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In this series of five articles, I cover top tips for delivering a professional, impactful presentation. Let's look at the steps to follow to secure success with 'Perfect Presentations Tip 4 – Let's get physical' and think about your body and voice. Question – What’s the best way to get the audience to listen to you and pay attention to what you are saying? Answer – you. Before you even start sharing any information, how you greet your audience and engage with them in the first 10 seconds is how you set the scene for success. This edition's tips are about the physical delivery of presentations and generating impact with your body and body language. You can have a perfectly crafted presentation with a compelling narrative and persuasive argument, but if you don’t deliver it well… it will flop and you’ll be remembered for all the wrong reasons. Sometimes, people focus so much on the content that they forget to put time into perfecting delivery. In last week’s blog Tip #3 talked about the 4 Ps of purpose, prepare, practice and persuade and today we pick up on that last point – how to project confidence and persuade your audience . Voice Do you know what you sound like? Most people don’t (and many don’t want to know), but how do you make an assessment and improve without a baseline to measure from? If someone asked you to assess their performance, wouldn’t you need to see it to have a view? Yes, you would and it’s the same with your own performance. Recording and filming will help enormously (after you get over the cringing). I talked about voice and projection in Tip #1 but it’s worth reiterating that how you stand or sit has a significant impact on how you sound. When sitting, by leaning in over a desk, you crush your lungs and the sound quality is poor. It also makes your voice ‘squashed’ and prevents you from projecting properly. Try to keep your head level or slightly up to make your voice come across clear, conveying confidence. And see the points on shoulders and breathing mentioned below. Think about voice speed and cadence too. Do you speak too quickly and sound rushed or chaotic? Are you too slow and risk sending your audience to sleep? Do you vary your tone to emphasise points and keep your audience engaged? Does your voice go up or down at the end of a paragraph to let me know that section is completed? Body & Posture Body language is incredibly powerful stuff. I’m not suggesting you get into the (fascinating) world of micro-expressions, but do think about what your face and body are doing. Is your resting face disinterested, stern, smiley or blank? Let’s take the top 4: 1 Eyes Eye contact is critical. C-R-I-T-I-C-A-L. If you are in front of people then ensure you look at your audience. Scan across the group and, as naturally as you can, make eye contact with people to reinforce your presence and build a connection. If you are on video, be sure to set up your screen so the camera is at eye level and you are looking directly into it. We’ve all been on countless video calls where participants talk at your photo not to you in the camera – don’t be one of those people. 2 Mouth Holding your resting face in a slight smile takes practice (and it makes your face ache) but it is worth thinking about how your mouth reflects what’s going on in your head. I had one client come to me for coaching on how to look more interested and be more engaging after her manager suggested she alter her usual RBF (Resting Bitch Face) expression. She had no idea that she looked so disengaged so be sure to ask for feedback from a friend or colleague about what you do with your face on screen or in front of an audience. 3 Shoulders Back. Not so you thrust your chest out or look stiff but enough that you sit or stand up straight and open your lungs to maximise oxygen intake and ease your breathing. 4 Bottom Yes, your bottom. This plays a bigger role in successful presentations than you might give it credit for! If you are sitting, sit back in your chair and rest your weight on your bottom, not on your thighs or the backs of your knees. This keeps your shoulders back and lungs open. It also stops you from fidgeting. If standing, see the point below on the ideal partnership between your bottom and feet. 5 Feet When standing for a presentation, holding a pen is a good idea (see Tip #1 ) because it stops you from waving your arms around, using them instead to signal where you are going with the narrative and to emphasise key points. To keep your body still and focus attention on the content (not you jiggling about), it also helps to put one foot slightly in front of the other and put your weight on your back foot. This keeps you grounded, your shoulders back, lungs open and head up for maximum air and projection. When you feel compelled to adjust your position simply switch your weight from one foot to the other. To emphasise a key point, open your arms and lean forward to put your weight on your front foot then lean back, close your hands back into your centre and let your audience absorb the point. If you are sitting, put your feet firmly on the ground and make them work with your bottom not against it to stabilise your body posture. Vital if you are in a swivel chair – the nemesis of the poised presenter. Breathing Tied to posture and voice is breath. Have you ever been presenting, forgotten to breathe and run out of breath at the end of your sentence? Does your voice get stuck at the top of your lungs and start to get wispy or squeaky? Then you need to breathe more and make space to breathe in your script. One technique I use is to break my content down into lines and short paragraphs and use punctuation and line spaces to show me where to breathe. In Tip #3  I talked about preparing your content and the importance of practising your words out loud. A very common mistake is to write your notes but not say them out loud. It’s when you do that that you realise where your optimal breath points are and how to use your breathing to emphasise key points. Energy I’m not referring to auras and anything hippy with this section (not that there’s anything wrong with that of course), it’s about how you project your mood and create the right tone. It’s also about how you get into the optimal mindset to give your best performance. If you need to project more confidence with your presentations then a brisk walk, running up and down stairs or some other aerobic activity pre presentation will help create more of a buzz and energise you. And it’s better than adding to your nervous energy with caffeine. The reverse works too. If you rush your presentations or are nervous, then deep breathing and relaxation techniques and/or meditation pre presentation will help slow your mind and balance your energy so you feel calm and balanced as you start to speak. Power poses can also help with getting your energy level right. Adopt a pose where you feel like a superhero and let your confidence wash over you. Recall moments in your life when you’ve felt energised and confident and let them imbue you with positive feelings. Look out for the other tips in the series on giving perfect presentations and don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like to have a chat about how to improve your presenting skills and performance. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . Photo by Anastasia Hisel on Unsplash

