For Better Presentations, Practice The Parts That Matter

Eleni KelakosPeak Performance, Performance Techniques, presentation skills training, Presentation Tips

When I played Junior Varsity basketball in high school, I struggled to consistently hit my free-throws and shots from the corner of the key.  And so, I committed to staying half an hour every day after each basketball practice, practicing my weakest shots over and over again until I could nail them nearly every time.   Just like athletes (or musicians, or dancers), speakers need to practice and hone their skills, content, techniques, and material so they can perform at their peak under pressure.  The more you practice—whether it be a piano concerto,  a baseball pitch, a triple pirouette, or the …

25 Axioms For Presence & Presentation Mastery

Eleni KelakosExecutive Presence, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, Problem Solving, Self Help

Welcome to our blog, where wisdom meets the stage! Thirteen years ago, I embarked on a journey of sharing distilled wisdom through what I coined as “Eleni-isms” – concise nuggets of truth that resonate with audiences far and wide. Today, I invite you to delve into these 25 Eleni-isms, crafted to enrich your speaking experience and empower your message. These Eleni-isms are not just words but guiding principles to elevate your speaking prowess and leave a lasting impact. Now, I’m curious – what “you-isms” have you cultivated in your journey? Share your wisdom, and let’s continue to inspire each other …

Connect With Your Audience Through Imperfection, Not Perfection

Eleni Kelakosimperfection, Peak Performance

As a young actress and singer navigating the vibrant streets of New York City, I had the exhilarating opportunity to perform the National Anthem not once, but thrice, at Mets games in the illustrious Shea Stadium. The grandeur of the occasion, the sea of faces, and the echoing cheers were enough to quicken anyone’s pulse. Now, you might expect me to regale you with tales of flawless performances, where every note rang true and every lyric flowed effortlessly from my lips. But the truth is, one of those moments was far from flawless. I succumbed to the grip of fear, …

How To Handle Those Pesky Q & A’s

Eleni KelakosExecutive Presence, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, Self Help, speech coaching

Navigating the Q&A section after a presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience for many professionals. The uncertainty of not knowing how to respond to questions can lead to anxiety and insecurity. But fear not, as I share with you some insights from my upcoming book, “Charismatic Presence: Five Principles for Magnetic Presentations,” to help you tackle this challenge with confidence. Handling Questions When You’re Unsure When you’re faced with a question you’re not entirely sure how to answer, it’s essential to buy yourself some time. Here are a couple of strategies: Once you’ve gathered your thoughts, commit to answering the …

The Power of Voice: Speak Up If & When You Can

Eleni KelakosPeak Performance, presentation skills training, Self Help

I recently celebrated my birthday, and amidst the well-wishes and warm messages, a simple text from my brother George stood out. Usually, he serenades me with his guitar, but this time, he couldn’t. George, a long-haul COVID survivor, is fighting battles that extend far beyond the virus itself. Intubated for months, his lungs now resemble Swiss cheese, leaving him with a fraction of his former lung capacity. Yet, despite his struggles, his message of love resonated deeply with me. George’s inability to sing reminded me of the preciousness of our voices. Beyond physical limitations, there are countless individuals silenced by …

Amp Up Your Presence and Presentations With The Sound of Silence

Eleni Kelakospresentation skills training

I always knew when my high school Algebra teacher, Mr. Sobel, was going to tell one of his signature jokes: He paused. Eyes twinkling, with a little smile curling his lips, he’d stand in a pregnant silence. And we all leaned forward, every one of us kids, in delicious expectation (he was a darn good joke teller). That moment of silence was rich with anticipation, and always worth the wait. Mr. Sobel was a master of the Pause. So is any speaker worth their salt who wants to capture their audience’s attention and help them know that what they’re about …

Embrace the Mess: Lessons in Public Speaking From My Cat

Eleni KelakosPeak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training

When it comes to giving presentations, my coaching clients all want the same thing: A stress-free, problem free, perfectly executed result. To which I say, “good luck with that.” Because, as you may have noticed, plans and expectation often have a way of going awry. Life is messy, and sometimes giving presentations is too. Which, as I have learned over many years of delivering and observing countless presentations and performances, is perfectly normal and perfectly fine. I recently got a great reminder about the value of embracing the mess and going with what you’re given from an unexpected source: My …

Dance With What You’re Given: A Lesson In Grace From Miley Cyrus

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching, Women in Leadership

It was New Year’s Eve, 2021, and superstar performer, Miley Cyrus, took the stage in her live TV special, singing and dancing while rockin’ a fabulous teeny tiny silver skirt and matching teeny tiny halter top. All was well. Until it suddenly wasn’t: The teeny tiny top suddenly loosened, and Miley’s hands leaped up to hold it up, as she shimmied and sang. For a few moments, she tried to keep up with her complicated choreography. And then, no doubt realizing it would be impossible to keep dancing with her arms and hands immobilized, she backed off the stage, still …

Public Speaking Success: Making The Most Of A Wrong Note

Eleni KelakosPeak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching

What You Do Next Matters I was leafing through a catalogue of novelty items, when a quote by jazz great Miles Davis printed on a tee shirt caught my eye.  “When you hit a wrong note,” it said, “it’s the next note that makes it good or bad!”  I ripped out the quote and pinned it to my bulletin board, thinking Mr. Davis nailed it! When it comes to performing in public, It’s what you do next with a moment that goes awry that matters. The fact is, whether you give a speech or a concert, public performances are in-the-moment …

