CEO Presentation Rockstars

Episoder

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  #167 I Phoned the Guy Who Called My Talk SH*T! 06.09.2026 30min

  18 months into my career as a speaker, I got the worst feedback I have ever had on a feedback form. Someone gave me 3/20 for a talk and wrote the word SH*T! So I phoned the person who wrote it. That was a moment, I can tell you. It was the best thing I could have done because brutal, unfiltered, feedback is the ONLY way to reach our true speaking potential. But as a CEO, how the hell can you get that level of feedback on your talks? In this episode, I talk about the astonishing conversation I had with the guy who gave me 3/20 and how you can get the feedback that will turn you into a presentation rockstar.
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  #166 Lessons Learned Speaking At Wembley Stadium 22.05.2026 35min

  I spoke at Wembley Stadium to 300 leaders — here's everything I did to prepare, what went wrong on the day and the lessons every presenter needs to hear. Whether you're stepping onto a stage for the first time or you've been presenting for years, this episode breaks down the real behind-the-scenes intensity of delivering a high-stakes talk — from the moment you get the call to the second you leave the stage. In this episode you'll discover: ✅ How to make sure you're the RIGHT fit for an audience before you say yes ✅ Why arriving early is one of the most powerful things a presenter can do ✅ The unexpected last-minute challenges I faced at Wembley — and how I handled them ✅ Why removing the lectern was the best decision I made on the day ✅ How to create genuine connection with 300 people in the room This isn't theory. This is what actually happened — the prep, the nerves, the adaptations, and the wins. 🎙️ David Thomas is a Guinness World Record holder, global professional speaker and leadership presentation skills coach who has delivered keynotes to audiences around the world.
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  #165 Do you NEED to memorise a speech? 15.08.2025 17min

  When non-professional speakers can memorise a speech and deliver it without notes, that puts them in the top 1%. But Jamie Oliver won 2010 TED speaker of the Year while clutching a pile of notes a mile thick all the way through. So which is best? Memorise it and get stressed that you will forget something? Or use notes and lose connection with the audience?  In this episode, David goes through three different ways to learn your presentation while still being able to have massive impact on the audience.
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  #164 The perfect structure for EVERY talk 08.08.2025 15min

  Want to smash that next presentation? Put your content in the right order. There is one structure that is perfect for every single presentation whether that is a keynote speech, a sales pitch or 1-2-1 appraisal. But hardly anyone does it. In this episode, David goes through how, working with apprentices, he has been able to hone this process to make it universally powerful.
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  #163 Get Some Baubles In Your Talk 17.07.2025 19min

  A presentation with only education in it is like a Xmas tree without baubles. Boring and forgettable. Stories, humour and entertainment are the baubles, tinsel and lighting that bring every presentation alive. In this edpisode, David relates a story and why it works so well with his target audience.
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  #162 Three things you need in EVERY presentation 06.05.2025 11min

  There are three things that EVERY presentation should have - education, inspiration and entertainment. Problem is, most presentations are 99% education and that makes them a lecture. And no-one wants to hear a lecture.
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  #161 12 hard lessons I learned from speaking in 2023 21.01.2024 39min

  David is not just a presentation skills coach, he is out there banging out talks in front of audiences every week. In this episode, he outlines 12 different lessons he learned from 12 different events, one from each month. As a leader who wants to be the best version of themselves every time they present, you can apply every lesson he has .
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  #160 Is AI going to make presentation skills obsolete? 17.10.2023 15min

  David recently watched a fantastic interview with the creator of DeepTomCruise, a TikTok channel. He thought it would be a frivolous (ish) conversation about creating fun videos. But it was way different than that. The creator of the videos was thoughtful, smart, business savvy and had a very deep insight into the future of AI, deep fake videos and what it means for all of us. What David heard and saw was incredibly exciting and at the same time, disturbing and unsettling. In this episode, he gives the relevant highlights of the interview, what AI means for speaking and whether it will be the nail in the coffin for real, live face to face presenting.
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  #159 Death to Powerpoint (as we know it) 03.04.2023 16min

  'Death By Powerpoint' has been a well worn phrase that shows just how horrifically bad most presenters use this application. But in this episode, David explains how Powerpoint - and more specifically what we put on the screen - can absolutely transform ANY presentation. He shares the following: The single greatest Powerpoint RULE that 90% of presenters break Why images are massively more powerful than words (and it's not because they are pretty) His transformational experience with explaining to audiences his Guinness record reciting Pi to 22,500 digits What you should do if Powerpoint goes down
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  #158 How to be the host with the most 27.03.2023 20min

