Speaking

• 
  Create Your Communication Experience

• Disguised Decay

  Bert Decker

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  “Status quo is disguised decay.” -Pete Wilkinson The truth is, status quo is a facade. You’re either improving or decaying. Some have put it that you are either growing or you’re dying. True. There is no in between. What’s your goal as a communicator? To improve specific behavioral skills? To develop your communication skills to the next level? To be a highly-sought after speaker? Or are you at the top of your game – the pinnacle of your capabilities? You think? We’re all moving along the continuum of effective communicators. Even when you reach your goal as a…

• The Significance of Storytelling

  Ben Decker

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:00 am

  After writing about Compartmentalized Communicating, I’ve been thinking about how significant storytelling is to the successful communications experience. Nothing makes that human, emotional connection better than authentic, compelling storytelling. It was Hans Rosling’s brilliant presentation of statistics at TED India that has kept this topic on my mind. As Hans demonstrates, telling a story can deliver your message almost effortlessly through the gatekeeper of the First Brain to the data processor of the New Brain. (More information on First Brain and New Brain is detailed in…

• Compartmentalized Communicating

  Ben Decker

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:40 am

  “I’m good at sharing facts. I don’t have to use emotion very often, but when I do, I need to speak at the emotion more.” This came from a client in a recent Platinum Session, referring to the commonly-held belief that engaging emotions is an effort we make only for those presentations intended to motivate and inspire. For this client, he viewed the majority of his presentations as just providing information. It’s human tendency to compartmentalize. We segment ourselves in all sorts of ways, including ideas about how we should communicate. It seems natural to separate…

• New Communicator Bursts on the Scene

  Bert Decker

  20 Jan 2010 | 12:08 am

  Put your politics aside for a moment – a new communications star was born tonight. Unless you live under a rock, you now know of Scott Brown, who won the Massachusetts Senate race Tuesday. I hesitated blogging on Scott Brown’s acceptance speech because I just got back from Las Vegas and it’s late and it’s too political – but after seeing him on Tivo I couldn’t resist. What Barack Obama did in 2004 in his speech at the Democratic convention, Scott Brown just did in 2010 in his victory speech – burst upon the national scene. Here’s why: It’s a national stage – this was a…

• A Dropped Call by Google

  Kelly Decker

  13 Jan 2010 | 2:00 am

  When Google announced Nexus One earlier this week, it got a lot of press, but not just on the phone itself, which was mixed. But the press on the presentation itself wasn’t mixed – it was bad. Nancy Duarte said newscasters called it a disaster (though she liked the slides.) CNBC really panned it, calling Mario Carlos (the presenter) a ‘Johnson.’ It didn’t have to be that way. You can see the short clip of Mario below, and here’s a more complete version. My guess is that the amount/time of preparation wasn’t the problem…it was HOW he prepared! (Which, unfortunately, is WAY…

• 
  The Ethos3 Blog

• Stuff Presenters Like

  Scott Schwertly

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:10 am

  It’s time for a personal confession. My name is Scott Schwertly and I am annoyed. No, I am angry. People can care less about their presentations. Don’t believe me. Look around you! Most of them are lame. Hence, I have created a personal blog (think of it as an extension of Ethos3) to point out the flaws, weaknesses, and dumb crap that presenters do each and everyday.  It’s a reaction to both Stuff White People Like and Stuff Christians Like so I am calling it Stuff Presenters Like.  In a nutshell, it’s a blog about the good, the bad, and the lame things presenters do…

• A Brief Introduction To Introductions

  Scott Schwertly

  1 Feb 2010 | 6:45 am

  If you find yourself making your fair share of presentations for your company or business, there is a good chance you may also be called upon to introduce another speaker – maybe at short notice. Don’t panic! If you know your way around a presentation, you can make a great introduction. Essentially, you’re being asked to deliver a very short speech. Many of the same fundamentals that apply to a presentation apply to an introduction, with a few special points to keep in mind. How Long Is Too Long? When making an introduction, it’s important to remember that brief is best.

• Amazing Stories – Presentation Tips from Steven Spielberg

  Scott Schwertly

  29 Jan 2010 | 5:51 am

  Even in the midst of these economic hard times, people are still finding the extra cash to check out a movie now and then. Recent films like Avatar and The Book of Eli show that the public is still hungry for blockbusters, and when it comes to blockbusters, one name stands above the others – Steven Spielberg. Love him or hate him, no one walks the line between innovative, artistic film making, and popular success like Steven Spielberg. In fact there was no such thing as a blockbuster film until Spielberg made Jaws. There had been very successful films of course, but Jaws remade film…

• 6 Techniques to Make Your Presentation Unforgettable

  Scott Schwertly

  27 Jan 2010 | 6:04 am

  It’s great to find yourself at the front of the room, speaking clearly, shuffling confidently through your perfectly-chosen slides, seeing looks on the faces of your audience members that seem to say “Yes, I am listening. No, I cannot turn away.” If only it was always that easy… It can be helpful to think about attention in terms of presentations in three ways: First, we need to grab the audience’s attention. We need to find some way to capture them quickly and make sure that they are invested in our message right from the start. Secondly, we need to hold their…

• 5 Presentation Brainstorming Warm-ups

  Scott Schwertly

  25 Jan 2010 | 6:14 am

  Everyone knows that productive brainstorming sessions are imperative to creating stellar presentations. Everyone also knows that the practice of brainstorming has become a little weary. Our brains are over-stimulated and tired. Even after cups and cups of coffee, sometimes we just can’t WAKE UP! Jumping into a brainstorming session these days seems a lot like jumping into an ice cold swimming pool in early Spring. With that in mind, below are five warm-up exercises that will help ease your team into the brainstorming pool. Opposite Day To help jump-start your team’s brains, try an…

• 
  Duarte Blog

• Favorite fan mail…that has made it through

  Nancy Duarte

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:03 pm

  I *heart* fan mail. There is nothing better than hearing from you guys. We’ve been getting so much mail that we’ve decided to take the load off by setting up specific accounts for different needs. Our goal is to stay better organized so we can respond to your questions faster. If you’re interested in working with us on a project, contact: info@duarte.com If your question is specific to our workshops or webinars, send it to: training@duarte.com For all things media-related, including speaking engagements, contact: tracy@duarte.com All fan mail, and additional questions/comments go…

• Beyond Bullet Points: Interview with Nancy Duarte

  Paula Tesch

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:30 pm

  If you’re interested in presentation design, you’ve heard of Cliff Atkinson. His best-selling book, Beyond Bullet Points, has inspired many people to break away from the traditionally bullet-heavy presentation format. His book has also inspired a blog, to which Meryl Evans is a frequent contributor. Meryl recently interviewed Nancy Duarte on behalf of the Beyond Bullet Points blog. (Say that ten times fast.) Nancy and Meryl chatted about what makes a presentation effective and memorable (a story), what makes a story good (it moves your audience), and why sketching and drawing at…

• Product Launches Should be a Big Deal

  Nancy Duarte

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:39 pm

  Matt Lauer said that the launch of Windows 7 was the most important launch Microsoft had done in ten years. If that’s true, why’d it suck so much? Each month I receive a publication called “Vital Speeches.” Last month’s issue included a transcript of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s launch presentation. Please don’t let this speech discredit the folks at Vital Speeches, it’s a great publication. But really, couldn’t Microsoft’s herd of press folks have come up with a catchier title? While writing the next book, I’ve been in speech analysis-mode, and have considered…

• Five Predictions for 2010

  Nancy Duarte

  22 Jan 2010 | 10:47 am

  Last year was our first year for making predictions: http://blog.duarte.com/2009/01/five-predictions-for-presentations-in-2009/. I’m late to the party again this year, but I feel pretty excited about what 2010 will bring. In the year 2010… 1. Presentations and social media will blur. Audience and presenters will have 2-way communication. It won’t just be about the audience twittering to the backchannel. 2. There’ll be another movie about a slide show. Or, if there isn’t a movie about a slide show… there might be a movie about slides. Or a celebrity will use slides to create a…

• Your Data Wants a Makeover

  Nichole Nye

  15 Jan 2010 | 3:23 pm

  Simplicity does not necessarily mean skimping out on the meat of your presentation. When handled correctly, complex scenarios and data can still be included while being transformed into something that is easily comprehensible to the average audience member. No, this does not mean packing seemingly endless charts, tables, and graphs onto every slide. What it does mean is that with the right finessing, even incredibly complex data can be picked apart and rearranged in a simple and engaging way. “The Power Gap” (a new animated infographic by Airside) is a great example of making a…

• 
  Speaking about Presenting: Presentation Tips from Olivia Mitchell

• What you need to know before using a cartoon in your presentation

  Olivia Mitchell

  31 Jan 2010 | 3:02 pm

  I was reviewing a technical presentation for a client. The topic was the latest dental procedures. Every few slides a cartoon popped up. Cartoons about people with bad teeth. They were tangentially relevant to the topic of the presentation – but didn’t help to promote the message of the presentation. When I asked the client why she had included the cartoons she said: “My presentation is soooo boring. I need something to keep the audience awake.” Can you relate? Philippa Leguen de Lacroix It’s a great temptation to do this. But is it justified? This list of pros and cons regarding…

• 6 presentation tips from a professional speaker

  Olivia Mitchell

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:27 pm

  Scott Berkun speaking at the Web2.0 Expo 2009. Photo by James Duncan Davidson. Scott Berkun’s book Confessions of a public speaker is an entertaining and enlightening read on what it what it takes, and what it’s like, to be a professional speaker. I’ve shamelessly cherry-picked the presentation tips from Scott’s book that I most agree with. 1. Let go of perfection If you’d like to be good at something, the first thing to go out the window is the notion of perfection. Every time is I get up to the front of the room, I know I will make mistakes. I so agree. I get so annoyed by…

• What’s my best presentation tip for the presentations that you do?

  Olivia Mitchell

  19 Jan 2010 | 11:05 am

  Every type of presentation has its own challenges. As part of a “Public Speaking and the New Year” blog carnival organized by Angela DeFinis, I’ve identified what I see as the major challenge or trend for each presentation type in 2010 and given you my best presentation tip to overcome it. Best presentation tip for a training session Running long (sometimes all-day) training sessions is probably the worst possible method of learning. So, as trainers we have to compensate for the terrible format. John Medina, author of Brain Rules, delivers 50 minute lectures. His experience, backed up…

• How to handle a texting audience

  Olivia Mitchell

  13 Jan 2010 | 9:25 pm

  A reader asked me this question: Some of us who are 45+ are finding that younger people text and use computers during presentations to the point of rudeness. This happens even when others in the presentation give great evaluations.  We think we’ll be seen as “old farts” if we ask them to disengage.  How do we bridge this generation gap? Strip the generation language from this question and this is a question about attention. What’s the assumption? The assumption is that people paying attention will be looking at you, the speaker. If they’re not looking at you, or they…

• How to propose a toast

  Olivia Mitchell

  14 Dec 2009 | 1:55 pm

  Propose a toast: Image by Waldo Jaquith Give the gift of public speaking this holiday season. It’s the time to show your love and appreciation for your family and friends. Here are some tips for proposing a toast: 1. Plan your toast in advance It might be tempting (particularly if you’ve had a a few drinks) to spontaneously stand up and propose a toast. Your toast will be immeasurably better if you put some thought to it in advance. An unplanned toast can easily turn into a long-winded ramble. 2. Use tidy notes Too often I’ve seen people at family occasions stand up and peer…

• 
  Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Blog

• PowerPoint Tip: Drawing on top of graphs

  Dave Paradi

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am

  Web content is becoming more and more important to include in our presentations. Whether it is traditional research we do or new content like blogs and Twitter, we need to use our access to a broader range of information to bring the latest perspectives to our audience. I’ll be doing a program in May for the DPI-PDW Conference in Ottawa that includes ideas on how to find and incorporate content from the web. Today’s tip deals with how to effectively use a graph that you have as an image, whether it is from the web or an internal source.The problem with graphs that are images is that you…

• Training sessions don’t need to be boring

  Dave Paradi

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:52 am

  In his latest column for BusinessWeek.com, communications consultant Carmine Gallo shares an example of PowerPoint used well to train employees. Training sessions often use PowerPoint, but too often it is not done well. Carmine uses an example of employee training at Wente Vineyards. I’ve been to their location in Livermore, California, so it caught my attention. Here are a few observations about what is described in the article.First, the presenter, Dan Carroll talked about making it relevant to the audience by using something they are already familiar with. This is the In Context step in…

• PowerPoint Slide Makeover #44 - Making Definitions Interesting

  Dave Paradi

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:25 am

  Just a quick note to let you know that a new Slide Makeover Video Podcast based on the ideas in "The Visual Slide Revolution" is available for your viewing through the iTunes Store, online or through my YouTube channel. In too many training and teaching presentations, the definitions of key terms are read verbatim from text on the slides. This makeover shows that defintions can be interesting if you connect with the audience and leave them with a definition they will remember.This slide is based on a consulting assignment, but many of the slides are submitted by one of the participants in a…

• How will the iPad impact corporate presentations?