Executive Presence: Switch On Your Video and Unmute Yourself

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching, Zoom Performance Anxiety

When it comes to Executive Presence, I like to say that “presence = being present”. And being present means being willing to truly be in each moment as it unspools. It means allowing yourself to see and be seen, hear and be heard, feel and be felt. If you want to make a real impact, and to amp up your executive presence, you’ve got to be willing to fully reveal yourself. Which is why I’m so fascinated by how many business professionals who say they want to be perceived more as leaders choose to don their cloak of invisibility. And …

Three Ways to be Confident on Camera

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching, Women in Leadership

When the 2020 Pandemic hit, every aspect of my work that I typically did in a room within literal reach of an audience of one many– from executive presence leadership coaching, to group presentation skills training, to giving keynote presentations— moved 100% to a virtual platform. Staring into lens of the Logitech camera perched on the top of my computer screen, I was taken back to my early days as a professional actress in New York City when, after several years of auditioning for and performing in plays and musicals, I started to audition for television and film projects. Though …

3 Ways to Rock Your Short Talk

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching

Sammy, a young inventor, and the winner of a prestigious 30 under 30 award from Forbes, Inc was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: To give a short talk about his groundbreaking invention at the prestigious annual Forbes summit.  When he called me to set up some coaching sessions to help him shape his presentation, I asked how long his short talk needed to be.  “Five minutes on the nose,” he replied. Five minutes to give a short talk with career-boosting impact. Five minutes to give a short talk to an audience of deep-pocketed potential investors. Five minutes to give a short …

What Is a Keynote Speech? Plus 5 Steps to Help You Write One.

Eleni KelakosPeak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching

You’ve been asked to deliver a keynote speech at an upcoming event.  And while you may be flattered by the request, you have a lot of questions, like: “What is a keynote speech anyway? What makes it different that other presentations?  How long should a keynote speech be? And how do I write a keynote speech Before I answer those questions, let me congratulate you for having been asked to deliver a keynote speech.  Because being invited to give a keynote speech means that have developed a perspective, a public persona, or a big idea that is interesting enough to …

5 Ways to Beat Zoom Performance Anxiety (ZPA)

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching

As a presentation skills coach and trainer, I’ve spent almost twenty years helping clients manage presentation performance anxiety.  But it’s only been since Covid-19 reared it’s extremely ugly head that I’ve needed to help my clients manage what I’m calling  Zoom Performance Anxiety, or ZPA (and oh, how I wish I could have found a way to make ZAP work instead of ZPA)!  Several presentation coaching and executive presence leadership coaching clients, both new and old, have confessed to a surprising and off-putting fear of speaking while using online platforms like Zoom.  They typically experience Zoom Performance Anxiety when they …

Paint Your Speaker Vision in Living Color

Eleni Kelakospresentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching

Imagine going to an archery range that had no targets. You’d be standing around with your bow and arrow, scratching your head and wondering “Uh, where do I point this thing?” Or you might be firing off arrows willy-nilly in all manner of directions, which isn’t exactly productive. Without a target, you have nothing to aim at. That’s the reasoning behind writing and using a Speaker Vision.  By vision I mean a clear, specific, and compelling picture of how you want to see yourself as a speaker at a specific point in time in the future (e.g. six months or …

To Boost Public Speaking Confidence, Take Time to Take a Bow

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching, Women in Leadership

Claudia had spent weeks working with me to prepare a high-level presentation for a prestigious conference that would showcase her considerable expertise.  The effort she’d put into developing and internalizing the presentation was almost as mighty as the effort she’d put into managing the anxiety she’d had about giving it.   I was confident that she was ready, and that her performance would make us both proud. On the day Claudia gave her presentation, she shot me a brief text:  “Went great! More when I see you next week.”  Claudia’s brief text sounded triumphant. Which was why I was so taken …

Embrace Your So-Called Mistakes and be Perfectly Imperfect

Eleni KelakosExecutive leadership coaching, Peak Performance, presentation skills training, public speaking training, Women in Leadership

Women are notorious perfectionists. We need to “get it right, and we beat ourselves into a pulp when we don’t. In the corporate world, women are more likely to be perfectionistic and deeply self-critical than the men they work with. This is what Psychologist Peta Slocombe, senior VP of Corporate Health at Medbio, concluded through an Australian survey of 4980 workers from 41 workplaces. I wasn’t exactly surprised to read these findings, because I continously encounter this tendency towards perfectionism in the women who come to me for executive leadership coaching. And, as a recovering perfectionist, I understand all too …

Presentation Skills Tip: To Keep Your Audiences Engaged, “You-nify” Your Presentations

Eleni Kelakospresentation skills training, public speaking training, speech coaching

As a presentation skills coach and trainer, one of the most common questions I get asked is “How do I keep my audience engaged?”  There are, of course, multiple answers to that question (which I’ve written about here and here and here). But one of my favorite responses and techniques is also one of the simplest: “You-nify” your presentation.  By that I mean, say “you” more. Say the word you more than you say the word I. Say you more, so your audience members can see (and feel) themselves in the story you’re telling, the scenario you’re sharing, or in …