What lights you up and brings colour into your thinking and actions? Do you know what actually motivates you to be productive? Does your interest in something rocket when it’s new and exciting and then fall into a lull? Or do you only seem to come alive once a deadline starts breathing down your neck? For years, I thought there was something wrong with the way I worked. Some people have the self-discipline to plan, to focus for long stretches, to get their work done well before the deadline. I am… not one of those people. I get going when the pressure builds, when the clock starts ticking and the “oh no, I actually have to do this now” feeling arrives. For most of my school and working life, I assumed this was a character flaw - proof I lacked discipline or was, frankly, lazy. But as my career history clearly demonstrates, I work hard, and I don’t miss deadlines. I might be up half the night to get something done, but it does  get done. And, importantly, I’m prepared for it. I don’t leave everything to the last possible moment, and I’m not chaotic, even if it sometimes looks that way. In reality, I plan (in fact, I over-plan), I think ahead (far ahead), I make lists (too many lists), and I build structure. But my mind flits about like a butterfly on speed and staying focused can feel like trying to pin jelly to a wall. So how did I stop fighting this, and instead learn to work with  the way my brain naturally functions? I began by letting go of the idea that there was a “normal” way to be productive. I stopped comparing myself to other people whose brains seem to move in a neat, straight line. And I started asking a simple but revealing question: What actually motivates me? What gets me moving? Sometimes it’s hard to see your own patterns, so if you’re unsure, ask someone you trust. They’ll often spot things you’ve taken for granted. Through my own self-reflection, I realised three important things: I need a commitment or a deadline - an external force to spark action. Pressure creates momentum for me. I like structure, but only my structure.  I rebel against rules imposed by others, yet thrive when I build my own systems. I needed to understand and accept my motivational style.  I’m not lacking discipline. I’m not lazy. I just operate differently. Learning this was liberating. Different wasn’t bad. Different was just… different. And interestingly, once I stopped pretending to “work” during the hours when my brain simply wasn’t going to comply, I gained more time. Why sit at a screen all day forcing it when I know I write best after 4pm? Understanding my rhythm freed me to use my energy more wisely. Different People Are Motivated in Different Ways One of the biggest revelations was discovering that motivation is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Psychologists talk about several types of motivation, and once you start recognising them, things suddenly make sense. Intrinsic motivation This is when you do something because you genuinely enjoy it. Think of someone who gets a strange thrill from organising spreadsheets simply because it’s satisfying. Extrinsic motivation This is where I live -deadlines, commitments, promises, accountability. You give me a date, a deliverable, or someone waiting on me and boom , my brain switches on. Curiosity-driven (novelty) motivation Some people thrive on the “new and shiny.” A new notebook, new project, new app, new challenge, they’re energised by the excitement of beginning. Achievement motivation Some are fuelled by the joy of ticking boxes, reaching goals, beating personal bests. They’re the ones who sign up for a marathon six months out and train religiously because the achievement motivates them. Routine-based motivation These people love consistency. They thrive when they follow the same morning routine every day, or when they work in predictable blocks that create momentum through habit rather than excitement. Most of us don’t rely on just one of these—we cycle through them depending on mood, energy, stress levels, and what else is happening in our lives. Recognising that you have a motivation cycle  rather than a fixed identity can be a huge relief. The Emotional Side of Motivation What often gets overlooked is that motivation is emotional. Some people need curiosity, some need joy, some need calm, and some, like me, need pressure. Others are motivated by the desire not to let someone down. Emotions signal the brain to start moving. Once I understood that adrenaline, accountability and obligation were powerful motivators for me, I stopped fighting them and began designing my workflow around them. How I Use My Motivational Style Now Since discovering I’m externally motivated, I’ve started putting external forces in place, even when they’re only promises I’ve made to myself. I use lists. I cross off tasks because the visual progress motivates me. I write notes in a digital notebook because the formatting and changes I can make give me clarity that paper and pen never do (the page gets too messy and I spend time re-doing it - hello more procrastination and distraction). I crave an empty desk and an inbox with nothing lurking inside. Those small wins spur me on. If you find it hard to create accountability for yourself, ask someone else to do it. Tell them what you will do, and when, and ask them to check in. This alone can make all the difference. And yes, maybe consider a coach. Someone who can help you identify your style and build a structure that plays to your strengths. I should know! How to Discover Your Own Motivational Style If you’re unsure what motivates you, experiment with questions like: When do I naturally feel focused? What kind of work feels easy, even when it’s hard? Do I start strong but fade? Or start slowly and finish with a flourish? Do I need variety- or predictability? Do I work better when someone else is expecting something from me? Understanding your own patterns can completely change how productive, and how peaceful, you feel. Understanding what drives you doesn’t just help you get more done, it helps you feel more at ease with who you are. You stop forcing, stop faking “productivity,” and stop comparing yourself to people whose brains operate differently. Instead, you build systems that match your rhythm. And once you do that, motivation stops being a struggle and becomes something far more useful: a tool that finally works for you, not against you. If you find it hard to make yourself accountable in this way then ask someone else to do it – tell them what you are going to do, by when and ask them to hold you to your commitment. Maybe a coach. They’re good at helping you recognise what works for you. I should know! Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you’d like a clear, UK-based overview of the psychology behind motivation, the British Psychological Society offers a helpful explanation . To receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . Photo by  Robert Katzki  on Unsplash

