October 4, 2018
When you’re first asked to give a persuasive speech, it’s common to go blank about what you can speak about. Here are 21 persuasive speech topics to get you started.
VirtualSpeech Blog
We offer advice, research and insights to improve your professional development skills, including communication, interview, leadership, interpersonal, and presentations skills.
September 21, 2018
September 21, 2018
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Emotional intelligence accounts for 67% of the abilities needed to be a successful leader and is twice as important as technical proficiency or IQ.
September 20, 2018
September 20, 2018
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When designing presentation slides, you need to find a balance between keeping the interest of your audience while not distracting from your key message. This article discusses best practices for designing presentation slides.
September 9, 2018
September 9, 2018
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Daniel Goleman determined five fundamental features of emotional intelligence (EQ), each with their own benefits: Self-awareness, Self-regulation, Empathy, Motivation and Social skills.
September 5, 2018
September 5, 2018
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Effective communication is not always straightforward and barriers can easily get in the way. They cause messages to become distorted, subsequently leading to confusion and misunderstanding. In this article, we describe these barriers to communication.
September 5, 2018
September 5, 2018
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Strong interpersonal skills are important for employers because most jobs require you to effectively interact with other people. In this article, we discuss the key types of interpersonal communication skills.
August 3, 2018
August 3, 2018
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The structure of your presentation plays a crucial role in whether your audience understands your message. We cover why structure is important, provide a template for your presentation and highlight good examples.
August 1, 2018
August 1, 2018
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Debating can look intimidating, with speakers appearing confident, passionate and unwavering, but it consists of skills that anybody can learn. In this article we provide a guide to the basics of debating.
July 26, 2018
July 26, 2018
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Keeping your audience engaged whilst trying to deliver your key messages can be difficult. A helpful way of doing this is by telling stories where you take your audience on a journey.
July 9, 2018
July 9, 2018
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During a presentation you aim to look confident, enthusiastic and natural. You'll need more than good words and content to achieve this – how you deliver your presentation plays a significant part.
June 29, 2018
June 29, 2018
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Networking is at the core of business development and sales, however picking out what to wear can be difficult. In this article, we cover tips for what to wear in different situations as well as how to stand out from the crowd.
June 28, 2018
June 28, 2018
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When delivering presentations it's important for your words and ideas to flow so your audience can understand how everything links together and why it's all relevant.
June 27, 2018
June 27, 2018
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Here are some opening tips to get the attention of your audience from the start. You can also use these throughout your presentation to intrigue, engage and make the audience feel the emotions you’re trying to evoke.
June 21, 2018
June 21, 2018
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Visual aids can enhance your presentation or training material - they can increase the audience's understanding of your topic, explain points, make an impact and create enthusiasm.
June 15, 2018
June 15, 2018
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Effective networking is an important aspect of career development. Building relationships with a wide range of people can win you new business clients, increase your chance of finding a new job, as well as advancing your career. Here are our tips on how to improve.
June 13, 2018
June 13, 2018
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When people talk about distractions during a speech or presentation, they’re mostly referring to ones made by the audience. Here are different ways you might annoy and distract your audience when public speaking and how to stop doing them.
June 12, 2018
June 12, 2018
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Persuasive speaking is needed in a wide range of situations; from arguing with a colleague to performing a speech. Rhetoric is the key to developing this skill. We discuss how to use rhetoric for effective public speaking, in order to inform, persuade and motivate.
June 5, 2018
June 5, 2018
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This article lists key challenges for adult learners due to the natural cognitive decline humans experience as they age.
June 5, 2018
June 5, 2018
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Learners differ in many ways, from gender to culture to previous education. It's important to be aware of these factors when teaching. However adult learners do share similar characteristics which impact their learning.
May 27, 2018
May 27, 2018
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Networking is at the core of business development and sales, however picking out what to wear can be difficult. In this article, we cover tips for what to wear in different situations as well as how to stand out from the crowd.
April 30, 2018
April 30, 2018
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Public speaking is an essential life skill in the modern world, full of meetings, conferences and networking events. In this article, we look at the history of public speaking, from Greece to the 21st century, as well as famous orators throughout history.
April 24, 2018
April 24, 2018
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Providing feedback for development is useful for employees because it helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses and how to progress in their career. In this article we discuss the 360 degree (multi-rater) feedback system.
April 17, 2018
April 17, 2018
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Everyone processes information uniquely, so it's essential for trainers to understand the different learning styles. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to tailor your teaching strategy to suit your students or trainees.
April 11, 2018
April 11, 2018
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Persuasive speaking is a skill that you can apply regularly throughout your life, whether you are selling a product or being interviewed. In this article, we discuss the three pillars for public speaking, ethos, pathos and logos.