Christine Rusk used to be terrified of speaking in public, but by understanding what makes a good speech, and how it is like a three-course meal, she has learnt to prepare well and overcome those nerves.
So how does comparing your speech to a meal help you become a better speaker? Christine, from Toastmasters International, explains:
Just like a good chef has respect for the diners, a good speaker has respect for their audience.
The key to a successful speech is preparation and planning. A speech should be created and delivered in a …

5 brilliant ways to bring your next presentation to life without using the dreaded slides.
Did you think you need slides in order to give a presentation or make a speech? You don’t! According to Steve Bustin author of The Authority Guide to Presenting and Public Speaking, the best speakers and presenters have embraced a world without slides. Speaking without slides means the audience is looking at you and listening to what you say rather than reading from the screen in front of them. But, you still need to bring your presentation …

A report by UK Domain shows that 54 per cent of millennial mums who returned to traditional employment after maternity leave say they struggled to juggle family life with a ‘9 to 5’. Read on to find out how widow and mother-of-two Magdelena Patelka has found a profession that offers both flexibility and financial security for her family.
When Magdalena sadly lost her husband in 2014, she was still managing financially thanks to the business she set up in 2006. The success of the business has helped her to buy a family …

You can still enter this year’s Nectar Business Small Business Awards, as the entry deadline has been extended until 24 July 2016.
Sarah Willingham, one of the UK’s leading business women, consumer champion and BBC ‘Dragon’ will head-up the judging panel of these annual, free to enter, Awards, alongside five other leading business owners and leaders.
The Nectar Business Small Business Awards are designed to recognise the commitment and drive of small business owners. Winners will receive £2,000 cash and 50,000 Nectar points, as well as competing for the unique opportunity to meet and …

One of the time-tested ways of establishing yourself as a standard in your industry is to win an industry recognised award. An award serves as independent evaluation of your company’s quality – an evaluation that your customers are more likely to trust than your own marketing material.
Most business owners already know this – and yet many fail to take full advantage of a win and leverage it for the massive authority building that it so easily provides.
Shweta Jhajharia from The London Coaching Group encourages all her clients apply for the …

The Stars of Direct Selling Awards have named the best of the British direct selling industry for the first time. Hosted by the Direct Selling Association (DSA), the trade body for the direct selling in the UK, the awards recognised eight of the most outstanding direct sellers in the UK at a ceremony held at Whittlebury Hall on the 6th November 2015.
 
The awards were judged by Saira Khan, from The Apprentice, Tricia Philips, the Daily Mirror’s award-winning small business editor, Kalpana Fitzpatrick, financial journalist and founder of MummyMoneyMatters.com and …

How to structure your presentation for maximum impact
As a business person, chances are you are going to have to do a presentation sooner or later. If the thought of composing something from scratch strikes you with fear, Laura Bruce from Toastmasters International has some advice that will make every presentation you create much simpler to master.
It’s called “the power of three”. The word “power” is very apt. When you are making a presentation – whether it’s a pitch to a potential new client or updating your colleagues on the latest …

It’s been a month to remember at Strider Bike UK.
October couldn’t have got off to a better start when on the opening day of the month they won three awards and were shortlisted for another.
They were a Silver winner in the Best Toy Awards 2015 run by Right Start, the essential family life magazine for parents of children aged 6 months to 7 years.
This is a huge accolade and means their product will be published in the magazine’s Best Toy Guide – published this week and going out to a …

    Workingmums.co.uk has announced the winners of its sixth annual Top Employer Awards, celebrating the leading companies in gender diversity and flexible working. The Awards, sponsored by You At Work, were presented at a ceremony at London’s Soho Hotel where the keynote speakers were John Edmonds, former president of the TUC, and gender expert Eva Tutchell, author of the book Man Made, Why So Few Women Are in Positions of Power.
Winner of the Overall Top Employer Award, sponsored by You At Work, was Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support …

Twenty nine of the most progressive employers and their representatives have been shortlisted for this year’s Workingmums.co.uk Top Employer Awards.
The employers have been shortlisted across eight categories ranging from SMEs to Family Support and Best for Dads. The Awards will be announced at a ceremony at London’s Soho Hotel on 3rd November which will involve a keynote address by John Edmonds, former president of the TUC, and gender expert Eva Tutchell, authors of the book Man Made, Why So Few Women Are in Positions of Power, as well as networking sessions …