Is your thinking going in the right direction? How can you tell? Our world is a different place these days and it’s perfectly normal to feel unsettled and in need of a change. Lots of you want to make this change in your work life and take a different path in your career, but is it the right thing to do? If you’re considering a move, ask yourself my '5 helpful questions if you’re thinking about leaving your job' to clarify why you want to leave your current role, what you want to do instead and how you will manage the transition. 1 What is it that I don’t like or enjoy anymore? Assess your current position as this is your starting point for any change or goal. You took your job for a reason, presumably because you wanted it or believed it would reward you with new challenges, an opportunity to learn and grow or more money. Go back to why you took it and then look at what is different now – is it the role itself? The team or your manager? The company? How you are managed? How you’re recognised, rewarded and/or respected for what you do? Try to pinpoint the exact reason or reasons why you are no longer enjoying what you do. 2 What do you want more/less of? This will be your future destination and is closely tied to the first question. Fundamentally, what is it that you want to be different? Be specific, very specific. Thinking, “I’d like more challenge” or “I want to work with an engaged team” is a great starting point but you need to be precise to identify what isn’t working for you now and what would need to happen for your needs and desires to be met. If it’s about money, how much is ‘more’? 2K, 10K? Be specific. Take a number, try it out in your mind or make notes. What do you want more money for – practical costs or because you feel you are worth more? Find the lowest number that you would look at and then identify the highest, being realistic about the parameters for a role, sector or location. If it’s less quantifiable than a monetary figure, think about what it would look and feel like. Again, try things out and then, and this is crucial: Rank them in order of importance. If you don’t then you’ll struggle to identify target roles, companies and sectors and could invest a lot of energy with little result and no change. 3 Is it really about the job? I know I’m not the only person who has felt restless, bored and longing for something more exciting over the past year or so. In fact, earlier this year, I was so utterly fed up, I was imagining changing my job completely. I felt underappreciated, irritated and stuck. Coming from me, a career coach, it took me somewhat by surprise! I help clients who are stuck to get unstuck and yet I’d done some of the very things I steer clients away from. It was a useful lesson though because I realised pretty quickly that it wasn’t the work or the clients, it was me and where my life was – family Christmas all prepared but cancelled last minute, grey skies and January blues, no real plans or goals to motivate me…all combined to put me in a low place. But I love my job. I get to help people realise what they are good at, what they love and how to move their careers forward. And I know from the results we generate together that it works. On the personal front, it also enables a lifestyle I treasure and would not wish to change. Factors that impact our mental wellbeing and stress can come from work, but they are not the only source. Talking to other people, I wasn’t alone and realised that quitting my job probably wasn’t going to change much. It’s perfectly natural to feel disconnected, discontent and restless after two years of uncertainty, change and isolation, unable to do things that we have always taken for granted and coming out of Covid only to witness more catastrophic world events. So, talk to people. How do they feel about their jobs? I think you’ll find sentiments that echo yours – and where mine were – but stop and ask yourself and others, is it really the job? If it’s specifically your job that is causing you stress and impacting your everyday life – sleep, wellbeing and relationships – then it could be time to change. But please be sure before you take any major decisions. Our jobs have been a key focus, setting the rhythm and keeping us moving forward in a time of stasis with literally nothing else happening, so isn’t it natural that they would be the thing we think is the problem? But would a different job really be the answer? It’s still a job. Or do we need to look at the whole picture, think bigger, change focus, set goals and find purpose to reconnect us to the world again? 4 Would a smaller change bring the same result? Thinking about your answers to questions 1 and 2, is it the whole of your job that is the source of the problem? Are there other things you could look at – and perhaps try – to make your current job or situation better before you decide to resign? Would a reduction in hours spent on Teams or Zoom calls give you time back to get your job done? Changing your working pattern? Saying no (nicely) sometimes instead of always saying yes or assuming you need to do everything yourself? Mapping what you do, how you do it, where you spend your time (or have it sucked away) and who you interact with is a great way to do some root cause analysis of what’s triggering your unhappiness with your job. Talking to someone objective can help too. You’d be surprised what comes up when I first start speaking to clients about their concerns and pain points. Often a safe environment to download in where they can explore anxieties and issues without judgment releases a huge amount of tension and provides a clearer perspective. Talking does help. Acknowledging you’re struggling and or unhappy is very therapeutic,that but not everyone has the support network they need or an audience who can listen without offering what they feel are helpful suggestions! Very quickly, for some of my clients, it becomes apparent there are one or two triggers, rather than it being the whole job. Then we can start to tackle those to improve the situation. The more you can laser in on issues and pin them down, the more you can find solutions. 5 What would I lose? Work isn’t just about the nuts and bolts of doing your job, it brings with it a host of other things – being needed, drive, connectivity, learning, relationships, structure, purpose…and let’s not forget money and rewards. Of course, there are factors outside of your control – you can’t singlehandedly fix workplace culture or bump pay scales, but there may be things you can raise with your manager and/or leadership team. Reflect on the positive side of your job, company and situation before you make your decision. There may be adjustments or compromises that offer a workable solution. If you are considering what’s next and/or looking for a new role or direction, then why not get in touch for a chat about how some sessions of Career Therapy could help you? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . Header photo by  Ben Robbins  on  Unsplash Main text photo by  Brett Jordan  on  Unsplash

