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Phoenix Public Speaking coaching and workshops

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Keeping everyone engaged during your hybrid business meeting

In today’s workplace, hybrid meetings are the norm. A mix of in-person and virtual attendees can bring flexibility and inclusivity, but they also present a challenge for presenters: how to make sure those tuning in remotely feel just as included as those in the room.

It’s easy to focus on the faces right in front of you and unintentionally overlook the virtual participants. The result? Remote attendees disengage, multitask, or feel left out of the conversation. To prevent this, here are seven strategies to help you connect with your virtual audience and keep them actively engaged.

1. Greet Your Virtual Attendees First

When you open the meeting, acknowledge the people joining remotely. A simple welcome—“I see we’ve got folks online, glad you’re here!”—sets the tone that they matter.

2. Use Names and Direct Questions

Calling on virtual participants by name helps pull them into the conversation. Instead of asking, “Any thoughts?” try: “Alex, what’s your take on this?” This makes it clear you value their input.

3. Design for Two Audiences

Slides, handouts, and visuals should work both in the room and on screen. Use larger fonts, avoid clutter, and check that remote attendees can see everything clearly. If possible, send handouts to virutal participants in advance so they can print them.

4. Leverage Chat and Reactions

Encourage online participants to use the chat, polls, or reaction buttons. Assign someone in the room to monitor chat so virtual comments aren’t overlooked.

5. Check In Regularly

Pause periodically to ask if remote attendees have questions or insights. This prevents them from becoming silent observers.

6. Use Technology to Your Advantage

Tools like digital whiteboards, breakout rooms, and polling apps can level the playing field so everyone—onsite or remote—can collaborate meaningfully.

7. Close with Inclusion

Wrap up by summarizing contributions from both in-person and virtual participants. This reinforces that everyone played a role in the discussion.

At Phoenix Public Speaking, we teach AAA speaking: It’s Always About the Audience. Hybrid meetings succeed when all audience feel involved. By intentionally engaging your virtual audience, you strengthen collaboration, build trust, and ensure that all voices—no matter where they’re calling in from—are heard.

To Present Like a Pro – Prepare Like a Pro

Trick question: When does a presentation begin? When you start speaking to the audience, you say. Actually, it’s the moment you accept an invitation to speak or get the assignment. That’s because that’s when you start preparing. And know this: 90% of how well your presentation goes depends on how well you prepare. Preparation the secret weapon of every successful speaker and business presenter. It gives you confidence, reduces surprises, and sets you up to deliver with clarity and impact. Here’s how to get it right.

Step One: Visualize the Entire Event

Early in my process, I do something a little unusual—I close my eyes and mentally walk through every detail of the presentation. It’s like a mental dress rehearsal. Regardless of the room size, do a thorough site inspection with the meeting planner or appropriate person and then ask:

  • Where will I be just before I speak?

  • Is there a stage? Are there stairs?

  • Is there a lectern? Can it hold my laptop, notes, and water?

  • Who’s introducing me? Have I given them a written script?

  • What’s the seating like? Can I move around the audience?

  • Will the lighting allow me to see my notes?

  • What kind of microphone will I use? Do I need a belt and/or jacket for a clip-on? (See Your Microphone Matters)

  • Where will my laptop be set? Do I need any cables or adapters?

  • Am I familiar with the technology in the room? Is there wi-fi? How do I connect my laptop to the projector? Does the technology accommodate my presentation if it has sound?
  • Will any members of the audience be remote? Do I need to email them any handouts?

Visualizing these details helps you uncover anything you’ve overlooked—before it becomes a problem. It also helps you prepare emotionally. It’s simple, but powerful.

Step Two: Know Your Audience

Great presenters prepare for people, not just logistics. To engage your audience, you must understand who they are and what they care about. Do your homework. Ask yourself, the meeting planner, and anyone else who knows the audience:

  • Do they know who I am? Am I credible in their eyes?

  • What’s their current knowledge or opinion on my topic? What questions will they likely have about the topic?

  • How do they see themselves? What do they value?

  • Are there any sensitive topics I should avoid?

  • What differences are there between audience members (age, gender, title in the company, etc.)? Are there any cultural considerations?

  • What’s the biggest problem facing their industry or their department? Where are the opportunities? What’s the future look like?

  • How will they be dressed?

