We often repeat the phrases we hear, which is why it's common to come to a meeting and hear things like:

"We have a lot to get through today.”
"We have a packed agenda this morning.”
"Let’s get started — there’s quite a few things to discuss."

These phrases are typically meant to encourage focus and productivity. Unfortunately, they’re not always effective. In fact, these phrases can unintentionally send the wrong message. Instead of creating an extra motivation, they often highlight what’s lacking — time.

Even though everyone has set aside time for the meeting, these phrases imply it’s still not enough. They emphasize how packed people’s days are, reminding them that even more effort is required.

It’s true a meeting may have a full agenda. But if the goal is to empower the group, it’s worth choosing language that supports that goal. To inspire and energize your team, it’s better to start in another way. I recommend opening with something positive like gratitude, excitement, or appreciation. For example:

"I’m so glad we had this time reserved to connect.”
"I’m excited to hear everyone’s updates on this project.”
"I appreciate you all coming today."

Be mindful of how often your language reinforces scarcity — especially around time. People already carry plenty of stress. That’s why it’s helpful for leaders to choose phrases that center on abundance and appreciation instead.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Making a mistake is hard. It’s even harder when someone publicly points it out. Perhaps you misremembered a fact, reordered a timeline, or defined a term incorrectly, and someone stops you and brings attention to it. When someone calls out a mistake you made, I believe the best response—is to thank them. 

However, this has to be more than a quick, yet polite, brush-off in order to move on to your next point. Your response has to be genuine. If someone corrected a potentially foundational miscommunication, thank them for helping clarify your message. By pausing, thanking the person, and acknowledging the misstep, you show your colleagues a few things:

1. You can handle mistakes with ease

A great way to build trust on a team is by handling missteps graciously. For projects to succeed, we rely on being able to work well with one another, and part of that comes from feeling safe enough to step in when a mistake is made.

2. You are open to collaboration

Great teams work because they can share ideas. If one person can’t acknowledge another person’s help, then it’s not really a team atmosphere.

3. You are comfortable acknowledging issues
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Many issues in organizations are preventable, but sometimes people aren’t able to acknowledge when they mess up. This creates mistrust in the team, the project, and organization. It’s much better when you work with people who can admit mishaps to help avoid issues in the future.

When someone steps in to say you misspoke, they aren’t trying to point out how you failed, they are trying to help you succeed. Especially if it’s a foundational oversight, it’s important that someone corrected you early on. Real leaders are able to graciously acknowledge their mistakes. It helps build trust within the team and in your leadership capabilities.

​Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Subtle details can significantly impact the effectiveness of a presentation. One of the details that has a huge influence on a presentation, are the titles in a slide deck.

Titles serve an essential function in presentations. As the largest text on the slide, they naturally draw attention, making them a powerful tool when used effectively. Here are a few ways to leverage the power of titles:

1. Use Titles to Prompt Your Key Phrase

It’s common for presenters to click to a new slide, glance at the title, and momentarily forget what they want to say. This often leads to filler words like “um” or “uh” as they try to recover their train of thought.
To avoid this, place the key phrase or word you want to remember in the slide title. When you advance to a new slide, the title becomes your visual cue, guiding you to the right opening phrase. Not only does this create smoother transitions, but it also benefits your audience. When the words they see match the words they hear, it enhances clarity and keeps folks engaged from the start.

2. Avoid Questions in Titles

Unless your presentation directly addresses specific questions (such as a research aim or customer inquiry), avoid using questions in your slide titles. Repeated question marks can subtly imply uncertainty around the work.
Instead, it’s better to use statements. Statements convey confidence and stability, making your data or ideas feel more grounded. For example, a question like “Why is this important?” could be reframed as: “The Importance of This Work.” This shift reinforces certainty and strengthens the overall tone of the presentation.

3. Focus on Empowering Words

Many slide titles inadvertently emphasize “effort” or “work,” which can unintentionally make the presentation feel like a list of challenges or burdens. Instead, highlight the goal or outcome in your title to create a more positive and motivational tone.

For instance:

• Change “Where We Need to Put Effort” to “How to Create Momentum”
• Reframe “Areas to Improve” as “Current Opportunities”

This adjustment can shift the focus from labor and effort towards empowerment and progress.