Stay sharp - ensure your CV is ready to use when you need it. Let’s be honest: most of us dread writing or updating our CV. It can feel awkward, overwhelming, or like a tedious admin task. (Read more about that here ). But the truth is, a little discomfort now can lead to a lot of growth later and no regrets about potential missed opportunities. Think of it as a confidence workout. Yes, it takes effort. But it can also remind you of your achievements, clarify your direction, and put you in the driver’s seat of your career. Why is it important to keep your CV up to date? Here are four reasons. – Your CV is your passport, your gateway to new, more challenging, more fulfilling roles. Without a strong, up-to-date CV, you're not just stuck - you're invisible. Even if you're not actively job hunting, opportunities often come when you're not expecting them. Having a current CV ready means you can say yes with confidence to having exploratory conversations, knowing you are ready to go when the right thing comes along. – Regular maintenance is good for your car, so why not run a career MOT? Is your career performing well? Does your CV need a tune-up? We service our cars regularly, but when was the last time you serviced your career? Updating your CV is a smart way to assess whether things are still running smoothly. Are you using your skills to their full potential? Do you still feel energised by your role? This is your chance to make small adjustments or major realignments before burnout or boredom set in. – It’s an opportunity to take stock. Putting your experience on the page forces you to reflect: Are you where you thought you'd be? Are you still growing? What’s missing, and what do you want more of? This kind of career self-awareness can be a catalyst for change. Maybe you’ve outgrown your role. Maybe your values have shifted. A CV update can spark important decisions about what’s next. – It becomes your personal performance review, like an annual appraisal. We often forget our wins, especially the quiet ones. Writing your CV means digging into your achievements, recognising your growth and reminding yourself of how far you’ve come. It’s also a great way to track your development over time and ensure your story reflects who you are today, not just who you were five years ago. Ask yourself: What have I achieved? What progress have I made? What’s next? Is it time to update your CV? Not sure how to start? You don’t need to overhaul everything in one go. Even 30 minutes of reflection or a few bullet points updated to show outcomes is progress. And if you’d like help shaping your experience into a clear, confident narrative that gets results, I can help with that too. Let's review your current CV and see how to get it into shape. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Photo by Behnam Norouzi for Unsplash+

Learn how to feed your concentration to maximise your time, energy and output Some people claim there is no such thing as multitasking and others say it is, in fact, unproductive . Certainly, we have different ways of working and there is more than one way to achieve a result. And a great way to get results is to pinpoint how to feed your concentration. I start lots of things, work on them concurrently and appear to work in chaos, some random (dis)order that only makes sense to me. The most notable characteristic of how I work is jumping from one activity to another as my brain sparks with ideas. Right now, for example, I’m writing two blogs, hopping between one and the other as ideas come to me. (I’m also doing a jigsaw, but I’ll explain that later on). Productive? It doesn’t seem it should be, but it is. How? Because I know how my brain works, and I work with , not against it. It might look like chaos to an outsider, but I thrive on it. To a point. The proactive juggling keeps my brain busy, switching from one thing to another sparks my interest and that in turn creates momentum and positive pressure that motivates me. My brain is a busy place. And it gets distracted. I get bored easily and crave new or different things to occupy me, so in order to get things done, I entertain and feed my brain. I work in chunks of time, it might be an hour, it might be two minutes, and I use a contrasting activity as a break, a time to refresh my concentration. I call these contrasting activities ‘sorbet tasks.’ Like a sorbet course in a meal, the ‘sorbet task’ cleanses my brain of what I was doing and sets it up refreshed and ready to do the next thing. A transition task might be five minutes spent reading, five minutes checking email or 10 minutes having a cuppa or putting the washing out. Whatever it is doesn’t really matter, as long as you change focus – and put your active/work brain on pause to allow your other thoughts to develop and appear. It's about taking time to think. My personal favourite sorbet task is tidying. Probably as an antidote to the chaos and pressure I generate to get my brain fired up, clearing things away for five minutes and creating order soothes my brain and helps me switch gears. In addition, I use it as a way to catalogue what I’ve done and what there is to do. If there’s nothing left to tidy, I do a bit of a digital jigsaw. Tidying is taking control, smoothing rough edges and allowing my brain muscles to stretch. But some people stay too long on one task and more than that, they struggle to switch context. This is where multitasking can be unproductive, but sorbet activities can be useful here too. They can be an enforced break, built into a schedule to help build time management skills and make a new habit - like the Pomodoro technique . A time to switch off from one activity before starting the next and consciously stopping thinking about one thing to create space to switch focus to another. But the challenge for the multi-firing of us whose brains don't work in logical or straight lines is what you do with the break time. Chunking time is a regular conversation topic with clients when we look at time management and productivity, especially those struggling to get things done because they are always so busy. My clients find that understanding how their brain works and identifying ways to take more control of what they do, how they do it and when they do it is the route to sustainable success. Identifying and introducing personalised 'sorbet' tasks is a good (and proven) way to help you move from one activity to another, closing off the previous task and getting mentally ready for the next one through distraction and space. They help you make the transition, be more productive and stay focused more effectively. Another aspect is whether you are multitasking or procrastinating. Thinking you are busy - or too busy to act - isn't about getting things done. It's the avoidance of doing something. Multitasking can work, but only if you are doing the tasks, not spending your time and energy jumping and switching between them to avoid doing something else. If you find yourself procrastinating, ask yourself if you need one or more of these three things to enable action: Information Motivation Validation If you’d like help to identify ways in which you could be more productive and/or less overwhelmed by busy-ness, why not try a session of Career Therapy? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control .  Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

