#150. How to be a better presenter—with Presentation Coach, Andrea Pacini

When we last spoke to Andrea Pacini in Episode #77, he had just published his book, Confident Presenter (which you can get a free copy of through the link in the Spice Cabinet!).  Now, Andrea has been awarded “Best Virtual Speaker” from the Speaker Awards 2024 and “Best Presentation Skills Training Specialist in the UK”—to name just a few of the accolades.  Andrea returns to the ‘cast to dig deeper into core communication fundamentals, the difference between practicing and rehearsing and frameworks that work for him. As a presentation coach, we love hearing Andrea’s perspective on everyday challenges that his clients face and how to conquer them with confidence.  Andrea is adept at making presentations accessible to everyone.  This is an episode for: Keynoters, speakers and anyone looking to improve their public speaking—in-person or virtual.  What's in the Spice Cabinet? Get a free copy of Andrea’s book, Confident Presenter: Here! To make the most of the book, take the Confident Presenter Scorecard to assess your presentation skills in < 3 minutes Where to find and follow Andrea? (He’s a killer LinkedIn follow) LinkedIn Ideas on Stage Attend the next Ideas on Stage web class here! (A few of) Andrea’s favorite people/resources for presentation inspiration?  Chip and Dan Heath’s book - Made to Stick Benjamin Zander - “ He combines speaking and playing the transformative power of classical music.” Benjamin Zander TED Talk - The Transformative Power of Classical Music  Daniel Priestly John Pollack - Shortcut: How Analogies Reveal Connections, Spark Innovation, and Sell Our Greatest Ideas A former speechwriter for Bill Clinton Any trends in the Presentation Coaching landscape? “I can’t not mention Artificial Intelligence… a couple of years ago, we didn't have ChatGPT and all these other tools. And these things will change. That's inevitable but what will never change are the fundamental principles of communication.” Advice for anyone thinking they want to write a book?  ”When it comes to presenting, just do it. Practice, practice, practice. Public speaking is a skill that requires knowledge and technique. It's a bit like learning how to play a new musical instrument or learning how to play a new sport. We need knowledge and technique.” “ When it comes to writing a book, I've just finished reading On Writing by Stephen King, the book on writing. And he says that the advice he has for aspiring writers is, he sometimes is asked, ‘How do you write your books? How do you write maybe like 90,000 words for a book?’ And he says, ‘One word at a time. Just write one word at a time.’ So it's a practical level.”  Block time in your calendar to build time for a writing routine!  Andrea’s walkout song?  Don’t Stop Me Now - Queen