#164 The perfect structure for EVERY talk

I am an introvert and also a professional speaker. That means that things I would normally do to avoid interacting with other people will make audiences distrust me when I present. In this episode of CEO Presentation Rockstars, I challenge some common assumptions about public speaking, audience engagement and what it really takes to build trust. Drawing on decades of experience speaking in 60 countries and coaching senior leaders, I reveal: Why poor eye contact can destroy your credibility before our message has a chance. The simple one-second technique that helps us connect with an entire audience. Why looking for friendly faces can actually undermine our presentation. Why blank expressions might be the best audience reaction we could hope for. The critical eye contact mistake people make during Zoom and online presentations. A simple exercise we can use to dramatically improve our eye contact. I also share a remarkable encounter with an audience member that taught me a powerful lesson about judging people's reactions. Whether you're a CEO addressing hundreds of employees, presenting to investors or delivering an important message online, this episode will challenge how you think about eye contact, trust and audience engagement. Because if your audience doesn't trust you, it doesn't matter how brilliant your message is.

Prince Harry, the ginger whinger, spoke recently at the Clinton Global Initiative and crashed and burned. Why? Because his teleprompter went down and he simply walked off stage half way through his talk. Now, tech fails are common but this wasn't the problem for Prince Harry. The problem was he didn't have a back up. In this episode, I go through what he SHOULD have done. Not just when the tech went down but also before the talk.

CCLM. The Conscious Competency Learning Model has been around for decades and highlights what we all go through when learning a new skill. This is the ladder of speaking success. Unconscious Incompetent - Shit and don't know you are shit. Audience throwing bricks at you. Conscious Incompetent - Shit and know you're shit. Getting feedback. Conscious Competent - Good but have to focus. Decent but beige and forgettable. Unconscious Competent - Presentation Rockstar. I am an Unconscious Competent when it comes to speaking but I definitely started out as an Unconscious Incompetent.  In this podcast episode, I will share how you can push your speaking through the CCLM, wherever you are currently at. And become so good at speaking it makes the audience gasp.

18 months into my career as a speaker, I got the worst feedback I have ever had on a feedback form. Someone gave me 3/20 for a talk and wrote the word SH*T! So I phoned the person who wrote it. That was a moment, I can tell you. It was the best thing I could have done because brutal, unfiltered, feedback is the ONLY way to reach our true speaking potential. But as a CEO, how the hell can you get that level of feedback on your talks? In this episode, I talk about the astonishing conversation I had with the guy who gave me 3/20 and how you can get the feedback that will turn you into a presentation rockstar.

I spoke at Wembley Stadium to 300 leaders — here's everything I did to prepare, what went wrong on the day and the lessons every presenter needs to hear. Whether you're stepping onto a stage for the first time or you've been presenting for years, this episode breaks down the real behind-the-scenes intensity of delivering a high-stakes talk — from the moment you get the call to the second you leave the stage. In this episode you'll discover: ✅ How to make sure you're the RIGHT fit for an audience before you say yes ✅ Why arriving early is one of the most powerful things a presenter can do ✅ The unexpected last-minute challenges I faced at Wembley — and how I handled them ✅ Why removing the lectern was the best decision I made on the day ✅ How to create genuine connection with 300 people in the room This isn't theory. This is what actually happened — the prep, the nerves, the adaptations, and the wins. 🎙️ David Thomas is a Guinness World Record holder, global professional speaker and leadership presentation skills coach who has delivered keynotes to audiences around the world.

When non-professional speakers can memorise a speech and deliver it without notes, that puts them in the top 1%. But Jamie Oliver won 2010 TED speaker of the Year while clutching a pile of notes a mile thick all the way through. So which is best? Memorise it and get stressed that you will forget something? Or use notes and lose connection with the audience?  In this episode, David goes through three different ways to learn your presentation while still being able to have massive impact on the audience.

Want to smash that next presentation? Put your content in the right order. There is one structure that is perfect for every single presentation whether that is a keynote speech, a sales pitch or 1-2-1 appraisal. But hardly anyone does it. In this episode, David goes through how, working with apprentices, he has been able to hone this process to make it universally powerful.

A presentation with only education in it is like a Xmas tree without baubles. Boring and forgettable. Stories, humour and entertainment are the baubles, tinsel and lighting that bring every presentation alive. In this edpisode, David relates a story and why it works so well with his target audience.

There are three things that EVERY presentation should have - education, inspiration and entertainment. Problem is, most presentations are 99% education and that makes them a lecture. And no-one wants to hear a lecture.

David is not just a presentation skills coach, he is out there banging out talks in front of audiences every week. In this episode, he outlines 12 different lessons he learned from 12 different events, one from each month. As a leader who wants to be the best version of themselves every time they present, you can apply every lesson he has .