Follow the 4 Ps for perfect presentations. And add 'patience' to the list In this series of five articles, I cover top tips for delivering a professional, impactful presentation. Let's look at the steps to follow to secure success with Perfect Presentations Tip 3 – The 4Ps. Presentations are a common feature of our working lives. Being able to articulate clear, engaging messages is a great skill, but one not many of us naturally possess. However, you can learn and improve, and it’s not as difficult as you think. Yes, you have to overcome nerves and fear, but the more you know, the more you grow your confidence and the more those fears disappear (or at least take a back seat). So here are the four Ps for perfect, powerful presentations. Purpose Why are you doing the presentation? The answer might well be “I’ve been asked to” but taking the time to think about the purpose and getting into the detail behind the ‘why’ can reap huge rewards and set you up for success. You also want to avoid any surprises, so try to prepare for any unknowns and leave as little space as possible for error. Firstly, think about the reason for the presentation. Is it to inform or instruct? To persuade or engage? The reason will drive your approach and the content. It might also influence the delivery mechanism or style. Secondly, who is the audience? Your aim is to connect with your audience rather than just talk at them, so who are they? What do they want to know? What do they already know? As with all good communications, it’s about saying what you want to say in a way that your audience wants to and is ready to hear it, so do your research and think about who you’re targeting. Prepare Prep needs to be divided into content and visuals and you need to prepare thoroughly for both. I’ve seen far too many presentations fail because people have assumed that they’ll know what to say as they flip through their slides. Some people do this really well, but they are the minority, so set yourself up for success and think about what you want to say, where and when. What are your primary messages? What needs to be said about them? What is already known/implied that you can allude to but don’t need to cover? Map out what you want to say, put the points in order and develop your script or talking points so your points are clear and concise. You don’t necessarily need to write your script word for word, but have your key points down so you’ll convey the information clearly in a structured way with confidence. Visuals take a lot of effort to prepare and get right – fiddling with boxes and font alignment on slides needs focus and time, so make sure you factor that into your prep schedule. Don’t leave these to the last minute, or you’ll be cringing and you’ll throw yourself off-kilter when you see a spelling mistake on-screen or notice that your font sizes don’t match! Practise Just what it says. Run through your presentation a few times – out loud. This is critical to presentation success because it’s only when we hear text said out loud that we know if it flows. Don’t rely on written notes alone because you don’t know where you might stumble. Early on in my career, I realised at a (very) important conference that I got tongue-tied when I had to say verisimilitude. It’s a tough word at the best of times, but I’d read it in my mind multiple times and assumed it would be fine out loud. It wasn’t and I was mortified when a member of the audience interrupted and said it for me. So, learn from my errors and get vocal and familiar with your content. Even better, try your presentation out on a willing colleague or friend – just because it makes sense to you doesn’t mean it will make sense to others. And this is also a chance to check your tone, posture and speed. Cringeworthy for many, but very powerful and effective for self-awareness and improvement, is to record yourself. Even better, film yourself! It's not fun for most people, but if you don't know how you look and sound, how can you hope to connect with and impress your audience? Feedback is not your enemy here - fear is. The more you know, the more you can fix. And if it’s really bad, try some presentation coaching. Persuade with passion A somewhat overused word, passion is important for presentations because, without it, no one will be interested. Think about it – how many presentations have you been to that should be interesting and aren’t because the speaker is dull? If they aren’t engaging, how can you be engaged? Optimise your body language and inject some energy and enthusiasm into what you are saying to convince your audience that you are worth listening to. If presenting fills you with dread, why not book a session of Career Therapy to help you overcome your fears and help you move forward? Presenting is a skill and it can be taught – trust me, I know, because I had to learn how to do it and now I do it well. I still don’t love it, I still feel self-conscious, but no one knows that! Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk And look at the other articles and tips on presentations here on the website. Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . Photo by Pierre Bamin on Unsplash

In this series of five articles, I cover top tips for delivering a professional, impactful presentation. Let's focus on Perfect Presentations Tip 2 – 5 Steps for when you are asked to give a presentation during an interview. Build your skills and confidence to face an audience and present with impact Interviews can be stressful and certainly require a lot of detailed preparation. If that’s not enough to worry about,…then you are asked to give a presentation. Why? Well, presentations serve two core functions in the interviewing process. They showcase both your knowledge of a topic or process and your skills, whether that’s your ability to synthesise information, to speak with confidence, to influence and explain and to stay calm under pressure. Like lots of seemingly stressful and insurmountable obstacles to persuading someone of your general wonderfulness and getting hired, there are clear steps and actions to make the experience easier and more impactful. 1 Clarity Get absolute clarity from the recruiter or hiring manager on the what, how, when, with and why. Ask lots of questions to get the direction and information you need so you can properly and fully prepare. Plus, this shows you have a strategic brain, can ask the right questions and are not just taking information at face value. Include the practicalities as well – who will attend, on what platform and what package should the materials be in? Will you need to send slides or materials in advance? Don’t leave room for error or assumption. Be fully prepared so there are no surprises. 2 Thinking Yes, thinking. Not jumping into preparing. Take your time to think about what you’ve been asked to do, why and what it is the audience is looking for. Perhaps check in with peers or contacts who might have been through the same process or who can provide insight on what may be expected. Candidates often rush or miss out this step and it comes back to bite them, so put time on one side to really think about the what, why and how. 3 Preparation This is the doing bit. Sketch out the structure, add in the key points you want to make and start to draft content. As you do that, remember this is an interview so try to integrate examples from your career to showcase your knowledge, skills and experience and connect what you have to offer to the job requirements. The conclusion or recommendations at the end are a great place to offer insight into how you see the role progressing (with you in it). Prepare supporting notes that you can have on one side should you be asked to go into greater detail. Keep your visuals brief, highlighting key messages and data points only to keep attention on what you are saying. 