s going on, but Absolutely not. When you take a look at things like social intelligence and emotional intelligence All of them are rooted in you knowing yourself, right? It’s not just knowing the emotions and what’s happening with the person i’m speaking to but I also have to know my own self and regulate my own and self manage and self regulate where I’m at. And I think it’s exactly what you’re saying. It’s being able to feel confident to be able to do that. And then, like you said, check in and go, yeah, you know what, maybe this isn’t a place for me.

So by no means is it all on the leaders because they’ve got enough to contend with, but there is certainly a responsibility on on other team members to be able to understand. Yeah, this is where I’m at and being, you’re right. honest with yourself. If it’s not right, feel like you can move, but certainly, yeah, there’s some responsibility on everyone with this for sure.

Marie Chindamo: Yeah, for sure. So I want to be respectful of your time. Where can we find you? My web,

Chris McAuley: go to my LinkedIn profile for sure. Just look up Chris McAuley. You can put in McAvoy, it’ll get you there as well. M C A V O Y. And my website, my webpage is [email protected] not ca or dot com dot co so chris@chrismacauley all lowercase dot co that’s probably one of the best ways to find me on there

Marie Chindamo: awesome i’ll make sure those are in the show notes thank you chris i’m sorry we ran out of time i hope to have you back and i really want to further that second part of our conversation because that’s so important to me it’s my passion so i think we’re going to share a common thread here

Chris McAuley: for sure Thank you so much for having me.

I really enjoyed myself. Thank you.

Marie Chindamo: You’re welcome. Have a great day.

Chris McAuley: You too. Take care. Thanks. Bye. Bye.

Thank you so much for listening. I aim to provide you motivation and support to consciously craft the life and career you desire. Check out the show notes to be sure you’ve captured all the golden nuggets. Visit ProTilly. com to set up a complimentary call with me or get free resources and very inexpensive help from our success university.

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[EP005] – In this episode Chris shares insights on the importance of owning your material, managing nerves, and connecting with your audience. We discuss the power of storytelling, how to handle hecklers, and why understanding your audience is key. Chris also shares simple, practical tips to help you create presentations that leave an impact. Whether you’re a business leader or just starting out as a speaker, this episode has some great advice to help you communicate with more confidence and clarity.

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[EP005] – In this episode Chris shares insights on the importance of owning your material, managing nerves, and connecting with your audience. We discuss the power of storytelling, how to handle hecklers, and why understanding your audience is key. Chris also shares simple, practical tips to help you create presentations that leave an impact. Whether you’re a business leader or just starting out as a speaker, this episode has some great advice to help you communicate with more confidence and clarity.

Show some love and FOLLOW! 

Episode link/Show notes:

Listen on Apple:

Listen on Spotify

Highlights from this episode: 

[02:35] Overcoming Presentation Fears

[04:30] The Power of Owning Your Material

[17:36] The Impact of Storytelling in Presentations

[30:37] The Benefits of Co-Presenting

[33:21] Handling Distractions During Presentations

[35:41] Engaging Different Types of Audience Members

[37:02] The Ideal Presentation Length

[44:55] The Importance of Human Connection in Business

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choice-not-chance-simplifying-success/id1781935770

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[EP005] – In this episode Chris shares insights on the importance of owning your material, managing nerves, and connecting with your audience. We discuss the power of storytelling, how to handle hecklers, and why understanding your audience is key. Chris also shares simple, practical tips to help you create presentations that leave an impact. Whether you’re a business leader or just starting out as a speaker, this episode has some great advice to help you communicate with more confidence and clarity.

Episode link/Show notes:

Listen on Apple:

Listen on Spotify

Highlights from this episode: 

[02:35] Overcoming Presentation Fears

[04:30] The Power of Owning Your Material

[17:36] The Impact of Storytelling in Presentations

[30:37] The Benefits of Co-Presenting

[33:21] Handling Distractions During Presentations

[35:41] Engaging Different Types of Audience Members

[37:02] The Ideal Presentation Length

[44:55] The Importance of Human Connection in Business

Listen on Apple:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choice-not-chance-simplifying-success/id1781935770

Listen on Spotify

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https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a128552b-0a97-44a9-90b6-4be182fe6c21

Listen on PODCHASER

https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/choice-not-chance-simplifying-5909135

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[EP005] – In this episode Chris shares insights on the importance of owning your material, managing nerves, and connecting with your audience. We discuss the power of storytelling, how to handle hecklers, and why understanding your audience is key. Chris also shares simple, practical tips to help you create presentations that leave an impact. Whether you’re a business leader or just starting out as a speaker, this episode has some great advice to help you communicate with more confidence and clarity.

Highlights from this episode: 

[02:35] Overcoming Presentation Fears

[04:30] The Power of Owning Your Material

[17:36] The Impact of Storytelling in Presentations

[30:37] The Benefits of Co-Presenting

[33:21] Handling Distractions During Presentations

[35:41] Engaging Different Types of Audience Members

[37:02] The Ideal Presentation Length

[44:55] The Importance of Human Connection in Business

Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/choice-not-chance-simplifying-success/id1781935770

Listen on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/show/1PcvRD7AkA5P9EBzmC06D8

Listen on AMAZON MUSIC

https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a128552b-0a97-44a9-90b6-4be182fe6c21

Listen on PODCHASER

https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/choice-not-chance-simplifying-5909135

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