  Dave Paradi

  28 Jan 2010 | 4:27 am

  Jan Schultink gives us his first thoughts on the iPad and presentations here. In the information and videos I’ve seen, I think Apple has addressed Jan’s fourth point because I saw a video of a marker and a highlighter being used on a Keynote presentation in full screen mode (watch the video at Engadget starting at 0:50). But here are my thoughts from a corporate perspective, remembering that all I have to go on are the reports and videos from the launch event, I haven’t seen an actual device.First, the size. It is too big to carry in a pocket, so I am not sure how much more convenient…

• Call an audible during your presentation

  Dave Paradi

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:02 am

  On Sunday I was watching the AFC Championship game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New York Jets. Even if you are not a football fan, stick with me on this one. I like watching top performers in their fields and in this case I got to watch Peyton Manning, one of the best quarterbacks in football. He is this year’s Most Valuable Player in the NFL. One thing he does better than any other quarterback is change the play at the line of scrimmage based on what he sees the defence doing. Often, he will line up, call some signals and see how the defence reacts. Then he steps back, decides…

• 
  Six Minutes

• Average Speakers Suck. Don’t be Average.

  Andrew Dlugan

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  If you are an average speaker, you suck. So do all of your colleagues with average presentation skills. Let’s see why this is so… Cookies and the Cookie Police Suppose you are baking cookies. After mixing up the dough, you scoop up a bit with your fingers, roll it into a ball, and plop it on the cookie sheet. Repeat this 50 times, and you’ve got an oven full of cookies. Repeat this 500 times, and you’ve got a freezer full of cookies — or, perhaps, enough for a bake sale. Now, suppose that you were being investigated by the Homemade Cookie Police. After you plop…

• 15 Tactics to Establish Ethos: Examples for Persuasive Speaking

  Andrew Dlugan

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:44 pm

  Your speaking ethos is critical to ensure that your audience is present, listening, and open to being persuaded by your ideas. But, how do you maximize your ethos for a given speech and a given audience? Is ethos fixed before you open your mouth? Is there anything you can do during a speech that makes a difference? This article shows you practical tactics you can employ to establish and increase your ethos. Definition of Ethos The previous article in the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series defined ethos along four dimensions: Trustworthiness Does your audience believes you are a good person who…

• Public Speaking Tips: Weekend Review [2010-02-06]

  Andrew Dlugan

  6 Feb 2010 | 12:05 am

  Twice each month, Six Minutes weekend reviews bring you the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere. Please share them with anyone you feel would benefit from the tips and techniques. This review features topics including: recently released public speaking books; storytelling and details; remedies for voice malfunctions; handling hecklers; thanking the audience; cartoons in presentations; rehearsal strategies; a speech critique of Sir Ken Robinson; and more! From the Six Minutes Archives One Year Ago from Six Minutes… Speech Analysis: Barack…

• Psst! Readers’ Speaking Confessions and Lessons

  Andrew Dlugan

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:09 pm

  Have you ever fainted in mid-sentence? Have you ever shown up for a 1-hour seminar only to be told you had to give it eight times in a row? Have you ever had your blouse pop open while speaking? These were just a few of the confessions shared by Six Minutes readers in our contest to win a copy of Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun. Thank you to everyone who participated. The responses are collectively funny, surprising, and educational. A few of the most shocking confessions and the most valuable insights are featured below. Click here to read all of them back at the original…

• What is Ethos and Why is it Critical for Speakers?

  Andrew Dlugan

  31 Jan 2010 | 10:52 pm

  Is your audience listening even before you speak your first words? Do they have high expectations? Are they prepared to be convinced by what you have to say? If not, you are suffering from poor ethos. The first article in the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series introduced these core concepts for speakers. In this article, we define ethos, we look at ways that an audience measures your ethos, and we examine why it is so critical for a successful speech. What is Ethos? Ethos was originally defined by Aristotle in On Rhetoric as being trustworthy. He stated that we are more likely to believe people…

• Photostream from Daylife
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
  Speak Schmeak

• Super Bowl SUCCESs

  8 Feb 2010 | 3:09 pm

  Download audio here. Even if you didn't watch the Super Bowl, you can still see one of the better ads right now on YouTube. There are a lot of reasons this commercial for Google worked. I'm going to approach it from the perpective of Chip and Dan Heath's "Made to Stick." Let's see how it stacks up against their acronym SUCCESs as a memorable or "sticky" message. First, watch the commercial if you haven't already: Simple: You can't get much more simple than showing a person searching on Google. Google is the tool and the product, and that's all you see. No dialogue, no actors, and only a…

• Eye can't see you

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:57 pm

  Download audio here. Waiting with my husband in the emergency room this morning (he's okay), I noticed three signs on the wall of the exam room, typed on 8 1/2" x 11" paper in 12- to 14-point font. They were placed opposite the bed. One sign read, "Our Promise to You;" the second one was a handout with information for waiting patients; the third was titled, "Please Help Us Help You" and went on with a list of suggestions, like minimizing trips back and forth to the waiting room and having only one family member visiting at a time. What struck me about these signs was that there was no way the…

• Speaking for (and to) the average Joe

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:21 am

  Download audio here. While watching news shows, I often feel my eyes glaze over and my brain go somewhere else while pundits and their guests discuss the finer details of political and financial matters. So when someone comes along who can put these complex concepts into easy-to-understand language, I practically jump off the couch. That's how I felt the first time I saw Elizabeth Warren on The Rachel Maddow Show. Warren is a Harvard Law School professor and the chair of the congressional oversight panel on TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program), more commonly referred to as "the bailout." I…

• Does your presentation taste as good as it looks?

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:18 am

  Download audio here. Thank you to fellow speaker and trainer Bert Decker for today's food and public speaking analogy. Last night on Twitter, Bert mentioned making Coq au Vin for the first time and forgetting to ask the butcher to cut up the whole chicken required for the recipe. Last I heard, Bert said the cutting was sloppy but the smells of the meal cooking were great. This reminded me of a previous post I wrote about two speakers at the same event, one polished, professional and slightly canned, the other disheveled and passionate. The one I connected with was the one who gave more than…

• Four lessons for speakers -- from Broadway

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:04 am

  Download audio here. I saw the musical Avenue Q last night, and while I found it entertaining, original and funny, I also found some lessons for speakers! 1. It's okay to have help In Avenue Q, the puppets are handheld on stage by the actors who play them. The puppets, while technically the stars of the show, would be useless without the bodies and voices of the actors. It takes a few minutes to get the hang of mentally integrating both the puppet actions and the actors' facial expressions and movement, but then it works. A lot of speakers have a fear of appearing fallible. They want to hide…

• 
  The BBP Blog

• Interview with Nancy Duarte

  Meryl Evans

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:02 pm

  What makes an effective presentation?  I recently interviewed Nancy Duarte, CEO and principal of Duarte Design and author of slide:ology,  to find out what she thinks. You don’t have to go far to figure out Duarte is passionate about story-telling and using effective visuals to tell the story. Meryl Evans: A person is trying to create a presentation that tells a story, but struggles to make it flow. What’s a good way to turn your topic into a story that flows? Nancy Duarte: Seems to me, if you don’t have a flow, the story isn’t really quite there yet. There are many…

• Webinar: “The Backchannel – A Presenter’s Nightmare or a Dream Come True?”

  Cliff Atkinson

  14 Jan 2010 | 11:34 am

  Join me at 10am Pacific Time on Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2010 for a webinar sponsored by SlideRocket titled The Backchannel: A Presenter’s Nightmare or a Dream Come True? The session description is below – I hope you can join me! Register now at this link. The Backchannel: A Presenter’s Nightmare or a Dream Come True? with Cliff Atkinson Ready or not, the backchannel has arrived! Armed with laptops and smartphones, audiences are no longer sitting quietly while speakers are talking – instead they’re using Twitter and other tools to create a backchannel where they chat with one…

• My new book “The Backchannel” now available at online retailers

  Cliff Atkinson

  3 Dec 2009 | 4:47 pm

  Buckle your presentation seatbelts, because the backchannel is coming! I’ve spent the last part of the year writing my new book The Backchannel: How Audiences are Using Twitter and Social Media and Changing Presentations Forever, which is now available at online retailers and soon in a bookstore near you.  The Backchannel explores the dramatic changes that are coming soon in the field of presentations. The idea of the book was conceived at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference in March 2009, where I witnessed how audiences there were using Twitter to communicate with one…

• Getting Started with the BBP Story Template

  Meryl Evans

  9 Jul 2009 | 8:32 am

  The BBP story template helps you organize and outline your thoughts for a presentation before working with PowerPoint. I recently created a presentation on the value of Twitter to businesses, and worked through the sequence of Act I: the Setting, Role, Point A, Point B and Call to Action slides. Act I sets up your story with key elements to identify the setting, main character and conflict. Sound familiar? We all learned this in grade school English. The easiest one: main character. That would be your audience. Setting Setting doesn’t point to the location of the presentation.

• 8 Ways to Extend Your Presentations

  Meryl Evans

  29 Jun 2009 | 4:03 pm

  With social media growing as a popular resource for businesses to reach out and connect with customers and prospects, presenters need to look outside of the room where they give presentations. Sharing them on the Internet establishes your expertise, shows how you think, spreads your brand and provides yummy link juice. Here are eight ways you can squeeze more out of your hard work in creating your beautiful bullet-free presentation. Record your presentation. With so many digital cameras and technologies readily available for low prices today, it’s easier to record your presentation.

• 
  The Daily Figure

• Can't Help But Damn the Torpedoes

  Figaro

  3 Feb 2010 | 3:31 pm

  No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,speaking to the Senate Armed Services Committee.  reluctant conclusion, implying that you either used to believe the other side or tried hard to believe it. The two guys who run the military for the commander in chief—Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Admiral Mullen—have called for changing don’t ask…

• J.D. Gets More Privacy

  Figaro

  29 Jan 2010 | 12:59 pm

  Do you want this book published or just printed? Angus Cameron, top editor at Little, Brown, to J.D. Salinger reductio ad absurdum, “reduction to absurdity.” Also erotesis (eh-ro-TEE-sis), the rhetorical question.  J.D. Salinger died Wednesday at age 91, almost six decades after his adolescent-angst novel, Catcher in the Rye, came out. Already something of a recluse, he said he didn’t want any publicity for the book; not even review copies. Angus Cameron’s reply neatly reveals the difference between publishing a book and merely printing it. He deploys a reductio…

• Prick It. Does It Bleed?