Super Pro Idea: If appropriate, poll your audience in advance with a tool such as Survey Monkey. Use those results to help guide key points in your presentation. And here’s the best part: Show the results of the poll as part of your presentation.

Bonus Pro Tip: As attendees arrive, take a few minutes to introduce yourself and ask a couple of thoughtful questions. (See Pre-Engage Your Audience.)

Step Three: Make a Checklist (and Actually Use It)

Nothing undermines a strong presentation like forgetting your clicker or arriving with a dead laptop. Avoid last-minute disasters by using a personalized checklist. Here’s a sample:

✅ PowerPoint file and backup
✅ Printed slides (you can make copies if needed)
✅ Remote + extra batteries
✅ Fully charged laptop + power cord
✅ Audio and video adapters
✅ Projector (if not provided)
✅ Throat drops and/or small inconspicuous water bottle (in case you need a quick sip to stop a coughing attack) (See Be Prepared, Don’t Choke!)
✅ Aspirin, antacid, and tissue for those annoying sudden health moments
✅ Speaker notes (digital + hard copy)
✅ Meeting planner contact info (in case you’re running late or have a last-minute emergency)
✅ Venue address loaded on your phone
✅ Pen and notepaper
✅ Business cards
✅ Printed and lamented introduction
✅ Flip chart + markers
✅ Props or visual aids
✅ Feedback/evaluation forms
✅ Handouts / leave-behinds

Bonus Pro Tip: Arrive early to get set up. Introduce yourself to the meeting planner, IT support, and AVT team. If anything isn’t working, you’ll have time to resolve it.

Final Thought: The Best Don’t Wing It, They Bring It

Great presentations don’t just happen. Great presenters come prepared—logistically and emotionally. So, the next time you accept an invitation to speak, or are assigned a speaking slot at a meeting, remember this: the presentation has already begun.

End with a Sizzle, Not a Fizzle

You’ve probably seen this: You’re sitting through a great presentation that goes into a Q&A and then abruptly ends on a low note with, “Well… I guess there are no more questions. Thanks for coming.” Cue the awkward silence and scattered applause.

There’s a better way. Instead of saving the Q&A for the very end, place it just before your conclusion. Why? Because the final moments of your presentation are what your audience will remember most. Ending with a solid conclusion allows you to reinforce your message, reenergize the room, and leave a lasting impression.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Deliver the main content of your presentation.
  2. Open the floor for questions—engage, clarify, and interact.
  3. Once the questions wrap up, smoothly transition into a brief, powerful conclusion.

By doing this, you ensure your talk doesn’t end on a hesitant note but with confidence, clarity, and purpose. End with a sizzle not a fizzle.

Congrats to the Grads!

A standing ovation for the newest graduates of Paul Barton’s public speaking course! Congratulations to each of you—we’re incredibly proud of your hard work and progress. You’ve developed an impressive range of communication skills, culminating in the ultimate challenge: a high-stakes impromptu speaking exercise. Wishing you continued success and confidence as you carry these powerful tools into your careers.

Mastering public speaking is a gateway to countless opportunities. It’s how you secure that dream job, earn promotions, win over clients, gain project approvals, and successfully share your ideas. Beyond professional success, strong communication skills foster confidence, which can significantly enrich your personal life and relationships.

In today’s competitive business environment, effective speaking and presentation skills aren’t just useful—they’re essential.

Pushing Out of Your Comfort Zone: Ongoing Journey in Public Speaking

Michele Trent, our very own public speaking coach extraordinaire, is taking impromptu speaking to a whole new level in a Toastmasters competition. Pushing out of your comfort zone is an ongoing journey in public speaking. Read more about Michel’s journey

Have you ever been in a meeting and had the boss turn to you and say, “Give us an update on that project you’re working on.” Yep, many business presentations are impromptu and mastering that skill will make you a rising star.

 

 

 

5 steps to eliminating those “ums” and “ahs”

Excessive filler noises—like “um,” “uh,” “you know,” and “like”—can chip away at your credibility and distract from your message during public speaking and business presentations. Reducing these noises can help you sound more confident and be a more polished presenter.

Here are five steps to eliminate them:

Step 1: Awareness. The next time you’re speaking on an online meeting, record yourself on your phone and listen back to identify your filler words, their frequency, and when you tend to use them most. Simply recognizing them can drastically improve your delivery.