Using your slide titles strategically by incorporating key phrases, avoiding unnecessary questions, and highlighting empowering words can elevate the entire presentation. Thoughtful, intentional titles not only guide your delivery but also create a more engaging and impactful experience for your audience.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

People often have a hard time starting a speech in an authentic and organic way. It can be difficult to transition smoothly from the opening of the talk to the main content. This transition is incredibly important, because the way you begin and continue a story should feel seamless. That’s why it’s helpful to have a few techniques to captivate an audience’s attention in a conversational and engaging way. I’ve found that the most powerful techniques can be broken down into three categories:

1. Location
Commenting on the trip to a conference, the location of an event, or the area everyone is currently in, is a great way to open a talk because it helps focus everyone’s attention on the present moment. For example someone might open their speech by saying:

“As I was sitting on the plane yesterday, I started thinking about how excited I was to meet with you all today.”

“This conference is always one of my favorite events to attend.”

“This is such a beautiful venue to be in with all of you.”

Bringing up the location helps people focus on what is currently happening so they absorb the content you are about to share.

2. Reflection
Another great way to open is through reflection. This can happen by sharing thoughts about what an event means, how you prepared for this moment, or thinking back to an earlier time in your career. For example, you could share:

“It’s wonderful being with you at orientation today. It’s interesting because I remember when I first started graduate school…”

“It’s truly an honor to welcome you all. The first time I ever attended this event was almost a decade ago.”

“As I was preparing for this keynote, I started thinking back on my career and what moments had the biggest impact on me.”

By being vulnerable and sharing something personal, the audience can easily connect with you on a deeper level.

3. Gratitude
Being grateful is a wonderful and easy way to bring positivity into the room. People can comment on what the event means, how it’s nice working with a particular group, or how fun it’s been collaborating with the team for a certain project. For example you could open with:

“I’m so glad that we get to have this yearly retreat. It’s important to get the opportunity to chat and connect with the wonderful people we have on this team.”

“This is one of my favorite groups to collaborate with. I always appreciate how creative and passionate everyone is about the work we do.”

“We are doing a lot of important work right now and the reason we’ve been able to make such a large impact is because of everyone in this room."
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Bringing appreciation into the room is an easy way to help set the tone for the rest of the speech.

Finding an organic way to open a talk or a meeting is important. Talking about the location, reflecting on the moment, or sharing some gratitude, is a great strategy to easily connect and engage with an audience.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Whether you’re waiting for someone to log online, or you’re sitting in a conference room before a meeting, people often find themselves in situations where they need to fill time before an event begins. That’s why it’s important to plan out some topics to chat about. People usually connect over the weather, tv shows, sports, etc. But if you have repetitive meetings with people, you’ll want to expand your small talk repertoire.
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That’s why I suggest thinking about:
​What would you like people to imagine you doing when you’re not working together?

I like to think of activities in three categories:
1. When you’re not at work
2. When you’re collaborating with other departments
3. When you’re working on your current projects

For example, perhaps you want people to envision you exploring new places by going hiking or traveling. Then, you could talk about a recent trip you had, or a place you’ve been researching that you’ll go to soon. Or, maybe you want people to imagine you collaborating with different departments. Then, you could share how you just came from a great meeting where you were working with someone on establishing a new initiative in your organization. Or, if you want folks to picture you actively working on your current project, you could share how you’ve been spending time creating a new presentation that you’re going to share with a client. 

No matter what you share during downtime, it’s an opportunity for folks to have more information about you that helps them visualize you in action. That’s why the stories you share through small talk are important. They give other people information to pull from when you’re not around. That’s why it’s good to be intentional about every opportunity you have to connect, including while you wait for something else to begin.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Time is one of the most important factors presenters need to be aware of during talks. People usually have packed calendars and it’s critical to respect their schedules. However, even though speakers are given a time limit for their presentations, it’s easy for timing issues to arise. Either the meeting is running behind, other speakers took too long, or tech issues prevented the talk from starting on schedule. That’s why many speakers find themselves having less time for their presentation than they originally planned for.

When this happens, it’s important to alter your message to help get the schedule back on track. You don’t want to be the person who prevented someone from leaving on time to pick up their kids, shortened a coffee break, or made someone late for another meeting. Plus, once your talk goes over the allotted time, people aren’t even paying attention to your message. Instead, they are watching the clock and thinking about the next activity they have planned.

