Maria Papacosta

Don't Fight Your Fear of Public Speaking, Embrace It

We’ve all experienced it – that nervous flutter before speaking in public, whether it’s at a conference stage or just a meeting. Even the most confident public speakers feel fear. As Mark Twain said, “There are only two types of speakers in the world: the nervous and liars.”

Individuals often attempt to manage pre-performance anxiety by trying to use the voice in their head to talk themselves into calmness. Regrettably, this usually backfires, leaving us feeling even more anxious. Now we’re not just grappling with speaking nerves, but also with a sense of inadequacy about our inability to self-soothe.

There is a better approach. By understanding, accepting, and evaluating our fears, we can embrace them as a natural part of the human experience. This empowers us to move beyond our comfort zone, expand our careers, and develop new skills.

From Waiting to Acting - Unleashing Your Presence

As Max Weber said, we grow in the iron cage of others’ expectations. This may overlap but is not necessarily what we want. Acting based on what others expect from us is often a burden that prohibits us from dreaming and discovering our purpose.

Knowing who you are, appreciating your needs and desires, and identifying where you want to go are critical in building a strong presence and unleashing your potential. Good things don’t usually come to those who wait, but instead, they come to those who act. The ones who constantly work on self-improvement, learning and relearning, and cultivating a growth mindset are the ones who eventually grow stronger, more confident, and more accomplished.

During this keynote, you’ll embark on a journey to help you strengthen your core which is your presence in life, create a better version of yourself, and understand that opportunities come to those who actively seek them.

Building Your Personal Brand

No matter how good you are at whatever it is you’re doing, you need to stand out and be heard, otherwise your audience will most likely never get the chance to meet you.

Personal Branding starts with discovering your true self, your values and qualities, and being held accountable for all your actions. It is not a self-promotion campaign. It’s about putting forward these qualities that define you as an individual and enhancing your overall professional image.

Personal Branding is not about effectively using social media either. It’s about committing to yourself and the values you support and living by them every single day. The personal brand you design must come from the heart and must be supported 100% by everything you do. By defining and managing your personal brand, you need to become a role model and a trusted voice that others want to follow and be inspired by.

It is important to view your personal brand as a trademark that needs protection and continuous shaping and development. This trademark must be developed with the intention of how it can best serve others and not yourself. To build a strong personal brand, you need people to receive clear benefits from being associated with you.

Do you know what your personal brand is?

Presence - The Power Within

There is a big difference and a big connection between having Presence and being Present. Being present is a primal state of being, which unfortunately most people are disconnected from. Being present is about giving the 100% of yourself in any activity you’re doing. All of your senses function at their highest possible level and your mind is completely focused on what you’re doing, while you are fully aware of what is going on in your surrounding environment.

Having Presence means that you can impress and influence someone with your gravitas, communication skills, and appearance. To build your Presence, you need to go through a journey of greater self-awareness and rediscover your innate presence, both physically and mentally. How you say what you say greatly affects your presence and your ability to influence others. You need to be able to control your voice, your emotions and skilfully choose the words that your audience needs to hear to follow you. Very eloquently put by Mark Twain “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is a large matter – ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.”

Storytelling & Presentation Skills for Leaders

Storytelling and Presentation Skills for Leaders has been designed to help you enhance the skills you need to inspire your people and get your message across with the highest possible impact.

Storytelling and presentation skills are both mandatory if you want to stand out. Having a great narrative without the skills to deliver it or having a great stage presence without a strong narrative, will simply lead to a mediocre result. You need both elements if you want to achieve your objectives and communicate your message effectively.

Drawing on years of experience teaching senior executives, coaching TED speakers, and using storytelling techniques to help some of the leading thinkers of our time stand out and make an impact, this talk provides a proven methodology for clear communication that leaves a lasting, positive impression and inspires action. Whether you’re giving a presentation at work, speaking at an event, or simply looking to improve your communication skills, this talk is designed to equip you with the tools you need to make your message heard and achieve your goals.

Leading from Within - The Power of Self-Awareness

In today’s fast-paced world, self-awareness has never been more critical for executives. Knowing yourself – your strengths, areas for development, values, and limiting beliefs – is the foundation for effective leadership and personal growth. 

But what does it truly mean to be self-aware, and how can you cultivate this essential skill? 

In this keynote, we’ll explore the power of self-awareness and how it can transform your leadership and your organization. Drawing on the latest research and real-world examples, you’ll learn practical strategies for developing self-awareness. Whether you’re a seasoned executive or a rising star, this talk will inspire you to unlock your full potential by becoming more self-aware and leading with greater impact.