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)

Catch-up with some of the other posts in the ‘Expert Interviews’ series here.