  Figaro

  22 Jan 2010 | 12:12 pm

  The dissent says that “ ‘speech’ ” refers to oral communications of human beings, and since corporations are not human beings they cannot speak. This is sophistry. Justice Antony Scalia, footnote in a concurring opinion in Citizens United v. FEC  synecdoche, the generalizing trope. From the Greek, meaning “swap.” For the past century, federal law has prohibited corporations from using their own treasury to promote or trash a candidate. The Supremes yesterday upended Congress with a sweeping judgment: corporations have the same speech rights as people,…

• A Sincere Review of the SarcMark

  Figaro

  16 Jan 2010 | 8:42 am

  Equal rights for Sarcasm –Use the SarcMark. Website for SarcMark mycterismus (mik-ter-IS-mus), the sneer.  From the Greek, meaning “sneer.” Questions get a mark, right? Even exclamations have a point! But poor sarcasm has gone unpunctuated—until now. A very earnest software developer offers a character that lets people know when you don’t mean what you say. For only $1.99, you can download the SarcMark (a symbol that, perhaps intentionally, seems to depict something being flushed down a toilet) and use it to end all your snarky sentences. Personally, Figaro…

• Yo, Little Town

  Dorothy Senior

  23 Dec 2009 | 2:48 pm

   O little town of Bethlehem                                                 How still we see thee lie Christmas carol by Phillips Brooks prosopopoeia (pro-so-po-PEE-a), the humanizer.  Figaro’s favorite language sage, Brooks Clark, writes that the sweet little Christmas carol resulted from a bet made by a well-known preacher, Phillips…

• 
  A PowerPoint Blog

• Convexion PowerPoint to Silverlight Converter: The Indezine Review

  Geetesh

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:13 am

  With the proliferation of PowerPoint to Flash converters everywhere, you might have wondered why there are almost no PowerPoint to Silverlight converters anywhere. After all, Silverlight is considered by many as Microsoft's response to Adobe's Flash. Add the fact that PowerPoint and Silverlight are both from the Microsoft stable, and the complete absence of PowerPoint to Silverlight converters is like a puzzle with no solution!Luckily, someone listened and created the first ever PowerPoint to Silverlight converters -- and in this review we are looking at Convexion, a PowerPoint add-in from…

• SlideShare Channels: Conversation with Rashmi Sinha

  Geetesh

  3 Feb 2010 | 6:03 pm

  Rashmi Sinha is cofounder and CEO of SlideShare, the world's largest community for sharing presentations. She manages design and business development at SlideShare. Rashmi blogs at www.rashmisinha.com about social software and running a startup.In this conversation, Rashmi talks about the new Channels feature on SlideShare.Geetesh: What exactly are SlideShare Channels, and how can they help target content for an audience?Rashmi: SlideShare channels are custom branded spaces for businesses and brands. If you have content on SlideShare, this gives you a place to have all your content in one…

• Presentation Tree: The Paul Tumey Interview

  Geetesh

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:23 am

  Paul Tumey is the founder and director of Presentation Tree, a 10-year old PowerPoint design company in Seattle, Washington. Paul's background includes notable achievements in graphic design, writing, public speaking, publicity, and marketing consulting. In this conversation, Paul shares some wisdom about creating PowerPoint presentations, and talks about Presentation Tree, how it was founded and the type of work they do.Read the interview here... Categories: design, interviews, powerpoint

• 25 Million Brainshark Presentation Views: Conversation with Joe Gustafson

  Geetesh

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:08 am

  Joe Gustafson, CEO of Brainshark, Inc., founded the company in 1999 to help knowledge experts accelerate the flow of information to their audiences in a highly effective format. Under Joe's leadership, Brainshark has become a leader in on-demand business communications and a successful Software-as-a-Service company, with more than 1,100 world-class customers, including a third of the Fortune 100. Most recently, Joe has led Brainshark to a series of significant company milestones – with Brainshark presentations netting more than 25 million views, and the company doubling its profits in the…

• Learn PowerPoint: Changing Chart Types in PowerPoint

  Geetesh

  28 Jan 2010 | 1:21 am

  Learn how you can change your existing PowerPoint charts to other types -- for example, changing a column chart to an area chart. PowerPoint provides ample choices in chart types for almost every kind of graphical data representation. There are some basic chart types such as column, bar, line, pie, etc. -- and advanced charts like radar, surface, bubble, doughnut, etc.Follow these steps change the chart type in PowerPoint 2002 and 2003...Categories: charting, powerpoint_2003, tutorials

• 
  Business Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen Shapiro

• Three Innovation Distinctions (Part 3): Diversity not Homogeneity

  Stephen Shapiro

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:16 am

  This is the third of my “innovation distinctions” entries. In the first part of this series, I wrote why you should focus on “Challenges, not Ideas.” Next, I addressed the distinction of “Process, not Events.” In this final entry, I discuss why innovation requires “Diversity not Homogeneity.” Be sure to read the previous two articles before [...]

• More Blog Entries Coming Soon

  Stephen Shapiro

  25 Jan 2010 | 12:01 pm

  I have been working ’round the clock to finish my Personality Poker manuscript.  It goes to the publisher Feb 1.  After that, I will be back and blogging in full force…

• R.I.P. Robert B. Parker

  Stephen Shapiro

  19 Jan 2010 | 3:40 pm

  Today I learned that one of my favorite authors, Robert B. Parker, passed away. He is probably best know for his “Spenser” books.  These fast-paced crime stories are based in Boston (my hometown) and were the  inspiration for the ’80s TV show, “Spenser: For Hire.”  I read every book and loved them all. He is also the [...]

• Three Innovation Distinctions (Part 2): Process Not Events

  Stephen Shapiro

  18 Jan 2010 | 6:00 am

  In the first part of this series, I wrote why you should focus on challenges, not ideas. You should read that article before proceeding. In this second entry, I will focus on “Process, not Events.” I first shared these three distinctions with a bunch of speakers and authors.  In the speaking industry, conferences/conventions are the primary model [...]

• I Need Your Help: Personality Poker Book Subtitle

  Stephen Shapiro

  8 Jan 2010 | 9:21 am

  I need your help! I am in the process of finishing the manuscript for my next book, “Personality Poker.”  The book will be published by Penguin’s Portfolio books and is expected in stores September 2010. We have been working on a subtitle for the book – and I would love your input. I realize that you don’t know [...]

• 
  The Extreme Presentation(tm) Method

• Presentations that Drive Action: Webinar

  Andrew Abela

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:52 am

  I will be giving a webinar for Adobe on various aspects of the Extreme Presentation method on Wednesday, March 17 (St. Patrick's Day!) at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. More details here

• Prezi: the compromise breaker

  Andrew Abela

  25 Jan 2010 | 8:54 am

  I am very excited about Prezi.  I commented on it briefly in a post some months ago, and have been spending some time with it since then.  Yesterday they announced an upgrade, including revisions to their editor, including simple addition of YouTube video and easier text editing.    Here's why I'm excited about it.  I think Prezi is one technology that can actually bridge the gap between Ballroom and Conference Room style presentations.   People who who follow this blog, or who have read Advanced Presentations by…

• Extreme Presentation workshops in Australia and Asia

  Andrew Abela

  25 Jan 2010 | 7:05 am

  We are happy to announce that the High Performance People Group of Melbourne, Australia are now offering the Extreme Presentation workshop in Australia and Asia.  Justin O'Brien, founder and President of the group, came to Washington DC in December for his advanced training in the Extreme Presentation method, and is now certified to deliver the Extreme Presentation workshop.  Justin blogs here.  

• Advanced Presentations by Design on sale at Amazon.com

  Andrew Abela

  8 Jan 2010 | 7:55 am

  Good news.  Advanced Presentations by Design is now being offered by Amazon.com at a more competitive price of $32.18, 28% off it's list price of $45.oo. 

• Pre-emptive Strikes: how to field tough questions

  Andrew Abela

  19 Nov 2009 | 3:33 pm

  Tom Antion is a renowned public speaking expert; I asked him if he could share a few thoughts on fielding tough questions from your audience, and I'm grateful for this guest post he has written in response: Here are some rules to follow when you are expecting tough questions tocome up during your presentation. 1. Show that you understand their point of view. Restate yourunderstanding of how they feel before you offer your answer. 2. Use appropriate Self effacing humor. One time I took a large archerytarget and hid it on stage before the audience arrived. Near the beginning of my speechI…

• 
  Great Public Speaking

• Presentation Skills: Good Presentation Tips

  Tom Antion

  8 Feb 2010 | 1:02 pm

  Making a good presentation is easy when you know the right techniques.Learn to build a speaking business of your own!

• Great Public Speaking Media Training

  Tom Antion

  5 Feb 2010 | 10:18 am

  I make no outbound cold calls whatsoever. I can not even stand the thought of it. One of my main sources of bookings comes from stories placed by me or about me in the media and from radio and TV appearances. I can not really even say I am tremendously successaful at getting these placements, but here is what I am doing to get better and also how it makes me money.A few lines in entrepreneur magzine has made me about $11,000.00 so far for two speeches. An article I wrote for SalesDoctor Electronic Magazine made me $5500.00 for a speech and almost made me over $40,000.00 on one deal. The…

• Tom Antion: Business Humor

  Tom Antion

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:30 am

  YOU KNOW YOU WORK IN CORPORATE AMERICA IF ...You sat at the same desk for 4 years and worked for three different companiesYour company welcome sign is attached with VelcroYour resume is on a diskette in your pocketYour company logo on your badge is applied with stick-umYou order your business cards in "half orders" instead of whole boxesWhen someone asks about what you do for a living, you lieYou get really excited about a 2% pay raiseYou learn about your layoff on CNNYour biggest loss from a system crash is that you lose your best jokesYou sit in a cubicle smaller than your bedroom…

• Public Speaking: Pick Your Audience

  Tom Antion

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:32 am

  (Did he say "pick" my public speaking audiences?). Yes, I did say pick your audiences. Some of you may not have this luxury because you must do speaking as part of your job, but those of you that do, will move up faster in the speaking world. When you are a beginning public speaker it is important for you to experience different types of audiences just FOR the experience. As you climb the speaking ladder where the audiences are bigger, or more important to your career, and the stakes are higher, you must learn to just say no.Most top speakers don't accept every request to speak even if they…

• Public Speaking: Certified Speaking Professional

  Tom Antion

  29 Jan 2010 | 7:02 am

• 
  Eric Feng

• Think Purple Cow!

  Eric Feng

  20 Jan 2010 | 9:01 pm

  :: Caution – This is not for the faint-hearted:: In the marketing literature, we learnt about the infamous 4Ps: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. They are important variables to a successful marketing campaign. However not long ago, Seth Godin introduced the 5th P: Purple Cow. An equally, if not more important ‘P’ to transform businesses by [...]

• Seth Godin’s Presentation: Two key takeaways

  Eric Feng

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:45 pm

  Have you watched Seth Godin’s video presentation with Google? If not, you can find it here: All marketers are liars As promised, I will share with you my thoughts on Seth’s presentation. Here are two things that he did extremely well and I would strongly recommend that you implement both of them in your next presentation! 1. [...]

• Here comes Mr Murphy!

  Eric Feng

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:32 pm

  Anything that can go wrong will go wrong and at the worst possible time! Murphy lurks EVERYWHERE and if you are preparing for your speech, trust me… it will manifest itself right before you and at the worst possible time. I had to give a presentation to my program director and consulting professor a couple of [...]

• Afterword: How to make the butterflies in your stomach fly in formation

  Eric Feng

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:31 pm

  Hi folks! (grins) Yes, my graduation went amazingly well last night. It was an evening of fun, tears and LOTS of picture taking. We have definitely redefined speed – 500 pics per hour! No kidding. As promised, I will do a quick review on the three tips I gave you in How to make the butterflies [...]

• How to make the butterflies in your stomach fly in formation?

  Eric Feng

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:27 pm

  The long awaited graduation is finally here; tonight 5pm at Downtown Club, Philadelphia. In the half an hour special segment, I will be giving a 7 mins long graduation speech. And boy am I nervous AND excited! Nervous coz’ you never know how the speech will turn out. Excited coz’ I will get to share [...]

• 
  Max Atkinson's Blog

• Nobel Prize for Economics (& Atkinson Award for Imagery): Joseph Stiglitz

  9 Feb 2010 | 3:17 am

  Today's Independent has an interesting interview with Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, in which he is described as having 'the veteran teacher's ability to put the intellectually inferior at their ease'.Unlike the economics teachers of my undergraduate days (who only inspired me to drop the subject in favour of sociology), Stiglitz has quite a way with words that I've blogged about before.How good an economist he is, I have no idea, but this isn't the first time that I've been impressed by the ease and frequency with which he uses imagery to make his points intelligible to wider…

• Televised debates about televised debates really would be worth watching!

