Ex Director of Flemings, UBS, Dresdner, CSFB. Founder of Mindfulness at Work Ltd
“When I worked in the city I don’t know how much, over the years, was spent on my presentation skills training but actually I never think I was ever very effective.
“Yes I was able to stand and talk on a big trading floor when some results came out and yes I used to talk at events but it was very haphazard.
“Now I have a fool proof structure. I know exactly how to start, I have the checklist of things that I need to think about. I know how to make sure that I get my point across in a really really effective way and I can do it all without notes. That’s the amazing thing – I can do everything without any notes at all.
“And there is no stress. Yes – it is still nerve wracking standing up in front of an auditorium of 200 people but the stress of not knowing whether I was going to do a good job- that is gone now.
“Now I can prepare really quickly, it has saved me days and days because I know exactly what bits of information I need to drop in to which bit of the structure and I know how to make sure the right bits of information go in and, taking the less is more principle, making sure that I disregard all the stuff that is slightly extraneous and which is going to take away from my presentation.
“So I know exactly what is needed, I know when to say it and where to say it and how to say it and I can do it all without notes.
“It’s changed my life.”