4 Practise Practise again. Record yourself. Then practise some more. Practise with someone else and get feedback. You get the message. Make sure you run to time and know your content. Speak out loud when you practise so you find the flow with your words, editing or removing and phrasing or words that interrupt that flow. You don’t need to memorise your script but you do need to be able to speak with confidence. 5 Deliver And think about doing it like a tour guide. Set the scene as to what you are going to show the audience and then take them on the tour. Indicate as you go, pointing out key messages – “as you can see here…”. Your aim is to highlight and inform, not to describe what your audience already knows or can see in front of them. Like a guide, give your audience a few seconds to absorb the information, make your point and move on, signposting where you are going next. In your delivery, harness the power of the pause, steady your breathing and remember to keep eye contact with your audience. That’s it. Five steps to giving a hire-worthy presentation. If you are struggling with your preparation or practice, why not get in touch and see where a session of Career Therapy can take you? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Check out my other articles on interviews  and presentations  as well as on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . And utilise these tips from the job board, Indeed. Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

A large part of my work as a career coach is helping people get unstuck. Some don’t know what to do next, some are avoiding deciding that and some have too many options to choose from. One theme that emerges for women time and again is that they feel less than because they aren't a specialist or expert. You can be interested and have expertise in multiple areas Some years back, I had an ‘Aha!’ moment when I read the book, What Do I Do When I Want to Do Everything? by Barbara Sher. It’s a book for ”Everyone who feels they want to do too many things and can’t choose just one. It helps people understand that they do not have to focus on one thing – that they can love many different things and do them all.” Finally! I wasn’t flighty or unfocused, I was what Sher terms a ‘scanner’, someone who has many interests and wants to do different things. Being interested in and wanting to do many different things has a number of names. For me it is being an everythingist. For others, it is polymath, multi-passionate, generalist or multipotentialite . What is interesting to me, though, is the legacy of negativity being an everythingist brings – I’ve been called a dabbler, jack of all trades, generalist, amateur, and, worryingly, a non-expert. I've even been called a flibberjibbet , putting me in the space of a foolish and flighty woman. Where does this come from and how do we challenge and move beyond it to celebrate diversity of experience, abilities and wants? Being an expert Females multitask. It’s a well-known phenomenon, but it doesn’t mean we aren’t focused. And it certainly doesn't mean we can't be experts in multiple things. What we do is multi-focus and some of the most successful women I know successfully operate across highly compex and diverse contexts. So, where does the myth of the expert or specialist being superior to the capable generalist and multitasker come from? There is bias in history and in society that has contributed to the view of expertise being associated more with men and for me, it is important to understand and challenge these stereotypes to make sure that honed expertise and multi-expertise are recognised and valued equally regardless of gender. Some historical gender biases come from these sources: Gender Roles: Society has historically assigned specific roles and responsibilities to men and women. In many cases, men were encouraged to have careers and education, which could lead to expertise in various fields, while women were confined to (multitasking, multiskilled) domestic roles. Representation: Men have traditionally dominated fields such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), along with philosophy and medicine, which require specialised knowledge and expertise and have generated the ‘boffin’ and ‘genius’ male tropes. Stereotypes: Gender stereotypes can influence the way people view others’ competence and expertise. There is an enduring stereotype that we have still to counter that associates men with qualities like leadership, analytical thinking and problem-solving, which are often associated with expertise. Generalist over specialist We need to challenge the view that you’re “not an expert” if you have multiple roles, abilities or even multiple careers. If you speak many languages, you’re multilingual and that is seen as enviable, so why can’t we also be multi-expert? Being able to do many different things is not a negative, not by a long way, in fact, it should be seen as a superpower! Challenging the idea that being a generalist is inferior to being a specialist and promoting the idea of multitasking in careers, particularly for women, involves addressing historical bias and promoting the advantages of a multi-faceted, multi-skilled approach to your professional life. A successful career doesn’t mean you need to focus solely on one thing. If you have multiple capabilities, interests and passions, follow these in your career and life to make sure you are doing a job you are happy in and are energised by it and your other interests. If we invest all of our worth and identity in one thing, then that’s putting all of our eggs in one basket, which is pretty risky. We should always challenge stereotypes that undervalue generalists and multitaskers, particularly if they disproportionately affect women. You can follow your passions, no matter how many of them you have. Be an everythingist. And be proud of it. Let's celebrate being everythingists. If you’d like to think differently about how you work and how you identify what you do, why not try a session of Career Therapy? Let’s rethink multitasking from under-appreciation to a superpower and see how embracing that can build your confidence and move your career forward. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Check out my other articles on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . Photo by Muriel Liu on Unsplash