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:37 am

  It was, I suppose, only to be expected that debates about the format and rules for the televised pre-election leaders' debates would hot up as the election draws nigh - no matter how pointless and unenforceable such rules are almost certain to be.The Guardian is warning that the party leaders' election debates are in danger of 'being negotiated to death', and today's Times is reporting that Brown is calling in 'the Obama team for help with television debate'. As readers of this blog will know, I'm fully expecting the 'debates' to be as boring as all the other interviews the media will be…

• 'New Statesman' on political speeches & speechwriting

  5 Feb 2010 | 5:25 am

  An interesting article by Sophie Elmhirst on political speeches and speech writing has just appeared in the New Statesman magazine.I can't complain about her quotes from me being inaccurate, even if some of them do make me sound like a grumpy old man recycling themes that will be all too familiar to regular followers of this blog.However, given my extraordinary generosity in allowing her to spend half a day at one of my courses (without charge) I confess to being disappointed that none of my books got a mention.So, by way of reciprocity, I've provided the above link so that you can read the…

• Translation news: Выступать легко: Все, что вам нужно знать о речах и презентациях

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:38 am

  I've just heard today that the Russian translation of Lend Me Your Ears will be published on 19 February 2010.If you can read Russian, you can check for further details of the publishers, availability, etc. HERE & HERE, and I'll be posting more details as and when I have them.Meanwhile:Two slight worriesThe name of the originating Russian publishing house is 'Nofun Publishing', which, at least to English ears, doesn't sound too promising.The title of the book, according to Google's automated literal translation, is To come out easily (with the same sub-title as the English version). Even…

• Ronald Reagan's master class on how to cope when the teleprompter lets you down

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:06 am

  May 08, 1985President Left Speechless by TelePrompTerSTRASBOURG, France — President Reagan, often spoken of as "the great communicator," was noticeably at a loss for words when his TelePrompTer broke down during his major speech before the European Parliament today.White House spokesman Larry Speakes said Reagan's TelePrompTer cut out three times, causing the President to lose his place.I don't agree with this 25 year old headline from the Los Angeles Times, as I saw it as a master class on how to recover from the worst thing that can happen when a speaker is using a teleprompter.As Reagan…

• 
  SpeakerSue Says...

• Why your “elevator speech” may be so 2009

  speakersue

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:29 am

  “So what do you do?” they ask. You’re prepared (or at least you think you are). You know this “elevator speech” shouldn’t be more than 30 seconds. You even practiced the skill at some workshop you attended last year. I‘m a sales manager for ABC, you  start off. With seconds left, you explain more:  ABC  has/offers/can do X and Y and Z and… you go on until your 30 seconds are up, or their eyes glaze over. Stop. Now. Be smart! Do you really think they want to know what you do? They want to know how they can relate to you. (Think of the Twitter…

• With love from China

  speakersue

  25 Jan 2010 | 5:26 pm

  Your comments about this morning’s post are wonderful! I can’t respond directly through Twitter or FB, though this blog seems to make it through the government scrubbing. There are many wonderful customs here in China. At dinner, a tiny amount of wine is poured and to drink it, you must toast someone. Because there is only a sip’s full of wine, everyone keeps toasting everyone throughout the meal. Instead of interrupting the flow of the multi-course (and very delicious) dinner, it sets its on rhythm. So, Scott McKain, here is a toast to you and your comments about my earlier…

• Presentation Mastery: Why being technically perfect may be the worst thing you can do

  speakersue

  25 Jan 2010 | 6:20 am

  There are a lot of technically perfect people in this world. Don’t be one of them. I’m not saying that technical expertise isn’t needed.  I wouldn’t want a brain surgeon without it. But if that’s all you have, you’ll always be less than great, no matter how proficient you are. As a presenter, and even as a brain surgeon, if you don’t also show compassion, respect and even love for the other person, no matter how good you are, you aren’t. The other day, we had a technically perfect customer service agent “help” us. She absolutely…

• What one thing changes results? Increase friendliness now.

  speakersue

  15 Jan 2010 | 5:03 am

  Short post today. Every single thing I research and know points to just one concept: Increase friendliness now. But… and it’s a very large but… it has to be real. Pretending to care and caring are as similar as light cream cheese and the fat free (ugghhhh!) kind. One is worth the calories and the other isn’t even worth tasting. What can you do to create more friendliness in the emails you send? How can you communicate in a friendlier (more caring, more compassionate, more respectful) manner? Can you care more about them than you do about your agenda? Whether…

• Sales Mastery: Are you shooting yourself in the foot?

  speakersue

  11 Jan 2010 | 12:47 pm

  Before you read this sales letter, please hope you didn’t send it to me. I have not been kind enough to remove or change anything (though I graciously omitted his contact info and name). Here is what’s wrong with it: 1. Hey Sue. Occasionally, I use Hey Name. Except I save it for my good friends and clients I know well enough to know they’ll take it the way I mean it. I don’t know this creep. 2. He says he is “eating the cost for me.” I don’t want him doing anything for me. Ever. 3. Pitiful punctuation, stupid spelling, and ghastly grammar. (Yes, I…

• 
  Professionally Speaking

• Winter Weather Wallops Writers

  Ian

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:12 am

  No sooner had I posted the announcement about going to the 2010 Ragan Speechwriters Conference than word came from the organizers that the event has been canceled due to the snowstorms that have hit the Washington DC area. I was looking forward to presenting at the event and meeting colleagues. Seeing the city under a [...]

• The 2010 Ragan Speechwriters Conference

  Ian

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:26 am

  I’m off this week to the 2010 Ragan Speechwriters Conference in Washington DC. It’ll be my fourth conference and the second one at which I’ve presented. As in 2009, I’ll be podcasting interviews with attendees and presenters and grabbing some video with my Flip video camera to post to YouTube. It all fits with the [...]

• Life Caching

  Ian

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:57 am

  Candid Camera Springwise reports that a wearable camera has been developed in the UK which can document a person’s life. Promising “Memories for Life” the Vicon Revue has been created as an aid for people with memory loss. The device can operate either on a timer—taking photos every 30 seconds—or it can be set to take [...]

• Book Review: The Backchannel

  Ian

  27 Jan 2010 | 6:39 pm

  How to augment your live presentation using social media Effective public speaking is a challenge for many executives. They must prepare interesting content, overcome stage fright and deliver a speech that will hold the audience’s attention. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, they are increasingly likely to find themselves looking out at a sea of faces [...]

• Interview: Frauke Schorr - Centered Leadership Coach

  Ian

  25 Jan 2010 | 11:07 pm

  In order to gain a competitive edge it is essential for professionals to strive for both professional and personal excellence. Frauke Schorr’s work focuses on professionals who struggle and need outside expertise to bring their careers, businesses, and teams to the next level. As part of her PhD in Organizational Psychology Frauke interviewed highly accomplished [...]

• 
  Sticky Slides

• Message arrived - nobody understood it

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:30 pm

  My attention was drawn to this Vodafone ad that uses the NATO alphabet to say C-O-M-M-U-N-I-C-A-T-E  C-L-E-A-R-L-Y. An excellent example of the difference between delivering a message (i.e., writing your bullet points on a slide) and getting someone else to understand/internalize what it says. I am not sure yet how to use it yet, but this NATO alphabet is a good thing to remember when thinking about chart concepts. Via Ads of the World.

• The audience wants you to succeed

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:30 pm

  Fear of public speaking often stems from the speaker thinking that the audience's main objective is to criticize her performance. The opposite is true: the audience wants you to succeed. First of all because of selfish motivations; nobody wants to be bored.But there is an emotional driver as well. People (in the audience) do not like to subject themselves to an embarrassing situation. Watching this movie clip from the film "About a boy" creates that exact feeling in your stomach (I cannot embed it for some reason).The book "Confessions of a public speaker" has a great section on public…

• Browsing for books about design

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:06 pm

  The Internet and the place I live (Israel) have cut me off of those great large book stores where you can browse endlessly for books you did not know you missed. Presentation blogs (this one included) often talk about the same limited set of books about public speaking and presentation design. Here is a list of design books compiled by graphic designer Jason Santa Maria full of titles that look really interesting. Found via SwissMiss. Image credit Google LIFE, an excellent source of images for non-commercial use.

• The entire Jobs' iPad speech in 180s: passion

  3 Feb 2010 | 8:19 pm

  Presenting is not a casual discussion, it is a performance. When you are not passionate about what you are presenting yourself, do not expect your audience to be. This short video compilation of Steve Jobs' iPad launch speech shows how he packed his talk with enthusiasm. Something to learn from, but also to make you smile.

• You should follow this blog

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:30 pm

  Mark Suster is a venture capitalist (VC) who is quietly building one of the world's most-read blogs about entrepreneurship and VC investing. I suspect most people who read my blog subscribe to other blogs in areas such as (graphics) design and public speaking. Most of these blogs (including this one), are run by people who write presentations. Mark's blog is different.Most of the time he sits in the audience listening to people trying to pitch a venture to him, but in an earlier stage in his career he was an entrepreneur himself sitting at the other side of the table (hence the name of his…

• 
  More than PowerPoint...

• Why You Should Never, Ever Crowdsource Your Presentation Title

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

  Intro to XX 101X for BeginnersUgh.What presentation titles could possibly be more overused? If you're going to a presentation with one of these titles, you can be almost certain that the presentation is going to be every bit as boring and cliched as its headline. These kinds of titles are a red flag that show a lack of creativity and imagination on the part of the presenter.In his hilarious + helpful book Confessions of a Public Speaker, Scott Berkun states very clearly that taking a strong position in your title is utterly essential. In his chapter titled "Eating the Mike", Mr.Berkum states…

• How Twitter is Like Public Speaking

  12 Jan 2010 | 11:59 am

  "I just don't know what I would say...""I can't believe anybody would care...""I think I'll make a fool out of myself..."Speechwriters and presentation coaches often hear these three objections from new clients.Today, I hear the same objections from clients when they talk about approaching Twitter.Stage fright is being replaced with Twitter fright.It makes sense, in an odd way. Twitter, in part, is a public speaking platform. It's much more, of course: it's a public listening platform as well. And it's much less, of course: each Twitter utterance is limited to 140 characters.But more…

• PowerPoint Deaths Climb in 2009: But at Slower Rate

  15 Dec 2009 | 11:17 am

  Every year, I Google the phrase "Death by PowerPoint" (without quotes).Exactly one year ago today, this "Death by PowerPoint" inquiry yielded 366,000 search results - over 4 times as many results as 2007.Today, if you Google "Death by PowerPoint", you'll see 980,000 results -- only about 2.7 times as much as 2008. The year-to-year death rate appears to be dropping.The PowerPoint death rate keeps climbing -- but at a much slower pace than 2007-2008.Why do you reckon the rate of death mentions is slowing? With more people participating in social media channels, the opportunity to mention this…

• Presenting with Twitter - Free Ebook

  20 Nov 2009 | 11:25 am

  The Twitter backchannel is changing the way speakers deliver presentations. Twitter is also changing the way conference planners promote and manage events.What do teachers, trainers, speakers, and conference planners need to know to keep up with these fast-breaking changes?You can find out in a wonderfully written (and totally free!) ebook written by "Speaking About Presenting" blogger Olivia Mitchell. The comprehensive ebook, How to present with Twitter (and other backchannels) is available today for free download.My one-word review of this e-book?"Wow!"Olivia gave me the opportunity to…

• How to Be a Great Audience Member

  11 Nov 2009 | 1:07 pm

  When I'm presenting live, I look for a friendly face in the audience. I like to focus on attentive, smiling, thoughtful faces. They give out a good energy that I respond to as a presenter.Often, just one friendly audience member can make me a better, more confident presenter.So when it's my turn to be an audience member, I try to pay the good audience vibe forward. I feel that a presenter will do a better job if someone in the audience gives the performer "good face". I try to radiate "positive face energy" to the performer. I make eye contact. I smile and nod at the presenter. If it's…

• 
  Humor Power

• Joke Writing Contest — Quirky Medications

  John Kinde

  1 Feb 2010 | 4:14 am

  Our February Joke Contest theme is Quirky Medications. New Joke Contests are announced on the first of the month, alternating months. New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced on the first of the month, alternating months.  The next Cartoon Caption Contest is March 1, 2010. For this month’s contest you are challenged to create names for new, non-existant medications and drugs.  Here are three examples: Dramaflu:  Neutralizes the impact of drama queens. Tetracycling:  Gives you the stamina to ride a bike for four hours. Blowtox PM:  Eliminates the urge to be a late-night wind-bag.

