Jul 7, 2026 – 5.00amCommunications expert Louise Mahler has spent years helping leaders gain confidence, presence, and influence in the way they communicate. A former opera singer, she knows a thing or two about the need to breathe and move when performing on stage.Another tip is to introduce humour and laughter. “Laughter is a bouncing diaphragm, and that’s really the core thing that we need, for our diaphragm to be loose,” Mahler says.Subscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Sally PattenBOSS editorSally Patten edits BOSS, and writes about workplace issues. She was the financial services editor and personal finance editor of the AFR, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald. She edited business news for The Times of London.Iona RennieProducerIona Rennie is a producer at The Australian Financial Review.Fetching latest articles
Want to speak better in public? Ditch the lectern
“I want to burn lecterns,” says this communications expert. She also wants you to throw away your public speaking notes and introduce humour. Here’s why.
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