Laura Penn: Wow Your Audience With Stage Presence

Laura Penn, PhD is an experienced and well-rounded public speaking coach.  As a Toastmasters European champion of public speaking, author of the book How to Enhance the Performance of Public Speaking: A Pocket Coach and a trained performer in theater and dance, she helps individuals become effective public speakers. Based in Switzerland, she provides custom-tailored, interactive training in public speaking for clients and organizations in the academic, not-for-profit and private sectors. She also serves as a speaker coach for a wide variety of TEDx events. How to Enhance the Performance of Public Speaking: A Pocket Coach Laura noticed that people don’t consider public speaking as a performance. Published in 2013, this book describes the elements of performance of speaking. The book also serves as a public speaking journal. What is stage presence? Laura’s definition of stage presence is: the ability to wow your audience with your charisma and energy. Main elements of stage presence Stage presence is a combination of: * How you use your eyes. * How you smile. * How you stand, your posture. Related: Being an authentic speaker Three great examples of stage presence Jane Goodall, a conservationist. Small woman, but she exudes inner power. Bill Clinton. Stage presence in a conversational way, approachable. Martin Luther King. A leader who made you feel safe, who guided you. Her favorite quotation “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better.” — Dr. Seuss (from his book “The Lorax”) Recommended book Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by  George Leonard Routine to Shine You can do this daily: turn on a reality TV show, and turn the volume off. Sit down and watch it for 10 minutes, and study the gestures, micro-movements, expressions to learn the skills for yourself. Be a student of body language. Links the Professional Speaker Coach