• Observational Humor — Case Study #50

  John Kinde

  28 Jan 2010 | 8:36 am

  Here is another Observational Humor monologue from the second day of a Fripp Speakers School. THE SET-UP (What happened and what was said during the workshop) 1.  Someone sitting next to Isaak mentioned that her fingers were tingling.  Someone else joked that it wasn’t BECAUSE she was sitting next to Isaak. 2.  Fripp said that Botox, used in facial cosmetic surgery, causes the face to lack expression. 3.  Fripp used a gesture when she said “the words” (fingers sweeping from below the chin to in front of the mouth).  She said that it had an obscene meaning in Italian,…

• Cartoon Caption Contest Results — Health Care

  John Kinde

  22 Jan 2010 | 6:23 pm

  We had a lot of fun entries for our January Cartoon Caption Contest.  The cartoon featured professional cartoonist Dan Rosandich. New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced at the start of the month, alternating months. New Joke Contests are announced on the first of the month, alternating months. Here are this month’s top captions: ** FIRST PLACE ** I was right!  My ex-boyfriend was spineless!      Carol Sauceda, Santa Barbara, California, USA ** SECOND PLACE **   Let’s speed it up! The other “Iron Surgeon America” team is almost ready to close.      Sol …

• Observational Humor — Case Study #49

  John Kinde

  6 Jan 2010 | 1:19 pm

  Let’s look at some Observational Humor from a Toastmasters meeting which highlight some humor techniques:   – Call backs and running gags.   – Dropping yourself into the story.   – What this means is.   – What everybody is thinking. Here are some of the set-ups (what happened at the meeting), followed by the observational humor remarks. The first set-up.  The Toastmaster of the evening (emcee) selected a meeting theme of Star Wars.  He said that he had obtained genuine Star Wars story boards from a vendor in Nigeria.  He had created humorous story boards…

• New Year’s Humor Resolutions

  John Kinde

  1 Jan 2010 | 6:16 am

  Another year begins.  And with it comes New Years Resolutions. Here are a few you may consider adding to your list to help you tune your humor radar and exercise your sense of humor.  1.  One of the challenges of a New Year’s Resolution is that the goal is so massive that you don’t know where to start.  As a result, you don’t!  You can solve that problem by breaking the resolution down in to smaller bites.  What is the First Step toward achieving that desired goal?  2.  Enter one of our contests this month.  First Step:  Take just five minutes to look over the…

• 
  The PowerPoint® Blog

• PowerPoint Heaven's eConvention

  Troy Chollar

  8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  I am bit late in posting about this inspiring event that fellow Microsoft PowerPoint MVP Shawn Toh "Tolhz" from Singapore hosted on his website back in December. The eCon Awards are for PowerPoint Animation, Artwork, and Game of the Year. This year there are also a number of entries from PowerPoint communities from China. I pride myself on developing presentations that have people questioning if it is PowerPoint being used, through creative layout, lots of custom graphics and of course animation. But I am inspired by downloading and viewing the entries at the eCon! Preview, download and be…

• Need to Access a Mac Hard Drive ?

  Troy Chollar

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:00 am

  We live in a cross platform work environment with Windows computers and Mac computers. But they do not necessarily work together 100%. Mac sytems do not like Windows NTFS hard drive format. They can read, but cannot write to them. Windows systems do not like the Mac 'macdrive' format. It cannot read or write to them... And this is a problem when someone hands you a USB drive and says "My presentation is on this." MacDrive by MediaFour is a Windows computer best friend in this situation. It seamlessly recognizes macdrive formatted hard drives and they work just as any other drive, all accessed…

• Superscript with Keyboard Command

  Troy Chollar

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:00 am

  If using PPT 2007, you may have found the super and subscript buttons missing from the ribbon. My first solution is to make use of the QAT (Quick Access Toolbar) and add these valuable tools to it. But you can also make any text superscripted with a keyboard command. This works in PPT 2007, 2003, XP, and 2000 (cannot remember if works in PPT 2000, so this is just a guess). A few notes about using the keyboard options from my use and observations: 1. PPT 2003 CTR+SHIFT+(plus) superscripts. Do it again and it returns to standard text. 2. PPT 2007 CTR+SHIFT+(plus) superscripts. Do it again and…

• Who is BUSTER WELLS?

  Troy Chollar

  31 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

  This is Buster Wells in December: This is Buster Wells today: And this is Chris Wells, Buster's owner - who I work with at corporate meetings. I learned the story of Buster's bad winter experience while working with Chris last week in (warm) Phoenix, AZ (it was a great show). Apparently Buster had a bad grooming appointment. He went in small and fluffy, but came out small and completely shaved. Oh, and Buster lives in Boston where it is very cold! CALL TO ACTION: Turns out an unnamed mischieveous person (not me) decided Buster needed a Facebook account to share his nakedness with the world. I…

• Animated Timer

  Troy Chollar

  29 Jan 2010 | 4:00 am

  On a recent show I was asked (minutes before needed onscreen) to display a timer for some group interaction. Of course the answer was 'no problem'... and I got to work. Here is the result: Making this visual timer is easy. 1. Here is my sample slide, using PPT 2007's Civic template. 2. Next I created 2 cirlces of identical size. For the "timer" cirlce I made it red and applied some Shape Styling. 3. Using the alignment tools both circles are set to stack and then positioned on slide. 4. Apply an entrance animation to the top/red circle: - Wheel - 1 Spoke 5. Customize the time (of the entrance…

• 
  Nick R Thomas - A Public Speaker's Blog

• I am speaking to you again and here's why...

  Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking)

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:30 am

  Lyndhurst Probus, HampshireOn 3 September I was back at the Forest Lodge Hotel in Lyndhurst for my second talk to the town's Probus Club, this time about Patrick Campbell.The nature of a speaker's presentations to the same organisation can vary. For example, the last time I spoke to this club was in December 2003 at their Christmas Dinner, a black tie event with members' wives and widows as guests. This time, it was a morning meeting with an all-male audience numbering around 40.With repeat bookings, I always find it useful to remind them that they have heard me before, however long ago it…

• Rescheduling a presentation

  Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking)

  9 Jan 2010 | 7:42 am

  Happy New Year to readers of this blog. I still have a number of speaking engagements from late 2009 to tell you about, starting with a repeat booking forThe Probus Club of the New ForestOn 1 September I spoke for the second time to the Probus Club of the New Forest at Shorefield Country Park near Milford-on-Sea. This engagement had actually been scheduled for November but a few days earlier I had received a call from the speaker booked for their September meeting to ask if we could swap dates as he wasn't going to be able to make it due to personal circumstances. I agreed to this and so…

• Coining an anecdote!

  Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking)

  2 Dec 2009 | 8:05 am

  Fordingbridge 93 Club, HampshireOn 20 August I spoke for the third time to Fordingbridge 93 Club, a men's group similar to a Probus and named after the year of its formation.This is a popular club (they have to limit the attendance at their meetings to 80) and their morning talks are delivered from a low stage at the award-winning Sandy Balls Holiday Centre following a lively business meeting.As I was setting up for my talk, assisted by a very helpful Speaker Host, I noticed a 1p coin on the floor at the back of the stage. My presentation about Groucho Marx includes the story of the Marx…

• Public speaking: no show is a no no

  Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking)

  30 Nov 2009 | 5:35 pm

  Yateley & District U3A, BerkshireI spoke at a Monthly Meeting of Yateley and District U3A at the Sandhurst Community Hall on 4 August, my second booking for them,I arrived at Bournemouth station in good time, got on the train and waited for its scheduled departure at 08.45. And waited. And waited... This happens so often but delays on the roads in my area can be even worse (accidents and road works on the A338 can leave motorists stuck there for up to several hours).There was no way that I was going to make the connection at Basingstoke in time to be picked up from Fleet station at the…

• Public speakers' audiences can multitask!

  Nick R Thomas A.L.A.M. (Public Speaking)

  28 Nov 2009 | 5:14 am

  Forever Friends, SouthamptonBack in February, my return visit to Forever Friends, Southampton had to be cancelled due to the snow but they rebooked me for 4 August.My journey from the station to the venue was made easier by the excellent free CityLink shuttle bus service and, as with my last booking, there was an audience of about 80, mainly female, at the Masonic Hall. My subject this time was Patrick Campbell.The venue was absolutely sweltering at this time of year and warm conditions can make audiences restless. One thing a speaker must get used to during the summer months is audience…

• 
  Pivotal Public Speaking

• Public Speaking and Adult Learning Principles

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:02 am

  If you haven’t already–as a public speaker, you should dedicate yourself to a lifetime study of adult learning principles. It will pay you colossal dividends. And there’s a lifetime of “adult learning stuff” to learn. Today we’ll look at one such principle; Elaborative Rehearsal. It’s more than practice. It’s a proactive approach of making the most out of past learning in order to maximize new learning. For your audiences to make the most out of this proven learning and memory technique, you will have to teach them. Most adult learners just…

• Eight Speakers Look Ahead to 2010

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:08 am

  Kate Mytty writes: Like many industries, the speaking and publishing businesses have just breathed a sigh of relief that 2009 is over, and are looking forward to a better 2010. All the experts are saying that the recovery will be slow; that’s the conventional wisdom. But for a deeper, more thoughtful look ahead, we went out to some of our favorite speaker-authors and asked them what they’re thinking about right now as they ponder the year to come. And they came back in great form, with unusual insights and perspectives. Here’s a sneak peek what they’ll be telling audiences around the…

• Seating Strategies to Engage and Involve Your Audience… and Boost Back-of-Room Sales

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:06 am

  with Paul O. Radde, PhD Your normally well-received presentation isn’t going so well. You are used to people laughing, nodding, and being engaged, but this room is set with rounds of 8 and people’s backs are to you. And the last row is so far back you can’t see their eyes. Or maybe you’re a light-hearted speaker and the rigid straight-across rows don’t allow anyone to see each other, which you know is critical for humor. What is the right setup for your presentation? How do you specify and educate meeting planners to set the room to get more engagement from the…

• Using Computer Presentation Programs effectively

  5 Feb 2010 | 6:22 am

  People are tired of worn-out power point presentations! Does this mean we should jettison the technology and go back to the “stone age”, as one person put it, in giving our presentations? No more than we should ban television because of the likes of Jerry Springer and Temptation Island. The medium itself is not to blame, it is how that medium is used that falls short. Too often, presenters rely solely on their software to provide every bit of their presentation’s creativity. The problem with this approach is that the entertainment value of PowerPoint and other programs,…

• Add to Your Speaking Revenue as a Professional Emcee

  30 Jan 2010 | 6:06 am

  Add to Your Speaking Revenue as a Professional Emcee with Mark Standriff Are you looking for additional sources of income in these difficult financial times? Have you ever considered being an emcee? Marketing yourself as a master of ceremonies not only provides value-added opportunities for potential clients, but also gives you access to high-profile events for which you might never be considered as a main speaker. Emceeing is a different skill from delivering a speech. It requires different marketing, and certainly demands different preparation — there are a number of challenges you should…

• 
  Angela DeFinis Blog; Best Public Speaking Blogs; DeFinis Communications Blog; Top Blogs;

• Great Public Speaking – Right in Your Own Backyard

  Angela DeFinis

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  One of the many reasons why I enjoy living in the Bay Area is the seemingly endless opportunities to hear good speakers. I am a member of Left Coast Writers (LCW), and recently attended our monthly Literary Salon held at Book Passage Independent bookstore in Corte Madera, CA. Under the direction of author and speaker, Linda Watanabe McFerrin, LCW provides the literary community with resources, readings, writing tips, networking, literary chat and generally great fun. If you’re a writer, you want to be there. Our meeting began with Linda taking the podium to welcome the enthusiastic audience…

• Public Speaking and the New Year

  Angela DeFinis

  26 Jan 2010 | 6:19 am

  For many, 2009 was a struggle. Fortunately, the worst of the economic downturn seems to have passed. In its wake, many people were left wondering what had just happened and what they could have done differently. But as we enter the new calendar year, most of us switch from reflection to resolution. Responding to adversity with hope is a beautiful element of humanity, and the inspiration behind dedicating this latest installment of my public speaking blog carnival to the New Year. Below you will find many inspiring compositions from an exceptional group of public speakers. I offer my deepest…

• Content Tips: How Much is Too Much?

