Leeds speaker becomes President of UK Professional Speaking Association

Leeds-based professional speaker Lee Jackson, is to become the next President of the Professional Speaking Association in the UK and Ireland (commonly known as ‘the PSA’).

Lee says: “When I got the call I was genuinely honoured and a little surprised to be honest! I aim to follow on from the good work done by previous Presidents and will focus on helping our members at all levels to speak more, speak better and to raise the profile of speaking as a rewarding profession. I’m aiming to encourage the 13 amazing regions who meet regularly and help all our members to continue to make a difference in whatever niche they work in”.

Lee Jackson has been speaking to audiences of all sizes since he was an award winning teenage DJ, as a youth worker, and for the last eight years as a motivational speaker in business and education. And now he has just been officially announced as the national President-elect of the PSA, taking over this key role in October.

So what key advice can the next President of the Professional Speaking Association give us all when we present?  Here are Lee’s top 5 tips to great presentations that he shares in his work:

1. Be yourself – its good to have heroes and mentors but don’t try to be like them or like a TED talk you’ve seen, let your unique personality shine out.
2. Plan using plain paper – never use powerpoint or lined paper to plan a talk – use plain paper to do a basic mind map and post it notes to keep the creativity flowing. Plan well and plan early to get the best creative content.
3. Get to the core of your talk – most boring talks are because people haven’t got to the one main point they want to make. Get to this and you’ll be more punchy and effective.
4. Check your slides – your slides (if used) should be a billboard to illustrate your talk, not a document or a handout on a screen. Use plenty of big photos that fill the screen and I dare you to use no bullet points! Your audience will thank you.
5. Be 125% – boring speakers tend to be ‘small’ on stage, they hide behind lecterns, notes and slides. Be 100% you and 25% extra for the stage. Be bigger and more engaging, don’t just deliver a script.