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Score with a strong first sentence!

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The first sentence counts.💡 Did you know that people spend more time taking selfies than reading books? 🎯 Boom! Attention secured. A strong first sentence is like a perfect selfie – it sticks in your memory. 📸 But how do you achieve this in your presentations, speeches, or pitches? Here are 3 simple tips that will make you a master of attention: 🔹 Start with a bang: A provocative question or surprising fact immediately draws your listeners in. No room for phrases like “Ladies and gentlemen…” 🚫 🔹 Memorize your opening: Your first sentence must come out smoothly and confidently. Practice makes perfect – and ensures you appear self-assured. 💪 🔹 Make an impression in the first 7 seconds: First impressions count. Make sure it’s unforgettable! A clear message + strong voice = wow effect. ✨ 🤔

Here’s the link to the video: https://youtu.be/U-z7RC_tNW0

What was the best first sentence you’ve ever heard – or said yourself? Share it in the comments! 👇 Let’s learn from each other and improve together! 🚀

 

You can find more tips and tricks from the series “100 Seconds for More Attractive Presentations” at www.52redetipps.ch.

 

Thomas Skipwith

Mr. TNT for PNP (Tips and Tricks for Presentations and Pitches)

Führungskraft hält eine Weihnachtsansprache

Five golden rules for an impressive Christmas speech for executives

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Executive giving a Christmas addressThe Christmas season is a special opportunity to share your appreciation and your vision for the coming year with your team. A successful Christmas speech is more than just words – it’s a moment that stays in memory. To help you shine in your company’s internal Christmas speech, I have compiled five proven tips for you: ________________________________________

  1. Start with a personal touch

Greet your team warmly and begin with a brief, authentic story from the past year. Personal insights create closeness and show that you’re speaking not just as a boss, but as a person. ________________________________________

  1. Express heartfelt thanks

The Christmas season is the perfect time to express gratitude. Acknowledge the achievements of your team and individual departments. Be specific – it comes across as sincere and motivating. ________________________________________

  1. Look optimistically to the future

After looking back on 2024, turn your gaze to 2025. Share your vision for the coming year and inspire your team with a clear, positive message. ________________________________________

  1. Short and sweet

A Christmas address should touch the team, but not tire them. Keep it brief (maximum 5-7 minutes), speak in clear sentences, and avoid technical jargon. The core message should be easy to understand and memorable. ________________________________________

  1. End with an emotional high point

Conclude your speech with a wish, a quote, or a heartfelt greeting that captures the Christmas spirit. A sentence like ‘I look forward to writing the next chapter of our shared journey with all of you’ leaves a lasting impression.

 

With these five tips, your Christmas address will become a highlight that not only impresses your team but also inspires them. I wish you much success with your speech and a peaceful Christmas season! Best regards

 

Thomas Skipwith

Mr. TNT for PNP (Tips and Tricks for Presentations and Pitches)

Mädchen trägt Weihnachtsgedicht vor

Language magic at Christmas time: Your guide to an unforgettable Christmas poem!

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It’s the time of year for Christmas poems. Anyone who recites their poem well will make the eyes of young and old light up.

This is a particularly successful way to recite your Christmas poem:

  1. Emphasis and expression: Make sure you recite the words of your Christmas poem with appropriate emphasis and expression. Don’t just rattle off the text of the poem. Emphasize important passages to underline emotions and capture your audience’s attention.
  1. Speak slowly and clearly: Avoid speaking too quickly. Take your time with each line so that the listener can grasp the beauty of the words. Clear pronunciation helps to ensure that every word is understood and that the atmosphere of the poem comes across better.
  1. Maintain eye contact: Make eye contact with your audience during your presentation. The easiest way to do this is to memorize the poem. Eye contact creates a personal connection and allows you to feel the reactions of your audience. Eye contact also conveys self-confidence and authenticity.
  1. Set appropriate pauses: Deliberately use short pauses between the sections of your poem. This allows the audience to process what they have heard and reinforces the emotional impact of certain passages. Pauses give the performance a rhythmic structure.
  1. Create the right atmosphere: Make sure you create the right atmosphere for your Christmas poem. Dim the lights, maybe light a candle and create a cozy environment. An atmospheric setting enhances the emotional resonance of your words.

With these tips, you can ensure that your Christmas poem leaves a lasting impression not only in terms of content, but also in terms of its presentation. Good luck with your presentation! And Merry Christmas.

Book recommendation

Book: To catch fish, use the right baitIn the following book, you will find the tools, systems, and tips that will make you a persuasive speaker. So that you need less time for preparation, present more understandably and with more confidence.

Reto B. Rüegger, Thomas Skipwith: To catch fish, use the right bait. Scoring as a speaker with Power Presentations

If you want support for a speech or presentation, please let me know (+41 41 630 39 90).

If you would like to have tips and tricks regularly by e-mail (in German), then sign up to the Trainingletter – but it’s confidential:-).

Besinnliche Stimmung: Kerze

Christmas – once particularly contemplative

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Light a candle for a change

For most of us, a successful Christmas includes many elements: the special food, the appropriate decoration, the festive music, the beautiful clothes, the invited guests, the reflective stories … Which brings us to the theme of this article: contemplative stories.

A contemplative story also needs several elements to be well received. One of the elements, which you should not forget is the lighting. Here is my suggestion for this year:

  1. Tell a story and
  2. Replace ordinary light with candlelight before starting to tell your story?

The candlelight will give your story a very special, contemplative atmosphere.

Incidentally, lighting is also often a (neglected) topic in business presentations. Just seen again: The speaker left the lighting on the canvas on, so the slides were barely legible. This has nothing to do with contemplation, but with the fact that the message comes across better or worse, depending on the lighting.

In this sense I wish you and your dearest a contemplative and Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year.

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