  Angela DeFinis

  22 Jan 2010 | 10:46 am

  I’ve been working with a group of technical professionals this week and am running into a familiar techie issue. My technical guys love monologue. And the longer, more data packed and deeply obscure the better. They make the case that if they are speaking to a technical audience, a complex presentation is expected; and, as long as that presentation is well structured, I can go along with it. The problem is that most of these presenters are techies speaking to a non-technical prospect. And that prospectis far more interested in the solution to his/her problem than in hearing the technical…

• Sorry to have to ask. Will you please stop apologizing?

  Angela DeFinis

  19 Jan 2010 | 9:00 am

  I recently had lunch with a friend who I haven’t seen in a long time. It was a wonderful reunion and great to catch up with her. As we sat and talked I realized that my friend spent a great deal of time apologizing. Once I heard this pattern emerge I listened more carefully. Here’s what she said: “I’m sorry to tell you this.” “This might not be something you want to hear.” “I’m sorry, I know this sounds silly.” “I know you’ll think I’m nuts.”“Please don’t think I’m crazy.” “This may completely turn you off.” “I hate to even bring this up.” “I’m…

• Dying to be a Public Speaker?

  Angela DeFinis

  14 Jan 2010 | 8:59 am

  I got a call today from a woman who owns a bakery that specializes in selling gluten free products—cookies, biscotti, scones and other wonderful wheat free foods. She has a good niche market but wants to grow her business—and someone told her to look into public speaking as an avenue to get the word out. I told her I thought it was a great idea and I’d love to help. Then I asked, “Do you like speaking in front of groups?” She gasped (literally) and said “why no, I’m scared to death. That’s why I’m calling you.” She was hoping that I could help her overcome her fear.

• 
  Executive Speaking Weblog

• Why the Fear of Public Speaking?

  Australia's Public Speaking Coach

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:21 pm

  Why do people fear Public Speaking? There are many statistics that state public speaking is our greatest fear. Apparently it is higher than the fear of spiders, snakes, flying and even death itself (though there are not stats on the fear of dieing from a snake or spider bite while flying) Why do people fear public speaking [...]

• How Will You be Different for Your Clients in 2010?

  Australia's Public Speaking Coach

  10 Jan 2010 | 10:20 pm

  If you want different results in 2010 you haev to be different to 2009

• The 5 minute Annual Sales Conference

  Australia's Public Speaking Coach

  9 Dec 2009 | 5:50 pm

  Make this next sales conference interesting.

• Comfort vs. Competence

  Australia's Public Speaking Coach

  22 Nov 2009 | 9:38 pm

  being comfortable at public speaking is not good. Here's why.

• Has Westpac got it wrong?

  Australia's Public Speaking Coach

  10 Nov 2009 | 3:41 pm

  How Westpac got their Ads wrong

• 
  Business Presentations

• Take Your Meetings to a New Level with Facilitation Techniques

  Business Presentations

  4 Feb 2010 | 1:27 pm

  Do your meetings fall flat? Do you have difficulty getting a discussion going? Do discussions go off track? Leading a meeting requires more than good presentation skills. When the purpose is to get information and opinions from others it's imperative to have good facilitation skills. There is a process to asking good questions and eliciting participation from everybody.Learn four facilitation techniques from this brief video.DiResta Communications, Inc. Communicating With Impact!

• Jobs, Obama Say, “Welcome To My World!”

  Business Presentations

  29 Jan 2010 | 2:26 pm

  Ruth Sherman recently wrote an article for Fast Company comparing the presentation styles of Steve Jobs launching the ipad and Barak Obama giving the state of the union address. Their styles are different but they each have their own strengths. Read what Ruth had to say in this interesting article.http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/ruth-sherman/lip-service/jobs-obama-say-welcome-my-world?1264802296DiResta Communications, Inc. Communicating With Impact!

• Press Release: Women in Power: Are You Living On Purpose?

  Business Presentations

  21 Jan 2010 | 1:43 pm

  Westport, CT (1/21/2010): Diane DiResta, top speaking strategist and founder and CEO of DiResta Communications, a communication skills consulting company, was invited to be one of four panelists, all successful women entrepreneurs, at the Women in Power networking event on Wednesday at the Westport Woman's Club. DiResta and fellow panel members discussed how to increase passion in the areas that matter most to business - Business Planning, Communications Impact, Financial Strategies, and Networking that works. The theme was "Living on Purpose: The Foundations for Successful Business Building…

• The Biggest Mistake in Sales Presentations

  Business Presentations

  17 Jan 2010 | 12:58 pm

  So what do you think is the biggest mistake in sales presentations?Selling features instead of benefits?Talking too much and not listening?Not knowing the product? In a recent presentation, Ron Karr, of Karr Associates, Inc. and author of Lead, Sell or Get Out of the Way, asked the audience, "What are you selling?" People responded by calling out their products and services. Ron went on to say that one of the biggest mistakes in sales is selling the "how" instead of the "what"."You're selling outcomes", declared Ron. He challenged the audience to get clear about the outcomes their audience or…

• 911 for Speaking Bloopers

  Business Presentations

  12 Jan 2010 | 6:09 pm

  If you've ever seen the outtakes of a movie or TV show, it can be quite funny. The actors make mistakes and then they laugh about it.But what about public speaking bloopers? Suddenly it doesn't seem so funny. I watched a man give a presentation with his fly open. Another presenter had the slides in the wrong order. President Bush frequently mispronounced words. And I once knocked over a cup of coffee while giving a seminar!We're going to make mistakes. That's a given. But how you handle the mistake is what counts. What's your recovery strategy?I ask my audiences to think of their worst fear.

• 
  Jef Menguin Seminars & Workshops

• I welcome invitations from campuses. I b…

  Jef Menguin

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  I welcome invitations from campuses. I believe that students too deserve to hear my message. I look forward to every opportunity to be with them. However, I also found that dealing with students who organize seminars are my main time waster. Last week, I met with some students from college of nursing in Manila (sorry, I will not include the name of the school). They requested to get my resume, the outline of the program, the schedule, and the opportunity to talk with me (about two hours). We have agreed upon the specific time and date and the manner of promoting the event. They said that they…

• I am now preparing for a teambuilding re…

  Jef Menguin

  3 Feb 2010 | 11:14 pm

  I am now preparing for a teambuilding retreat which I will facilitate for GMA Kapuso Foundation. I am thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to spend my time with this wonderful organization and very dedicated people. When was the last time you have donated to GMA Kapuso? The banks are still open. Why not now?Filed under: status Tagged: GMA Kapuso Foundation, Philippines, Teambuilding retreat

• “The true leader serves. Serves people….

  Jef Menguin

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:42 am

  “The true leader serves. Serves people. Serves their best interests, and in doing so will not always be popular, may not always impress. But because true leaders are motivated by loving concern than a desire for personal glory, they are willing to pay the price.” — Eugene B. Habecker in The Other Side of LeadershipFiled under: quote Tagged: leader, Leadership quotes, motivation, service

• I am now working on Customer Service mod…

  Jef Menguin

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:46 am

  I am now working on Customer Service module for a company, This one will be for seven batches, three days for each batch. I need to give it my 100 percent attention. have also created a new blog for this purpose.Filed under: status Tagged: customer service excellence

• Speak with Confidence seminars on February 26

  Jef Menguin

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:13 pm

  Only 13 seats left for the Speak with Confidence workshop on February 26. Speak with confidence is my first seminar for this year. Please spread the great news. Details Summary Date             : February 26, 2010 Time            : 8am to 4pm Venue        : Mercedes Room, Max’s Restaurant, Gateway Mall,   Cubao, Quezon City Investments: Individual              : 2800 pesos Group of three      : 7500 pesos Group of five         : 11,500 pesos Group of ten          : 21,500 pesos Students                  : 30% discount…

• 
  Breaking Murphy's Law» – Breaking Murphy's Law

• Bookmarked: 500 Internal Server Error

  Lee Potts

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:01 pm

  500 Internal Server Error – 500 Internal Server Error Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Bookmarks Tags:

• Bookmarked: 500 Internal Server Error

  Lee Potts

  27 Jan 2010 | 10:00 am

  500 Internal Server Error – 500 Internal Server Error Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Bookmarks Tags:

• Bookmarked: Speaking Internationally (Business Presentations)

  Lee Potts

  6 Dec 2009 | 5:00 pm

  Speaking Internationally (Business Presentations) – "Another time I was speaking in England. I was a training specialist for an investment bank and they had sent us to do management training for their London office. I thought this would be easy because there was no language barrier-or so I thought. During one of the modules I happened to reference packing my luggage and told them that I brought a pair of black pants. Suddenly I heard snickering in the room. It turned out that pants are not slacks but underwear. Oops. So from then on I was careful. The seminar was going well and I…

• Bookmarked: Watch Out When Using Excel Content! (PresentingYourPoint.com)

  Lee Potts

  2 Dec 2009 | 8:00 am

  Watch Out When Using Excel Content! (PresentingYourPoint.com) – "The first day of discussions went by uneventfully. That evening I was going through the presentation and happened to click on one of the charts. Much to my surprise, it was linked to several sheets of excel data. Data that we were not to have access too. It contained much of their marketing data, sales numbers, overall market share and who the main competitors were. Needless to say the next day of negotiations was a bit of fun. The tables had turned and we were not longer desperate to work out a deal now knowing the…

• Bookmarked: 3 Speaking tips for wired audiences (Small Biz Survival)

  Lee Potts

  29 Nov 2009 | 1:00 pm

  3 Speaking tips for wired audiences (Small Biz Survival) – "2. Put a copy of your presentation online ahead of time. If the projector or video fails, all those with laptops in the audience can pull it up and flip through it with you. This one was suggested by @digitalandy when the computer controlling the projector failed in a session. Seems so obvious, but how often do we do it? " Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Bookmarks Tags: online, presentation, wired

• 
  TEDTalks (video)

• TEDTalks : Peter Eigen: How to expose the corrupt - Peter Eigen (2009)

  Peter Eigen

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:40 am

  Some of the world's most baffling social problems, says Peter Eigen, can be traced to systematic, pervasive government corruption, hand-in-glove with global companies. At TEDxBerlin, Eigen describes the thrilling counter-attack led by his organization Transparency International.

• TEDTalks : Tom Shannon: The painter and the pendulum - Tom Shannon (2009)

  Tom Shannon

  5 Feb 2010 | 7:08 am

  TED visits Tom Shannon in his Manhattan studio for an intimate look at his science-inspired art. An eye-opening, personal conversation with John Hockenberry reveals how nature's forces -- and the onset of Parkinson's tremors -- interact in his life and craft.

• TEDTalks : David Agus: A new strategy in the war on cancer - David Agus (2009)

  David Agus

  4 Feb 2010 | 7:00 am

  Traditionally, David Agus explains, cancer treatments have had a short-sighted focus on the offending individual cells. He suggests a new, cross-disciplinary approach, using atypical drugs, computer modeling and protein analysis to treat and analyze the whole body.

• TEDTalks : George Whitesides: A lab the size of a postage stamp - George Whitesides (2009)

  George Whitesides

  3 Feb 2010 | 7:01 am

  Traditional lab tests for disease diagnosis can be too expensive and cumbersome for the regions most in need. George Whitesides' ingenious answer, at TEDxBoston, is a foolproof tool that can be manufactured at virtually zero cost.

• TEDTalks : Jamie Heywood: The big idea my brother inspired - Jamie Heywood (2009)

  Jamie Heywood

  2 Feb 2010 | 7:37 am

  When Jamie Heywood's brother was diagnosed with ALS, he devoted his life to fighting the disease as well. The Heywood brothers built an ingenious website where people share and track data on their illnesses -- and they discovered that the collective data had enormous power to comfort, explain and predict.