  Being the MC of a conference is a job that can make or break a fantastic event. David was recently asked to coach a client to perform this role who had volunteered to do it but had never done it before. In this episode, he shares the following: Pros and cons of using someone internal Best practice of introducing upcoming presenters The pitfalls to look out for Managing the minefield of Q&A with your superiors Why humour is the ONLY currency
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  #157 You are nowhere as special as you think you are 14.02.2023 17min

  All David's presentation skills coaching clients tell him the same thing. That 'their' speaking/clients/products/service is unique and different to everyone else's. But in reality, the basic principles behind great presenting are the same whether it is speaking at a Board meeting of a billion dollar company or being the compere of a Masked Dancer event at a conference, both things that David has prepared clients for in just the last two weeks. In this episode, David shares how to get the basics nailed down so you can be a presentation rockstar, whatever the audience and whatever the talk.
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  #156 Sometimes it just comes down to cold, hard cash 23.01.2023 10min

  David's tagline is Making Leaders Presentation Rockstars and when presenting, it is brilliant to feel that way. The audience laughing at your jokes and clapping you off stage. But sometimes the reason behind improving presentation skills is more prosaic than that. In this episode, David talks about an inspirational entrepreneur who specifically asked him to turn her into a presentation rockstar while actually needing the improvement in her skills for nothing more complicated than being able to get the highest price for her business when she sells.
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  #155 Putting the fun into funeral 16.01.2023 19min

  As a leadership presentation skills coach, David is always approached to help leaders improve their speaking in the business world first. But in this episode, David explains how it is even more important to get speaking at personal events nailed down too. Because those types of events tend to be one offs. You only get one chance to speak at someone's funeral. He also looks at how the usual presentation rules apply, even putting fun into the eulogy. 
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  #154 9 presentation skills lessons learned from 2022 09.01.2023 22min

  Even as an experienced 25 year speaker, David understands one thing - speaking is a live event. Every presentation and speech he gives has the ability to teach him something because every one is unique. In this episode, he explains why he believes continuous improvement is the key to being a presentation rockstar... ...and the 9 lessons he learned in 2022 that will help make him an even better presenter in 2023.
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  #153 The only barrier to success is you 03.01.2023 13min

  David was ill over Xmas and had to cancel everything. His mate reframed it by saying that Xmas was just a refence point and he could see all the people at some other time over the coming weeks. David was not happy with this. It was at this point that he realised that the barrier to managing being ill at Xmas was him. In this episode, David talks about how we can all improve our chances of success in 2023 if we learn to discover what is within us that is holding us back.
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  #152 Best practice speaking works with best practice writing 12.12.2022 12min

  David recently got asked to do somethng unusual - rewrite someone's LinkedIn profile. In this episode, he shares how this came about through a presentation skills coaching class he delivered and how, by applying the same principles to writing as speaking, every leader can dramatically improve their communication across both mediums.
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  #151 Your staff are your dream makers but do you actually treat them more like servants? 05.12.2022 13min

  David recently did a coaching session with a client who said his boss did not treat him with the respect he deserved. But this client turned up late to see David and didn't apologise. Almost every leader gets to achieve their dreams because of the dream makers in their team but not if they think they are being treated as 'lower' than them. In this episode, David explains thow this deeply damaging attitude almost certainly drips into the way that leaders talk to their colleagues and how Quiet Quitting and all its problems can be the corrosive outcome.
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  #150 Your speaking is either a hamster wheel or drilling an oil well 29.11.2022 23min

  Speakers should never be repeaters. Churning out the same old stuff every time is stale for audiences and for you. David recently used a brand new start for an important talk at the National Sales Conference. He took a big risk as he had no idea if it would land. In this episode, he explains what he did and if it worked or not.
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  #149 Be prepared to try anything 17.10.2022 12min

  As a leader, you already understand that success is based on trying something new. It is about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable. Otherwise, you are just a hamster on a wheel going round and round doing the same old thing. That hasn't got you where you are. Yet, when it comes to speaking, a surprising number of leaders are too cautious, scared to try anything new. In this episode, David explains why this is a highly flawed approach and that trying and failing is the ONLY way to become a presentation rockstar.
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  #148 Stop talking like you are on TV 10.10.2022 12min

  YouTube research shows that the most successful channels are those where people are chatting on the video like you are the only one watching. Yet, most videos online are done in a style by people as if they are presenting on TV. In this episode, David goes through the key elements to make sure that you don't come across as contrived or even worse, insincere.