Therefore, if you realize you have to cut your presentation down, I recommend shortening the beginning of it since that’s usually when the supplemental information is shared. Instead of giving all the background that leads up to your point, state the main point of the slide in one sentence and then move on. Even if you have a lot of information on the slide, don’t explain it. Instead, relay the main point and continue on to your next idea. That way, you’ll still have enough time to spend on the important part of your talk. You don’t want to run out of time or attention on the message you’re actually there to share.

For example, instead of explaining all the past research, simply say, “We’ve conducted a lot of research to reach this point.” Or, if you have a slide with all the different programs offered to students or employees, instead of going through all of the details you could say, “We have a lot of programs available.” Then, move on to your next point. Of course it would be more ideal to explain everything on your slides, but if you have to cut out information, omit the part that isn’t critical for this moment.

The same tip can be applied if you find yourself over-explaining your slides in the middle of a presentation. If you suddenly realize you’re running low on time, simply state the point of the slide you have up, perhaps add in one detail, and then move on.

Timing is important. That’s why it is crucial to have a plan in place for any scenario. It’s nice to be known as a speaker that people can count on no matter how much time you have.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

In presentations, conferences, and meetings, people often don’t have enough time to cover all the content they want to share. That’s why we often hear phrases like:

“I’ll go through this quickly…”
“To give you a ‘brief’ overview…”
“I just have a quick question to ask…”

However, even though these types of sentences are common, it’s important to understand the effect they actually have on an audience.

“I’ll go through this quickly…”
When someone says they will do something “quickly” it usually means the presenter will be speaking at a rapid pace. In order to keep up, the audience will have to put in more effort to track the details. Usually, this is when the audience decides to tune out. It’s more productive to simply omit that phrase and then share the corresponding content.

“To give you a ‘brief’ overview…”
Telling people something will be “brief” draws an audience’s attention to the time the content is taking, rather than the details of the content. This can invite critique because the audience starts to analyze whether the summary was succinct or if it dragged on too long. Eliminating that word is more direct and helps your message stand out.

“I just have a quick question to ask…”
When you’re already running low on time, saying something will be “quick” actually has the opposite effect. You don’t want to spend precious time adding in extra phrases when it would be better to spend that time on the discussion. That’s why I recommend avoiding that phrase and simply asking the question. This creates a smoother narrative which is a better use of everyone’s schedule.

While it’s common to comment on how “quick” something will be, it’s not always effective. Instead, omit those phrases and simply share the content. This can help your audience connect with the information which will be a more effective use of everyone’s time.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Meetings take up a lot of time. Therefore, it’s important to make them as effective as possible. To prepare, folks spend time crafting agendas, putting together slide decks, and coming up with discussion points. People have to be intentional in order to maximize each meeting’s potential. However, there is one moment in a meeting that often gets overlooked — the end.

People usually conclude their meetings by saying: 
Well, it looks like we are out of time.
I know that was a lot of information.
So ya… guess that’s it.

Then, that phrase becomes the last thing people hear and the message they replay in their head. A team shouldn’t be thinking about how that was “a lot of information” or how everyone ran “out of time”. Instead, it’s important to think about how to make that last moment count.

For example a meeting could end with:
I appreciate your time and I look forward to checking in next week.
I’m excited to hear about the project updates on our next call.
Thank you all for all the work you do. 

The end of a conversation matters. So before a call ends or folks walk out of a conference room, be intentional about the last phrase people hear.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Asking questions during a presentation can be a great way to engage your audience. It helps the speaker connect with the room and allows the audience to guide the narrative around topics they’d like to explore more. However, it’s becoming increasingly popular for speakers to ask rhetorical questions during presentations. Rhetorical questions, or questions where the speaker doesn’t actually need an answer from their audience, can undermine the power of a presentation for a number of reasons.

1. Disrupts flow
Instead of making statements that connect to form a cohesive story, rhetorical questions disrupt the flow of a presentation. For example when a speaker says:

So why did we do this? Well, we did this because…
What is the new product? The new product is…

Rhetorical questions create a choppy tone throughout a presentation. This stop/start pattern can also make it harder for the audience to follow along, since we tend to remember narratives that connect and flow together. Therefore, it’s better to avoid questions and make statements instead. For example…

We did this because…
The new product is…

Making statements is a stronger way to connect ideas in a presentation.

2. Gives your audience permission to stay silent
Rhetorical questions don’t require answers. Thus, when a speaker asks a lot of them, the audience gets accustomed to not answering or sharing a response. Then, when a speaker asks a question where they do want to elicit a response, the audience might not engage because they have fallen into a passive pattern and stay silent.