• 
  speakfearlessly.net

• "That's a Good Question."

  terrygault

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:16 pm

  by Terry Gault January 31: that's a good question A phrase usually indicating that the speaker has absolutely no idea how to answer said question. Often used to stall for time. Photography teacher walking in on students who should be at pep rally: What are you doing here? Sreya: That's a good question! -Urban Word of the Day When participants in our presentation skills workshops, respond to an audience question with, “That’s a good question”, I cringe inwardly. Why? For several reasons: It’s a value judgment about the quality of the question.  If the questioner didn’t…

• Tis a Gift to Be Simple

  Nicole

  28 Jan 2010 | 1:09 pm

  Editor's Note:  This a guest post by Robert Graham of GrahamComm We’ve all heard the song that begins, “Tis a gift to be simple…”, but it didn’t really hit me what a gift it is until two weeks ago.  I was leading a presentation workshop with a sales team, and they were each giving talks about new products for 2010. They were all fairly good presenters, as they present to clients on a regular basis.  The talks were only five minutes long, yet half of them were so complicated, I left not knowing what the message of each talk was. And the reason I didn’t know is because…

• How to Make Corporate Training Rock

  terrygault

  30 Dec 2009 | 3:00 am

  by Terry Gault I often tell clients, “If you are not having fun, you are not doing it right.” This certainly applies to presentation, sales, marketing, and to training.   To be completely candid with our readers, we benefit from working in a field that typically engenders low expectations.  Thousands of clients over the years have shared variations on the following: "Most training in our company is really boring." So, when training is engaging and FUN, they are delighted.  The full message they convey is typically something like, "Most training in our company is really…

• The Gift You’ve Been Waiting For

  Nicole

  24 Dec 2009 | 3:00 am

  Editor's Note:  This is a guest post by BrillianceInc ‘Tis the season of giving and receiving.  Although gift-givers may have thoughtful intentions, it’s rare that we receive a gift that speaks to our heart — that leaves us feeling truly seen, understood, and appreciated. With this Holiday Edition, we offer a way to end the year ceremoniously, with heart and meaning. You may want to grab a notebook or blank sheet of paper (electronic or old-fashioned) Step One: Catalog Accomplishments Brainstorm your accomplishments for 2009. When brainstorming, consider multiple aspects of…

• Complete Communicator Workshop, March 11-12, 2010

  Nicole

  17 Dec 2009 | 3:45 pm

  Once a quarter The Henderson Group holds a "By Invitation Only" Complete Communicator workshop in San Francisco, led by our VP of Services, Terry Gault.  The next one is scheduled for March 11-12, 2010. Our work has to be experienced to truly understand its value.  We use these workshops as a way to introduce our work experientially to new prospective clients.  For more information, contact Chuck Kuglen.

• 
  Successful Speeches Blog

• Costly Public Speaking Mistake: Trying to Save Time

  John Watkis

  6 Feb 2010 | 3:38 am

  I understand the need to save time. I do. With so many things to do and so little time to do them, we’re always looking for good time-saving tips and techniques. But there are times when saving time can cost you in the long run. I’m not saying that the long way is the best way, [...]

• What Will You Remember Most?

  John Watkis

  31 Dec 2009 | 4:38 am

  When you look back at 2009, what will you remember most? Will it be an amazing vacation? A mind-numbing move? The purchase of your first house? The birth of your first child? The death of a loved one? The start of a promising relationship? 2009 was a transitional year for me. I moved from my place of birth (Toronto) to the unfamiliar, [...]

• Are You a “Green Eggs & Ham” Speaker?

  John Watkis

  12 Dec 2009 | 9:06 am

  With apologies to Dr. Seuss … I do not like “green eggs & ham” speakers. What exactly is a “green eggs & ham” speaker? This 1991 video clip of Reverend Jesse Jackson will clear it up for you. Jesse Jackson Reads Seuss – The best free videos are right here On the surface, he or she is dynamic [...]

• Public Speaking … Think “Chess”

  John Watkis

  10 Dec 2009 | 1:13 pm

  Back in October, I wrote a post about 10 Tips to Take Your Public Speaking to the Next Level. One of the tips I included was to "know your subject inside and out". Here's what I wrote: If you don't know what your audience thinks and feels about your subject, then you only know your subject 'inside'. Knowing your subject 'inside out' means understanding the subject from both points of view. The Big Mistake Speakers Make

• What drives speechwriters to drink?

  John Watkis

  7 Dec 2009 | 12:12 pm

  This short video from Ragan.com is priceless. If speechwriters work for you, please watch this. If you’re a speechwriter, I know you’ll be able to identify with the others in this video. Speechwriters …what drives you to drink?

• 
  Rhett's Laubach Authenticity Rules Blog

• Who Do You Remind Me Of?

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:01 pm

  How you dress and act (body language) before you begin to speak is sending thousands of messages to your audience. One of the most important thoughts your audience is thinking when they first see you that dramatically impacts the first moments of your presentation is:Who do you remind me of?They are making a connection between what you look like and anyone else in their life who looks the same. If you are speaking to high school students and you are dressed in a standard suit and tie, they are probably connecting you to their principal or teachers. If you are dressed in a fancy suit and tie,…

• Keeping an Auditorium Audience Engaged

  5 Jan 2010 | 1:02 pm

  Pack ‘em in!  Rope off the back rows if you need to, but do whatever it takes to get the audience seated in the middle/front.  The closer you have the audience to one another, the more you can do with them and the more attention you will have.  The best way to do this is to not give them options.  Make it a requirement to sit in certain sections and not sit in other sections Move ‘em!  Movement is obviously limited, but not totally gone. Here are a few ways I use movement in auditorium settings to get everyone physically, socially and actively engaged in the…

• Good Private Thinking

  31 Dec 2009 | 8:43 am

  "All good public speaking is based on good private thinking."Scott Berkun (from his new book Confessions of a Public Speaker)Get it today to get your 2010 reading started right. Caution: it is a complicated, layered, opinionated, clearly written work. If you are not interested in growing or being challenged as a speaker, do not read it. However, I have given at least 100 public speeches each year for the past 18 years and I have found a ton of value in it.Please visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services.

• You are an Agent of Change

  23 Dec 2009 | 8:00 am

  It is said that the amount of energy in the universe is constant. Energy is neither created nor destroyed. It is only changed from one form to another. The fat in your body is potential energy waiting to be turned into kinetic energy. A lump of coal is waiting to be burned and turned into fire. Your audience has energy waiting to be turned into excitement, sadness, laughter, surprise, etc.All presentations change energy from one form to another. A waiting or bored audience member is just a lump of potential energy waiting to be turned into another form of energy. The experience of your…

• One Way to Help People Believe You (And Believe In You)

  19 Dec 2009 | 5:09 pm

  "If you don't have confidence in your take, then we don't want to hear it."Jim Rome, Professional Sports Talk GuyPlease visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services.

• 
  Public Speaking Library

• Media minded

  About Tim Wilson

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:09 am

  Fellow speakers,If you are a professional speaker and are interested in getting the news media interested in you, make sure to have a "News Media" section on your marketing web page.  This is a "one stop shop" for all the things a reporter is likely to need:  high resolution photos, your bio, previous experience, etc.Shopping,Tim

• Link it back

  About Tim Wilson

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:44 am

  Fellow speakers,If you are speaking professionally and have a web site, make sure that the documents of your press releases have links back to your website.  This is because search engines may find your press releases by themselves, separate from your website.  Putting links in your press release makes certain that however people find you on the web, they have an easy way to get to your marketing web site.Linking,Tim

• Those who don't know...ask!

  About Tim Wilson

  7 Feb 2010 | 8:34 am

  Fellow speakers,If you want to talk about something but you don't feel you know enough about it...talk to someone who does know something about that subject.  Interview the person and then be a "reporter" to your audience about your experiences talking with the person and learning more about the subject.On an interview,Tim

• Get a clue

  About Tim Wilson

  6 Feb 2010 | 8:28 am

  Fellow speakers,World Champion Speaker Darren LaCroix suggests four questions to ask ourselves when we are "stuck" for something to talk about:What problems have you overcome?What's your business experience (list every job you've ever had)?What are your hobbies?What are your accomplishments (not your children)?Asking the questions,Tim

• Funny letters

  About Tim Wilson

  5 Feb 2010 | 8:45 pm

  Fellow speakers,If you are speaking to a business audience, find out the common letter abbreviations that your audience uses (i.e., CCCP, ACT, NCR, etc.) in their daily work.  Then take those letters and express them in a way that shows your audience's frustrations.  For instance, if you are speaking to computer programmers who often install a program called NCR that has a lot of installation problems, you could say, "and you know what NCR stands for:  Not Computer Ready!"Lettered,Tim

• 
  Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development

• Is Your Mind Present?

  James

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:30 pm

  When I was in school, I remember having teachers that would do a roll call each morning to take attendance. While this was customary for the first few weeks of the school year (or semester) until the instructor learned everyone’s name, I had some teachers (and even professors in college) that would do this every day. I remember one teacher insisting that we say “present” versus “here” or, as many of my classmates would say, “yup.” I found this to be pointless but looking back, there was a benefit to it (especially by saying “present”). But before we…

• Life Lessons From Video Games

  James

  24 Jan 2010 | 7:15 pm

  I spent most of my afternoons throughout my early teens playing the infamous NES (Nintendo Entertainment System ) with friends from my neighborhood. At the time, I remember a few articles that I’d share with my parents about the benefits of playing video games – developing problem solving skills and increasing hand-eye coordination were the two biggest. But I learned something else that I didn’t realize until I was an adult – how to balance my life. I don’t know that the intention of some of these video games were to help you sort out one of life’s biggest…

• Do You Push Yourself Enough?

  James

  17 Jan 2010 | 9:12 pm

  Last night when I was doing my cardio workout, I found myself getting tired towards the middle of it. Since it was my 12th day in a row of cardio, I started to wonder if it might be okay to do a 20 minute workout instead of a 40 minute workout. After all it was a Sunday night and I had had long day. But as I thought more about it, I decided that it was in my best interest to finish my workout. I recalled my days as a high school wrestler – the good old days of sweating off two pounds each day in the sauna-like “wrestling room.” My coach would push us hardest at the end of…

• Your Words Have Power

  James

  17 Jan 2010 | 8:54 pm

  Ever catch yourself muttering something negative about yourself under your breath? I’ve caught myself doing it a lot and it’s something I’ve been to working to stop doing. It usually happens when I make a mistake – I’ll say something like “that was really dumb of me.” What I didn’t realize at the time was that when I said things like that, I started making more mistakes because I was essentially convincing myself that I was dumb. Your words really do have power. Whether their spoken about you or someone else present, positive or negative. A sincere compliment can brighten…

• 
  Prosperous Project Management

• What is the business of Project Management?

  Wayne Botha

  31 Jan 2010 | 5:11 am

  Latest free newsletter discusses the business of project management and comes with money-back guarantee if you don't see your organizational project management service in a new light after reading it.What is the value of your project management service? (Hint - your value is probably not reflected in your paycheck).Project management service has value that is usually not defined nor marketed. You need to see the value and market the value of project management services if you are to prosper. You must help sponsors to distinguish valuable project management services from bureaucrats calling…

• Graduated from Core Essentials Program

  Wayne Botha

  24 Jan 2010 | 2:25 pm

  Recently received my certificate after graduating from the Core Essentials Program at Coach University.I am proud as punch to now offer an even higher level of coaching services to my clients. As always, if you know anyone who is stuck trying to reach an elusive goal, then please pass my name along.

• Systems Theory and Constraints

  Wayne Botha

  21 Jan 2010 | 2:49 pm

  Great presentations at SNEC-PMI Chapter meeting in Cromwell, CT last night. Good speakers and thoroughly enjoyed talking shop with a long-time acquaintance who has taken a new position as an Enterprise Project Manager.The main speaker - Michael de la Maza - facilitated a memorable presentation. Michael spoke about systems theory and constraints. If you have read Eli Goldratt's book "The Goal", then you understand systems theory. I read it years ago when we still lived in South Africa, and recall parts of the novel, but had forgotten the details.On point that stuck with me from last night's…

• Anniversary of landing in the USA

  Wayne Botha

  20 Jan 2010 | 9:07 am

  Today we celebrate 9 years in the USA. On January 20, 2001, our flight landed at JFK and brought my family to the land of opportunities. We had $400 in cash with us, six suitcases and our hearts were full of hope.I am pleased with what the USA has already provided for us, and the many new opportunities that have opened up this year.I am looking forward to a fabulous future in the coming years in the USA.

