We’re at episode 8 of the Presentation Boss Podcast, and it’s time for another guest. Kate and Thomas are having a conversation with a friend of ours, Katrina Roberts about her zone of genius being in drama and speech. We have recently heard her talk a few times about presence, confidence and self-awareness and knew we had to share her wisdom with you!

This episode features a lot of Katrina sharing her wisdom while Thomas and Kate sit in near silence listening to her explain these nebulous concepts in a simple form all while sharing her tips and stories in the field. We could listen to katrina for days and so we’ve got a longer episode than normal; but she’s worth it! There is so much information here to help you ensure you maintain an audience focus when presenting.

About Our Guest
Katrina Roberts has been teaching speech and drama for over eight years, with extensive experience both as a teacher and a performer. She is a registered teacher with a Graduate Diploma from USQ, who is also qualified with a Licentiate Diploma in Drama and Performance (LDPA) from the AMEB, a Graduate Certificate of Voice Studies from the Victorian College of Arts and an Associate Diploma (ATCL Teaching – Speech and Drama) from Trinity College London.

She received Barbara Sisley awards for achieving the highest mark in QLD for her AMEB Associate and Licentiate Diploma examinations. Katrina is also a UQ graduate and holds a Bachelor of Journalism and Arts, majoring in Drama and Writing. She has worked for national talent agencies directing acting and modelling courses for new talent, and regularly prepares students for drama school, theatre and film auditions. Katrina is a Committee member of the Communication, Speech and Performance Teachers Inc.

What You’ll Learn
• The way Katrina gets paid to speak
• Why the ability to communicate is important even from a young adult age
• How Katrina gets even the most terrified speakers to perform again and again
• The universal speaking truths that apply to all age and all education levels
• What speaking presence is and what it looks like
• The international speaking presence expert with ideas worth discussing
• How presence, audience focus and energy are intertwined
• The three circles of presence and the two types of presenter that are difficult to listen to
• The steps to take and mindset to have to bring about presence from the stage
• Why feeling comfortable and yourself is most important
• How charisma correlates to confidence, presence and authority
• Vulnerability and the role in plays in being liked as a speaker
• The three elements to speaking well
• Why we shouldn’t be so focussed on ‘ticking the boxes’.

Mentioned In The Show
• Patsy Rodenburg: http://www.patsyrodenburg.com

Resources and Links
• Email Katrina at: Katrina.Roberts@ahs.qld.edu.au
• The Presentation Boss Podcast: https://www.blueboxdatastorytelling.com.au/podcast/
• Kate on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kate-norris/
• Thomas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-krafft/
• Presentation Boss on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/presentationboss/
• Presentation Boss on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/presentation-boss

Quotes From This Episode
• “I like to feel like I’ve made a difference, even in a small way”
• “Communication skills infiltrate every aspect of how they operate in the world”
• “Everything we do involves other people and communicating in some aspect with them”
• “There are universal truths we need to address”
• “Making sure that your body and self are ready to give eneergy, focus and a message”
• “If you have a quality speech and a good mindset coming in to your performance and place the spotlight not on yourself, but on your message and priority on your audience, presence isn’t far away, if not already there”
• “We disengage from the world a lot, and we’re used to disengaging”
• “You have to absolutely be in total preparation mode .. to have a chance of affecting other people”
• “They think ‘No, it’s got to be more complicated than this’. The only thing that’s complicated about it, is that it is so simple”
• “And it feels awesome!”