A pen is the perfect prop to focus your presentation In this series of five articles, I cover top tips for delivering a professional, impactful presentation. Let's start with Perfect Presentations Tip 1 – The Pen. It’s interesting how many people like to talk but don’t like to listen to themselves. And how many people don’t know what they sound like. Back in my twenties, I was surprised when I heard myself on someone’s answering machine and realised I sounded like Minnie Mouse on speed. Was my voice really that high and fast? Not long after, evidence emerged that it really was that high when I called for an ambulance and the operator asked me in a gentle voice, “Is your mummy there?” assuming I was far, far younger than my 24 years. I put that assumption down to being in pain and needing an ambulance and moved on. Or so I thought. What I realised over the years is that I had both slowed down the way I speak and lowered my voice. Partly in an attempt to lessen my accent (this was a long time before regional accents were deemed acceptable) and partly to emulate the people I admired at work, most of whom were much older than me. During a group coaching session a few years later, something happened that opened my eyes to how the way we speak can impact our ability to communicate and be understood. There’s nothing quite like being filmed giving a presentation and having to watch it back with a group of (not very supportive) colleagues to open your eyes to the way in which you come across. Surprisingly, it wasn’t my voice that lowered my performance score. That seemed OK. I spoke clearly and time seemed to have dulled the high-pitched edge, but… I waved my hands around. A LOT. So much so that no one focused on what I’d been saying, and all the feedback was about how distracting my hands had been. Clearly, I needed to keep evolving and make some changes. Being me, I researched. I studied body language articles, communication textbooks and then started to look online at successful speakers. I didn’t want to adopt the slightly odd Tony Blair “puppet hands” approach, so I settled instead for a pen. How does that work? Hold a pen loosely with one hand at either end. Don't let go. Your focus stays centred when you’re talking, and you aren’t flinging your energy - or your point - around the room. It works standing or sitting. Genius. Problem solved. I still gesticulate a bit (I am still me, after all), but at least now it tends to be with more emphasis on key points and with more certainty than in my arm-waving days. But, back to voices, I was phone coaching for interviews a few weeks ago and asked my client if he was sitting. Yes, he was. I asked him to stand and try his interview answer again. The difference was immense. Gone was the mumbling, gone was the deflated tone and gone was the monotone delivery. By standing, more air was coming into his lungs, removing the deflated, flat sound. His upright head made his voice clearer and he sounded much more confident. Not sure that he could register the difference, I suggested that he record himself speaking in both poses and he was stunned by the difference. Of course, it’s not always possible to stand on a video call or in a meeting, but we can apply the same principles – shoulders back and down, chest open and head up. All of those acts make a difference. Try it. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re interviewing. As a transition coach, I work with a lot of people now who have been made redundant and are feeling deflated. With each, I go back to a time when they felt confident and get that version of themselves to speak so they can reconnect with their strengths. Once we’ve achieved that, I ask them to record themselves and, for the brave, to film themselves. Like the pen, this simple technique produces incredible results. I’ve worked with very few people who would willingly submit to being filmed or recorded. I understand why, but based on my own experience and the experience of 100s of clients, I try to convince them that they really would benefit from seeing how others see and hear them, and from making a few changes to boost their presence. If you’d like to be more confident at interviews or in presentations, why not try a session of Career Therapy? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Check out my other articles on interviews and presentations as well as on careers and confidence:   You can grow your confidence ,   Pick your shine time ,   5 steps to building confidence  and   Want more confidence? Take control . And find more tips in this article on using body language . Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Photo by Syed Hussaini on Unsplash

Take control to be more confident Confidence is made up of several parts and one of those parts is control. When you feel more in control, you have more confidence. Want more confidence? Take control.   There are things you can control (your thoughts, actions and reactions) and things you can try to influence (other people’s thoughts, actions and reactions) and the rest of the universe that you have no control or influence over, despite your hardest efforts or wishes (the weather, keeping the cat off the kitchen counter, etc).   In psychology speak, this is called ‘ locus of control ’ and describes how we feel about the control of a situation. An internal  locus of control is when we feel we have a strong effect on what is happening. An external  locus of control is when we perceive that other people or factors are controlling the situation.   This idea of how we feel about control (and where it is/who has it) has a strong relationship with confidence. Our confidence understandably grows when we perceive we have control over what is happening. Conversely, that confidence shrinks when we feel like things are happening beyond our control and, even worse, get ‘out   of control’.   You feel more confident when you have control based on experience, like travelling somewhere new. Once you’ve done it the first time, your confidence grows and the negative naysayers in your head get less airtime. You can’t control the weather or if the train shows up on time, but you can control many other aspects of the journey and feel confident about it. We feel more confident when we are in control because we know what we are doing and what is expected. We know we have the knowledge/skills/resources required by the situation.  With different and evolving situations in the workplace, control is something that we may or may not always completely have, or even be close to having. As our confidence is strongly linked to how much we might feel in control of a situation, this locus of control can have a large impact on our approach to a situation and how we feel about it.   When we feel that we are capable of changing a situation, we brim with confidence, set a goal and a plan for achieving it, develop strategies, trust ourselves and our methods and remove the doubt that can get in the way of our aims and action. The mental naysayers get zero airtime. But when we place too much emphasis on what we cannot control, we push that locus of control away from us, lose confidence and create a more difficult environment for us to succeed in. We lose belief, we second-guess and we procrastinate. And the naysayers in our head win. Even if we cannot control all aspects of a situation, we can control our reactions to it.  “My boss is making me have sleepless nights,” said a client last week. No, they aren’t, thought I. They aren’t at your house poking you with a stick whilst you wriggle about under the duvet. You (client) are allowing  your boss to have control over the situation. You are giving up your control because you don’t feel  or think you have any choice. And when we probed further, it became clear that part of the wider situation causing the sleepless nights is that the client felt their confidence was being eroded by this person they had handed their control over to.   