My Interview with Barry Brophy
A couple of weeks ago I called to University College Dublin for a chat with Barry Brophy. Barry has nearly two decades of experience helping people make presentations in both the private sector and as a college lecturer. He has developed specialist Masters Courses at UCD that run across all disciplines. Barry is also the author of The Natural Presenter – Turning Conversations into Presentations, published in 2007, and a new book Awful Presentations: Why We Have Them and How to Put Them Right.
During my chat with Barry we discuss:
- His transition from engineering into the area of teaching presentation skills (2.12)
- The different approaches taken by students when making presentations (5.54)
- Cultural silos faced by professionals when delivering a business presentation (8.32)
- How to avoid providing too much information when you present (10.45)
- The biggest mistake made by people in their approach to presentations (13.20)
- Using conversational skills to connect with an audience (17.23)
- The importance of eye contact when making a presentation (21.05)
- The initial steps for building confidence as a beginner speaker (26.25)
- Something Barry has changed his mind about in the last few years (36.23)
- The worst advice he often sees or hears being dispensed (37.06)
- Advice Barry would you give to his 25-year-old self (38.43)
For more great advice check out barrybrophy.com.
Catch-up with some of the other posts in the ‘Expert Interviews’ series here.