3. Questions can add in a hesitant tone
When a speaker asks too many rhetorical questions, it can affect how solid their idea sounds. If an audience is going to trust that a new project or idea was well thought through, it’s better to make statements about how everything came together. Then, if someone does have a question it stands out as an avenue to explore. Having too many rhetorical questions can create a doubtful undertone throughout a presentation.

Rhetorical questions can disrupt flow, make your audience disengage, and can add hesitation to your content. Instead, I recommend only asking questions when the audience can actually respond. By asking active questions, speakers show they value engagement by opening up a meaningful dialogue with their audience.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

One of the most common small talk questions is, “What do you do?” People ask this question because it’s a quick and concise way to ask people how they spend the majority of their time. But often, this question doesn’t allow people to open up and connect. 

Folks might answer:
I’m a grad student at X university.
I’m an attorney.
I’m a Developer at X corporation.

Some people will share a little about the type of work they do, but people are often quite succinct and don’t elaborate. This makes it hard to find an organic way to continue the conversation. That’s why I recommend following up by asking people about what aspects of their jobs (or their fields) that they appreciate.

For example you could ask:

What’s something you enjoy about your work at the moment? 
Are you noticing anything changing in your field right now? 
What is one of the best parts of your job?
What is something about your current role that you find interesting?
What’s something you look forward to when you work with your colleagues?

We can always find ways to bond over stress and discomfort, but when you are meeting someone new, it’s good to connect over things that energize or intrigue you. If your goal is to get people to open up, think about also asking them to share things that inspire and motivate them.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

We are used to instant gratification. We click a button and an article appears, we ask our phone a question and immediately get a response, and we can order an item and expect it to arrive the next day. We don’t live in a world where we patiently wait. Therefore, it’s difficult in presentations when people use phrases that tell an audience what they won’t be getting right now. 

For example, people will use phrases such as: 

I’ll go over that more later…
I won’t go into the technical details right now…
We don’t have a lot of time so I won’t go over the specifics…
I’ll explain that more in a few slides…
I’ll describe that in a bit…

These phrases are meant to help alleviate questions about more details, but what they really do is distract your audience from what you’re currently explaining. They start to think about what you aren’t sharing right now and it ends up disrupting the narrative. The audience won’t know that you aren’t sharing all the details unless you tell them.

So if an audience is listening to you — right now — you want to provide them with the information at that exact moment. If you aren’t going to talk about something for a while, just wait until you get to the point to bring it up. Don’t alert the audience to what they aren’t getting. Instead, just share the information you want and then you can go into more details when you get to that section. This way, your narrative keeps flowing and people can follow your message as you reveal it.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

There are many types of people in a group. Some people are more talkative or extroverted and some are quieter or more introverted. In these situations, it’s easy for the talkative people to dominate the conversation. However, even though quieter people aren’t pulling as much focus, they are still paying attention. Yet, it can often be tough for introverts to establish themselves in a group when they aren’t sharing their voice as much.

That’s why I’ve put together a few phrases that quieter folks can use to remind people that even though they aren’t as talkative, they are still actively engaged in the conversation.

Phrases to use:

“I’ve been listening to everyone’s initial thoughts about this and I believe…”

“What you said made me think about __________. So I’ve been strategizing the best way to approach this…”

“When you brought up _______ a little while ago, I started brainstorming about options…”

What all of these phrases have in common is that they start by letting people know what’s happening while you’re not speaking. They’re reminding people that even though you are not talking, you are still playing an active role. That reminder is important because many people get silent when they are tuning out. Therefore, teammates might mistakenly assume that if you’re quiet, you’re not actively involved. These phrases stop that false premise and correct the narrative.

Then, during future meetings, people won’t assume you have checked out if you’re quiet. Instead, they’ll know that you’re analyzing the situation, and will be more likely to check in with you. Letting people know what’s happening behind the scenes is a great way to stop incorrect assumptions and take control again. That way, even when you aren’t talking out loud, people know that you are still actively part of the conversation.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Every presentation is a conversation. Even though the audience isn’t speaking, they are still responding to the speaker’s content. There is a back-and-forth between the two parties. However, the more a talk sounds like a “presentation”, the easier it becomes for the audience to tune out. There is a subconscious distancing that can occur which makes it more difficult for the speaker to effectively communicate their message. That’s why I advise avoiding sentences that bring attention to the presentation such as:

1. In this presentation I’ll be talking about…
You wouldn’t start talking to a colleague by opening with, “In this conversation I’ll be sharing…”  so I wouldn’t open a talk by saying, “In this presentation I’ll be talking about…”. Instead, just share the information without that formal set up. Think of how you’d start talking about this topic in a conversation and open that way instead.