So, how do they take it back? They choose to. If we decide to stop reacting and handing over control, quite simply, we have more control. Give less away = keep more. And that will impact how we see a situation and reframe what is happening.   Your confidence can be raised by taking more control. (And limiting air time for the naysayers).   Confidence can  be changed and working on locus of control is one aspect that I focus on with my clients. The aim is to guide you to see more clearly where you are in the workplace structure and culture, so you can identify and ask for what you want and control the direction that your career is taking.   You can’t always change things, but you can change how you react to them – and how you feel and think about them. Shifting your perception of who has control – and taking more control – enables you to feel stronger and increase your confidence, positively impacting your workplace situation and helping you feel happier and more capable at work. It’s work I do with my clients every week and they say it gets results.   A session of Career Therapy with me as your coach can help you take control and see where the opportunities are to think, feel and act differently about what is going on around you. Let's explore how with a free intro chat.   Click on 'Book a call' anywhere on the website or email me: louise@careertherapy.co.uk   And don't forget to check out other posts on Career Therapy Instagram and LinkedIn for more impactful confidence-boosting tips and tools, including this one on how to grow your confidence .   What's stopping you? Think about how having just a little more control would feel...and what you'd feel able to do. These tips from Calm on taking control of your life can also help you find balance and build resilience. If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support grounded in years of coaching experience...and real life. Photo on  Unsplash

Do you know how to stand out at an interview? If you are in the process of interviews, then you will be focused on this question and you may be asked it directly. Here's how to answer: "Why should we hire you over other candidates?" So, how do you stand out in a crowd when you don’t know who makes up that crowd, but you do know that they have similar skills and experience to you? It might sound like a difficult thing to do, but it’s actually a great question to be asked because it gives you a forum to show just how amazing you are across the four key criteria for being a good hire: You have the skills, experience and knowledge to do the job You can make a positive impact and deliver results You’ll have shared values and will be a good cultural fit for the immediate team and wider business You have the passion and commitment to be successful, which you can demonstrate by showing a strong understanding of what is required in the role Create an answer that covers these areas with an eye (as always) to the job description and company website. Given that you and the other candidates have point 1 covered – otherwise you wouldn’t have got the interview – focus here on specifics and combinations of skills, experience and knowledge from your career that make you unique. And if you’ve already answered questions around skills and experience, briefly recap what you said and focus instead on the other areas. Being prepared, calm and confident will make you stand out too, so be sure to invest the time and effort to create and practise your script. If you’d like to grow your confidence in interviewing or would like help preparing your scripts, why not get in touch and see how a session of Career Therapy can help you? Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Check out my other articles on interview success , including 'Tell me about yourself' and 'Why do you want to work here?' And the Harvard Business Review article on how to answer the 'Why should we hire you?' question. Why not follow me for more career confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support, grounded in years of coaching experience - and real life. Photo by Getty Images on Unsplash

Warm up for interview success - body, mind and voice Do you warm up before you run? Stretch as you start a yoga session? Ever thought of doing that before an interview? If not, why not? It could give you the edge. Let's talk about the importance of warming up for interview success. I prep my clients for interviews and hold mock sessions to see how they perform. Even with the most diligent preparations for content, about 80% of the time, clients hit their stride after 20-30 minutes, which is too late on the day to make a good impression. So, what’s the answer? Warm up and be ready to GO! In addition to your content prep, plan for mind and body prep: Mind – Identify a time when you felt confident. Relive that moment, how it felt to be there, how you felt…let that strength fill you up. Tell yourself how confident you feel. Voice – I’m not suggesting yodelling, gargling or operatic scales but warming up your vocal chords is vital to establishing flow and projecting confidence. Talk to yourself (or someone else) for 10-15 minutes before the interview, ideally about something you feel positive and confident about. Or try these acting techniques . Posture – You’ve already made sure your camera is at eye level (you have, haven’t you?) and that your chair is the right height for/distance from the camera. You know to sit with your weight on your thighs, not your bottom to keep you from fidgeting (you’ve practised, haven’t you?), so what else do you need to do? Rolling your shoulders and stretching your neck is good so you release any tension and don’t start the interview looking scrunched. Lungs – Breathing techniques help to regulate nerves and your voice will sound stronger if you open your chest up. Try pulling your shoulder blades together and see what a difference it makes to keeping your voice steady, lower and slower. You have to be ready to make that great first impression. If you don’t grab your interviewer's attention right away with strong presence, you’ll lose them; they will already have made their mind up about you. Be warmed up and ready when you go into that room, or join that call. Practice all the above, then do it again. Get a friend to help you, or try some action-focused coaching sessions to feel ready and confident to ace the interview. If you’d like some help to get interview-ready and warm up for success, why not get in touch and see how a session of Career Therapy can help you? Book a free intro call and let’s chat. Click ‘Book a call’ on the website for a free intro call or email me at louise@careertherapy.co.uk Check out my other interview advice and tips. Why not follow me for more confidence-boosting tips, tools and talks: LinkedIn   Louise Newton Instagram   @career_therapy_uk If you'd like to receive no-fluff, practical insights direct to your inbox, why not sign up for the twice-monthly   Career Therapy Newsletter ? It’s packed full of thoughtful career support grounded in years of coaching experience...and real life. Photo by Kateryna Hliznitsova | Unsplash