Step 3: Embrace the pause. Train yourself to pause instead of filling space with noise. Give your audience time to reflect on what you’re saying. It gives your words more power. Pause before and after making an important point. Pause after asking a thought-provoking question. Pause between sentences. Understand that silence is golden.

Step 4: Slow down your speech. Rushing your speech increases the chances of using fillers as your brain tries to keep up with your mouth. Speaking at a deliberate, relaxed pace gives you more control over your words.

Step 5: Practice—a lot. As you become more familiar with your content, you won’t have to try so hard to remember what comes next, and most filler sounds will disappear.

With mindful preparation and practice, you can break the filler word habit and become a speaker who turns heads, wins hearts and gets results.

Professional Development

We recently presented our “Speak Up and Stand Out” presentation skills workshop as a professional development track at the American Cotton Shippers Association conference at the Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale. Leveling up your presentation skills is a worthy investment that will pay off for the rest of your career.

Free Online Public Speaking Courses

For a limited time, we’re offering all three of our online courses absolutely free.

These courses are all yours for free. Please let us know how you like them. Enjoy!

 

 

Stop Giving Speeches!

Here’s the secret to great business presentations: Stop giving speeches. No, really. Speeches make you nervous and they bore your audience. Discover what to do instead in this guest blog I wrote for the amazing Dan Ram. It was an honor to collaborate with him on this message.

TAKE ME TO THE BLOG

Lesson learned from the Bush ‘Bullhorn Speech’

With much of the nation still reeling from the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush went to Ground Zero on Sept. 14, 2001, and delivered one of the most dramatic impromptu speeches ever given by a leader. What has become known as “the Bullhorn Speech” and the imagery of that moment are iconic — but it certainly didn’t start that way.

As Bush began his speech, things weren’t going well logistically. It was difficult for most in the audience of Ground Zero workers to see or hear the president, and that can be disastrous for any public speaker.

Anatomy of a SpeechA fireman standing atop a burned-out firetruck in the rubble from the Twin Towers offered a hand up to Bush so that he could get elevated enough for his audience of Ground Zero workers to see him. Bush began to speak again, but some still couldn’t hear him, and those who could hear him didn’t seem particularly moved by the prepared remarks he was trying to deliver.

And then, Bush did something extraordinary that all speakers can learn from – he adjusted his message to fit the needs of his audience.

“We can’t hear you,” someone in the distance had just yelled. That’s when Bush departed from his prepared remarks. He went authentic. He went impromptu. “I can hear you, the rest of the world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.” The crowd burst into cheers and then began chanting “USA, USA, USA!”

Although his words were an impromptu reaction to the audience, the speech structure he used wasn’t. He used the “Power of Three” technique, with each phrase building to a crescendo: (1) I can hear you. (2) The world can hear you. (3) And soon, the bad guys are going to hear from all of us. 1-2-3 — pow! Even when you are speaking impromptu, you can employ tried and true speech techniques to add a powerful punch to your message.

When the initial chanting had subsided, Bush continued with some of his prepared remarks. At one point, someone in the audience yelled, “God bless America!” Bush, now in complete solidarity with the audience, picked up on the phrase and used it to conclude his remarks, again using the “Power of Three” technique. “Thank you for your hard work. Thank you for making the nation proud, and may God bless America.” The crowd again burst into chants of “USA, USA, USA!”

Another speech technique Bush employed was allowing the audience to voice its approval. When the crowd roared, Bush went silent; he didn’t try to yell over them. A good speech rule to follow is: don’t step on your own applause. Talking over your audience makes it hard for them to hear you and, more importantly, it robs the audience of an important emotional moment.

Throughout the speech, Bush didn’t, scream or overuse bravado. He did speak into the bullhorn louder but in a determined, controlled tone. He didn’t need a long speech to connect with his audience or convey the message that he was trying to deliver. Bush said the right words, in the right tone, at the right time and that’s what made this a great speech.

Many believe the Bullhorn Speech was the moment that the nation transformed from grief to resolve; a resolve to take the fight to the terrorists and avenge the attacks. Had Bush stuck to his prepared remarks and had he not pivoted to the needs of his audience, that moment wouldn’t have come on that day. Watch this short video of the actual event and note how the audience responds.

Here are the simple but powerful lessons public speakers and business presenters can learn from the Bullhorn Speech: Be seen. Be heard. Be authentic. Use powerful speech formulas and techniques even when speaking impromptu. And always, always, always, make your message about your audience.