2. I’ll go into that more in a few slides…
When people use this phrase, it minimizes the importance of the slide you’re actively sharing. The audience starts to think about what slides will be shown in the future, when that information will come up, and what that info will be. The audience’s attention jumps into the future and they might miss the details you’re currently talking about. If you share the information as you get to it, the audience is always paying attention to what is currently in front of them.

3. This slide shows you…
In conversations, images are used to reinforce ideas. They are helpful because pictures add context and specificity to a story. However, you wouldn’t share a photo and say, “This photo shows you…”. Instead, you’d share a bit of background and then show the image to add in more depth to your point. By eliminating that phrase, the slide becomes helpful for adding in details instead of something you are having to explain to the audience. 

Great speakers want their audience to feel that their participation is necessary and appreciated. Therefore, if you wouldn’t use the phrase in a conversation, I wouldn’t use it in a presentation either. This way, your speech is approachable and your audience can feel more actively involved and connected to your content.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC

Back to back virtual meetings can be draining, so it makes sense to allow colleagues to keep their cameras off during certain events. Plus, everyone has a lot going on right now and it helps to give people the option of participating without worrying about kids running around in the background or WiFi bandwidth issues. 

However, as a speaker it can be very difficult to bring the same energy and enthusiasm to a presentation when you don’t have anyone to talk to or interact with. It’s disconcerting to “check-in” with your audience and only see black boxes staring back at you. 

Thankfully, there is one situation we are all comfortable with where you never see the person you are talking to, but it doesn’t throw you off — a phone call.
When you call someone, in order to visualize that person effectively, it's good to ask where that person is so you can picture them in that location and then deliver your story. Even though you never see their face, you can still feel energized because you can imagine their reactions in your head.

That’s why I recommend deciding two things if you're the only one on camera during a presentation:

1. Who you are talking to (pick someone who needs and wants to hear this information)
2. Where they are (visualize them in a specific location)

Then, pretend you’re on a phone call during your presentation. Imagine the person reacting to your story and notice how your presentation changes. This way, you can keep the energy of your original talk without needing to see people looking back at you. 

Author: Bri McWhorter

One of the biggest anxieties presenters have is how to handle the Q & A session after a talk. With so many variables at play, it’s completely understandable that people worry about preparing for every scenario. That’s why I’ve put together these tips to help you feel confident before your next presentation.

Scenario 1: You’ve never thought about that idea before.
Part of what makes presentations so wonderful is that it’s an opportunity for others to hear your ideas and share theirs. You’re not expected to have thought of every single possibility beforehand. That’s why you go to an event, to hear ideas from people with different backgrounds. 

If someone brings up something new you could say:
“That isn’t something I’ve thought about before, but I’ll be sure to give it some consideration now that you’ve brought it to my attention.”

People appreciate when you take the time to listen to their ideas, even if you don’t have an immediate answer. 

Scenario 2: You have no clue what the answer is.
If you don’t know what the answer is, instead of worrying — just tell them the truth.

You could say, “That’s a great question but not my area of expertise, so I don’t feel I can answer that right now.”
It’s important to remember that you’re human and you aren’t expected to have all the answers. As long as you don’t collapse and react negatively, the audience member will appreciate that you listened to their comment.

Scenario 3: You should know the answer, but can’t think of it.
If someone asks a basic question, and you freeze, let the audience know.

For example you could say, “That’s something I should know the answer to, but to be honest, at this moment it isn’t coming to me. I’m sure I’ll think of it right after this is over.”

People understand the stress that comes with presenting. Everyone has had a moment where they blank out. Just let people know what’s happening, and then you can move on to the next question.

Remember not to self-destruct when answering questions. You are human and you’re not expected to prepare for every possibility. Respond like you would if a friend asked you this question. If something surprises you, remember to breathe, state the facts, and then focus on continuing the conversation. That way, if you don’t know the answer to a question, it won’t matter. You can move on and still make a great impression.

Author: Bri McWhorter
​© Activate to Captivate, LLC