4 Ways Speakers Can Stay On Time

Eleni KelakosCommunication & Influence, Keynote Speaking Advice, Presentation Skills, Professional Development, Professional Speakers, Professional Tips, Public Speaking, Public Speaking Tips, Speaking Engagements, Strategic Tips

How to Avoid Being a Time Gobbler How to Avoid Being a Time Gobbler -> Have you ever been in the audience when a speaker runs long, pushing the entire program behind schedule? Or maybe you’ve been on stage yourself, caught up in the moment, only to realize you’ve gone well past your allotted time. That’s what I call being a Time Gobbler—and I know the feeling because I was one. Early in my speaking career, I gave a keynote that was supposed to last 50 minutes. But the evening started late, dinner service dragged on, and by the time …

How to Build a Compelling Investor Pitch That Gets Funded

Eleni KelakosCommunication Skills, Entrepreneurship, Investor Pitching, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Tips

After more than two decades helping entrepreneurs craft investor pitches, I’ve noticed one glaring trend: Most pitches don’t grab me. They don’t spark curiosity, stir emotion, or get me to care. And if I don’t care, I don’t listen—and I certainly don’t invest. Instead, many pitches are overloaded with jargon, scattered ideas, and flat delivery. The result? A lukewarm response at best, and missed funding opportunities at worst. A Great Idea Isn’t Enough It doesn’t matter how revolutionary your idea is, or how solid your research may be. If you can’t convey it clearly and compellingly, it’s just an idea—floating …

How to Release Tension Before Speaking or Performing

Eleni KelakosBreathwork Techniques, Confidence Building, Presentation Skills, Professional Tips, Public Speaking Tips

Release tension before speaking: When I was a young actress in New York City, I stepped into my first professional acting class and immediately questioned my life choices. Thirty actors lay scattered across the dusty studio floor, eyes closed, twitching and sighing loudly:“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Aaaaaaahhhhh!” I must’ve looked horrified, because my teacher, Michael Howard, offered a kind, knowing smile and explained: “From the moment you wake up and start to worry, tension begins to attach itself to you like armor. The busier and more stressed you get, the more armored up you become. And when your body is armored, you stop …

Maximize Your Physical Presence: Why How You Stand Changes Everything

Eleni KelakosBody Language, Confident Speakers, Executive Presence, Leadership, Professional Speakers, Professional Tips, Public Presence, Public Speaking Tips

Maximize Your Physical Presence: I was taking a walk a few days ago when a neighbor stopped me with a compliment that made my day: “I was just thinking about you—actually, I was trying to stand like you do! Your posture is always so good!” Her comment brought me back to a packed NYC dance studio years ago, where I first learned a life-changing lesson about posture, space, and confidence. When You Shrink, So Does Your Impact Back in my 20s, while training to become a professional actor, I squeezed my six-foot frame into a dance class crowded with leotard-clad …