Damian Counsell

Who would you trust to sharpen your presentation skills?

Is presentation skills training a waste of time and money? Sadly, most of the time it is. Presentation Skills courses have attracted some opprobrium because   →

Making good contact with your audience

It was the Final of the annual Anglo-Irish public speaking contest. A long-standing Toastmaster with a good record in these contests took to the stage,   →

The 5th Level of Competence

I was talking to a Sales consultant recently, and he was asking me about my special skills. It’s a conversation I have had before, when   →

What’s the story?

Make a point, tell a story; tell a story, make a point. That’s an easy enough mantra to follow in speeches and presentations, but what kind of   →

What exactly is Database Marketing?

Small businesses don’t always have a Marketing Plan. And when someone suggests Database Marketing, they often ask:”What the heck is Database Marketing?” or, if they   →

The 5th level of competence

I was talking to a Sales consultant recently, and he was asking me about my special skills. It’s a conversation I have had before, when   →

How to avoid some common mistakes in email

As you know, these days much of our business correspondence is conducted by email rather than the conventional ‘snail mail’. Unhappily, certain conventions have been   →

The secret to getting attention

There was a small crowd filling the pavement of the Calcutta street, surrounding two men who squatted face to face at the centre. The bearded   →

Connecting with your audience

If you believe that a Presentation’s purpose is to communicate information, you need to change your thinking. If you want to pass on facts, email   →

One answer to the long or short copy debate

Should your sales letter be long or short? Is it true that the more you tell the more you sell? Or are people too busy   →