David Crisante is one of the best-known public speaking trainers in Australia. He can help you be more confident, improve your body language, write presentations, impress your colleagues, and prepare

Find out more about David

• 1) How long have you been interested in this subject?

  I have been teaching public speaking for 20 years, helping others to communicate more effectively for a range of professional and social settings. My clients include workers, managers, executives and even government ministers. People contact me for all kinds of requests - from helping them with a wedding speech, to preparing for a job interview, to being a better presenter in their workplace.
  
  I got interested in public speaking following my career in journalism. When I switched over and began working in diplomacy, I noticed many of the diplomats, trade negotiators, and humanitarians that I worked with did not have confidence in their communication ability. Through my training, colleagues were able to be much more effective at work and this skill helped advance their career.

• 2) Tell us what your discipline can bring to people's lives.

  Often people tell me that they feel public speaking and presenting holds them back in life. Often they say that they’ve had a bad experience and that they don’t know what to do. Public speaking makes them fearful, and they begin to avoid it and hide from the gaze of others.
  
  My sessions help set people free from these fears and self-doubts.
  
  Being more confident and less nervous when communicating with others can lead to new opportunities, better social standing, and a much-improved quality of life. So few of us are ever taught how to present or communicate with others effectively, which is surprising given many techniques are both quite easy to apply and are deeply impactful on people’s lives. I’ve had many former clients say how much of a gamechanger it has been to get some new skills in public speaking, and to actually enjoy presenting to others - so much so that they put their hand up for opportunities and experience rapid career progression.
  
  
  My goal is that people go from having a negative feedback loop around public speaking, and instead move towards a mindset of growth, learning - and believe it or not, fun!

• 3) How would you describe your method as a practitioner?

  I’m highly practical. My method is to asses the client’s needs, understand their strategic objectives, identify what has worked previously (and what hasn’t), and then develop highly practical methods to improve their ability. I am like a personal trainer, but for public speaking. So we will conduct quick exercises, practice, and then apply the methodologies. I learn best from doing, and I like to teach in this fashion. My background is in political speechwriting, journalism, and comedy, so I combine all three of these elements to help people be more confident when speaking about themselves. My specialisation is helping people to unlock themselves and hit the right note during their presentations so that they draw others to them and win over audiences.
  
  I’ve been doing this for decades, which means I’m highly experienced in developing bespoke activities that will improve confidence, reduce nerves, and help people to see that everyone can indeed be a fantastic communicator.
  
  One of my specialisations is the use of body language, and the framing of messaging, to draw in a crowd and more impactfully connect with them. Many people work with me extensively on their body language, which helps them in professional and social settings to be more confident, relaxed, and engaging.

• 4) With experience, are there things you have learned or unlearned about yourself or others?

  One of the surprising things I learned when I left journalism is that it’s possible to ‘over-perform’ in public speaking. I discovered this because I was a bit of an over-performer given I had to be highly expressive on radio and television during my journalism days. I had an extremely confident style of delivery, and while this was great when I was reading the news, it turned people off in other settings.
  
  For example, when I was working in diplomacy, this style of delivery was counterproductive and did not lead to rapport-building with my stakeholders. I had to learn to adapt my approach so that I became more nuanced in my style of delivery. This has served me very well, as I now MC events on a weekly basis - both serious corporate activities as well as comedy shows that I run.
  
  It was confronting to acknowledge my own over-performance, and helping others to acknowledge and reduce their over-performance can be highly confronting for them as well.
  
  There’s a nuance to public speaking and presenting, where we want to invite the audience to connect with us. I help all students to hit the right tone and find the right balance so that they’re able to more effectively draw others in, keep them engaged, and be more persuasive when public speaking.

• 5) Do you have a role model, a person who really inspired you?

  Anyone who puts up their hand to give a presentation or public talk should be commended and admired. It requires a lot of courage. All of us will know of a celebrity who they feel drawn to. These people typically use the public speaking techniques that I have codified so that my clients can exude the same level of charisma. It’s quite easy to learn, but it does require investment and trust in an experienced coach. Typically just 2-3 sessions will have a massive impact on someone.
  
  If you had to twist my arm and get me to name someone, then I’d say that Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie are fantastic at public speaking, and their interviews during the press tour for the Barbie movie were particularly impressive. They seemed like they were having such a good time, that audiences felt compelled and persuaded to watch the film. Often their interviews were a masterclass in connecting with the audience and making the audience feel like they were part of the narrative.

• 6) How do you personally relax; what methods work for you?

  My friends would describe me as someone who is very driven, who can’t sit still, and who always needs to be working on the next thing. So they’re usually surprised to learn that I’m introverted and need time to myself to recharge. I read a lot and am very interested in psychology and history - I’ve found as a journalist that these topics can help us to give us insight into what is around the corner. I enjoy being outdoors, and used to be a semi-professional dancer, so I’m always partial to putting on some music and busting out a move in the kitchen.

• 7) Tell us about a memorable lesson.

  I was once reporting on atomic bomb survivors who were on a peace boat for a global tour, when we were attacked by Somali pirates and rescued by NATO. My job was to report on the trip, but I was not expecting something like that to happen. It was scary and - once the danger had cleared - exhilarating. That experience taught me a lot. When I was working in diplomacy, I was sent on military planes into crisis zones in the Pacific after natural disasters to help with aid response efforts. And during my time in politics and working in environmental campaigning, all of our plans would be thrown out the window because of an unplanned disaster.
  
  So I’ve come to expect surprises, to be alert to what is happening around me, and to simultaneously be flexible enough to change plans quickly in order to achieve a better outcome. This translates very well to public speaking. Preparing is fantastic, but so also is flexibility. Keeping an eye on the ultimate goal can help us to navigate through tricky situations where we need to think quickly on our feet. We can’t prevent surprises, but it’s how we respond that counts!