• How to be a good Director on the Board

  Wayne Botha

  7 Jan 2010 | 3:48 pm

  You should serve on the board of directors for the non-profits that you believe in. As a project manager, you should be involved in your project management association and serve on the Board of Directors for your local chapter, at the least.The Board of Directors is the responsible entity to govern the association and serve the members of the association. You should volunteer to serve your profession as a Director for your association.If you are wondering how to fill a Directorship role, without being Bored in the Boardroom, then read my latest article listing the 16 Top Tips to keep Boredom…

• 
  tellingpeople

• Lectern lesson two for presenting

  simon

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:51 am

  I recently blogged briefly about a presentation skill I picked up from a crying baby in church and this (even more brief!) blog follows on from that…. Now to talk about presentation pitch…. I listened to the singing in the service. Over 200 people should make quite a decent amount of noise, especially as the hymn in [...]

• Presentation Lessons From the lectern

  simon

  1 Feb 2010 | 1:27 pm

  … and on this occasion I mean the lectern in my local church, last Sunday morning. Maybe it makes me a bad person who’s going to go to hell, but there were a couple of things I picked up from the service on Sunday which had less to do with God and more to [...]

• Is this thing on?

  simon

  25 Jan 2010 | 1:24 am

  I used to think it was a (bad) joke when I heard presenters checking the microphone was turned on by asking if it was. If it is, or course, the whole audience can hear you asking and your credibility takes a tumble before you even start. If it isn’t, no one knows you’re [...]

• presentation zen

  simon

  22 Jan 2010 | 5:12 am

  Long term readers will know I’m a great fan of the whole style of Presentation Zen. The books cool – but if you want to get a brief overview, this video takes less time to watch than the book takes to read!

• Index card notes

  simon

  17 Jan 2010 | 8:02 am

  I read a blog recently which suggested that putting the content of your presentation on 3-by-5 Index Cards wasn’t such a good idea. I don’t think I agree with the logic. (I should add, before I go on, that I like the blog in general – and in fact I wouldn’t have read-it-to-disagree-with-it [...]

• 
  Nick Morgan - Public Speaking Advice and Commentary

• Basic principles of persuasive rhetoric – 3

  Nick Morgan

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:48 am

  Principle III:  Persuasive rhetoric deals with problems and solutions.  Think of a communication — whether a formal meeting, a one-on-one discussion about some issue the business faces, a speech, or a chance get-together in the hall — as a twofold exercise. The first step is to get agreement about a need, a problem, or an issue that you have in common. The second step is to explore solutions together. It’s that simple: problem first, then solution. Thinking in these terms will help you structure your informal comments in conversations, meetings, and off-the-cuff remarks.

• Basic Principles of Persuasive Rhetoric – 2

  Nick Morgan

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:11 am

  Principle II:  Persuasive rhetoric has a clear goal in mind and is usually transparent about it.  When you negotiate, you have a BATNA (the best alternative to a negotiated agreement): the minimum that you’ve decided you must achieve or you walk away. The same should be true in communications. Is the meeting you’re calling with an important client to do some specific business or just to keep the connection strong? Let the other party know, so that there are no broken hearts along the way. If the agenda hasn’t been set beforehand, get agreement on it in the first few minutes…

• Basic Principles of Persuasive Rhetoric – 1

  Nick Morgan

  4 Feb 2010 | 2:22 pm

  Principle I:  Persuasive rhetoric is about phrasing your arguments so that your listeners can hear them.  I’m going to do a series of blogs on persuasive content – aka rhetoric – to match the series I just finished on nonverbal communication.  I have seen good speakers – and speeches – go bad time and time again because a well-intentioned person or a good idea didn’t meet the audience halfway.  If you want to connect with someone, or some group, you have to do your homework and learn how that person or group communicates.  In short, you need to speak…

• Basic principles of nonverbal communication – 10

  Nick Morgan

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:50 am

  Principle X:  Authenticity and charisma derive from becoming open, connected, passionate and listening with and to your audience.  Authenticity comes from aligning your content – the things you say – with your nonverbal communication – your body language.  Another way of saying it is that you have to align your emotions and your message.  In the end, it’s a matter of believing what you say and saying what you believe.  The alternative is to pretend, and most of us are not very good actors.  The few that have that skill are already living in…

• Basic Principles of Nonverbal Communication – 9

  Nick Morgan

  2 Feb 2010 | 8:22 am

  Principle IX:  To be perceived as an authentic public person, you must align your nonverbal and verbal ‘conversations’.  This means aligning your emotional intent with your conscious thought.  Most of us in the work world spend a good deal of our time saying one thing and doing another.  By that I mean our body language is at variance with our overt verbal messages.  We’re in a meeting, say, and it has been going on for an hour, and lunch is approaching, and what are we doing?  We’re trying our best to conceal our signs of impatience and…

• 
  Relational Presentation Blog - Flexible PowerPoint

• Off-center Placement

  Robert

  16 Jan 2010 | 3:28 pm

  by Robert Lane    www.aspirecommunications.com A design technique that works as well in visually interactive presentation as it does in painting, floral arranging, and every other form of visually artistic expression is off-center placement. Off-center arrangements of content on slides cause the eye to be pulled in different directions simultaneously, potentially leading to more interesting visual displays. That’s not to say centered, symmetrical arrangements are bad. Ideally, presentation materials should contain both kinds of placement. Figure 1 In Figure 1, the bold mountain draws…

• Making a Decorative Navigation Button in PowerPoint 2007

  Robert

  15 Dec 2009 | 7:39 pm

  By Robert Lane           www.aspirecommunications.com Creating decorative navigation buttons in PowerPoint 2007 is quite easy. All you have to do, really, is add a Bevel effect to a standard shape. The result looks pretty good on its own. You can do even better, though, by going a step further and adding a 3-color gradient fill to the beveled shape. That’s the approach we’ll take here. The result looks like Figure 1. Figure 1: Decorative Navigation Button for Interaction Open PowerPoint if it’s not already open. Before doing anything else, make a couple of adjustments to the…

• Should I Hide Navigation Elements?

  Robert

  30 Oct 2009 | 9:17 am

  by Robert Lane      www.aspirecommunications.com Figure 1 is an example of Topical-style navigation. Navigation buttons and thumbnails appear along the slide’s left side and the audience sees all these navigation elements. New relational presenters often observe this fact and ask, “Hey, is there a way I can hide those navigation components so that my viewers don’t see them?” Figure 1: Visible Navigation Yes you can, depending on which styles of navigation you choose. The question, though, is whether you really want to hide navigation. As a general rule, our opinion is no, you do…

• The Illusion of Completion in PowerPoint Networks

  Robert

  22 Aug 2009 | 11:43 am

  By Robert Lane      www.aspirecommunications.com  You really like the idea of visually interactive PowerPoint presentation. One day you decide it’s time to take the plunge. Parking yourself at a big conference table with packages of index cards in hand, you begin planning a relational platform’s organization structure, all the individual ideas that might be needed while explaining points to audiences and answering their questions. Pretty soon you realize … geesh … the number of slides needed will be massive, maybe hundreds and hundreds. How in the world will you have time to get…

• Working with PDF Files in PowerPoint

  Robert

  31 Jul 2009 | 11:36 am

  By Robert Lane www.aspirecommunications.com Over the years, many people have asked: “What is the best way of using PDF documents in a visually interactive presentation?” The answer is two-fold. Getting a PDF document onto a PowerPoint slide is easy enough. All you have to do is insert it as an object. On the Insert tab, click the Object button on the right side of the Ribbon. Then toggle the Create from file option. Browse to find your PDF file and then click OK. The PDF file then appears on the slide. That’s all well and good, but now what? What do you do with such an embedded object?

• 
  Speak!

• Finding You on Ruapehu

  Craig Senior

  7 Feb 2010 | 7:10 pm

  For three days, I lay at home, dreaming of going to work. I was under attack by some seasonal flu teaming up with a common cold. I thought, “Great! I will take this opportunity to get some personal administration, laundry, and vaccuming done. Sometimes I am so naïve. I slept. Day 2, I mustered the strength to [...]

• Listen With the Audience

  Craig Senior

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:14 pm

  We think of audiences as listening to speakers. We hope they do. As a speaker, do you listen TO the audience? You are squirming inside, “Listen to the audience?” Better, do you listen WITH the audience? Yes, listen with the audience. By “listen” I mean listen, see, and perhaps touch, or even smell. Do you hear them? Do you see [...]

• Table of Contents

  Craig Senior

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:30 pm

  Use the links in the tables to select individual articles or scroll down through this page and read ‘em all! Articles by Craig Senior Title Synopsis Angelic Evening Story of serving as master of ceremonies for the Angel Consultants and Peggy McColl. Dynamic Speaker or Magnetic Speaker? Beat your audience over the head with technique or invite them into a moment of [...]

• Willing to Wobble?

  Craig Senior

  20 Nov 2008 | 8:43 pm

  We all say, “It’s okay to make mistakes.” We say it in Toastmasters, we say it at work, and it’s always okay to make mistakes at home… Well, sometimes! We all say, “It’s okay to make mistakes,” but I wonder how much we really believe it? Do you really believe it? If you are in Toastmasters, [...]

• Dynamic Speaker or Magnetic Speaker?

  Craig Senior

  29 Oct 2008 | 8:47 pm

  Perhaps the single greatest question I grapple with as a speaker is, “How can I touch audiences to their soul, to the essence of their being?”  I wondered if I should be more dynamic, perhaps to captivate them.  I wondered if I should be less dynamic, but more “real.”  As I studied many speakers live, [...]

• 
  The Eloquent Woman: on women & public speaking

• The Eloquent Woman joins BlogHer

  Denise Graveline

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:30 am

  I'm happy to say that The Eloquent Woman blog is now part of BlogHer, the community for women who blog. You'll find a link to The Eloquent Woman here on BlogHer's directory of blogs--a great resource if you're looking for more blogs relevant to women.  It's just another way to widen our circles to reach more women with news about public speaking. Are you a member of The Eloquent Woman on Facebook? Join our thriving community to get extra content, early input into my blog posts, and to share your questions, photos and video. New! Sign up for The Eloquent Woman's free monthly newsletter,…

• Palin's hand-written notes: For speakers

  Denise Graveline

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:15 pm

  Your political views aside, Sarah Palin's use of notes written in the palm of her hand over the weekend--caught by cameras--adds a whole new layer to our discussion of whether you need notes or not when you speak. This Los Angeles Times columnist hits the nail on the head for most speakers: Most of us need some help when we speak in public. In high school, I competed in extemporaneous speaking, an event in which you had to analyze a current-affairs topic for eight minutes without much preparation. The rules allowed you to use an index card with a maximum of 50 words of notes, but my teammates…

• Today's top black women speakers: your list

  Denise Graveline

  7 Feb 2010 | 11:49 am

  Last year, another speaker coach asked me to help find video examples of today's top women speakers, because he was having trouble finding examples to share with trainees that were of current, rather than historic women speakers.  This year, for Black History Month, I asked readers on Facebook and Twitter to help me crowd-source a list of today's top black women speakers, to give us current role models and examples.  Here's the list you made, with video or speech excerpts where available.  Please add your favorites in the comments! Tara Leigh Tappert recommended "my friend…

• Use your public speaking skills 36 ways

  Denise Graveline

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:38 pm

  Sure, developing public speaking skills can help you deliver a big speech or major presentation. But you can put these workhorse skills to use in these 36 additional ways, in settings that range from everyday life to unusual situations. Will this list help you make the case--to yourself or to your boss--for seeking out training to hone your skills? Formal speaking situations: Testifying in court Arguing for a change in policies before your city or county council Testifying before the Congress or a state legislature Debating (in a meeting, or in a formal debate) Presiding over a…

• Make storytelling compelling with details

  Denise Graveline

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:18 am

  Telling a story can be a powerful way to engage your audience, breathe life into a speech or presentation, get away from jargon to explain a complex point, or persuade your listeners.  But if you want the telling to be compelling, you need to sweat the details. And not just any details.  An effective story includes details that are: Visual:  Jacqueline Novogratz opens her speech on global humanitarian aid with a story about a funny-looking sweater she wore at age 12. She describes it in detail:  The blue sweater "had fuzzy zebras walking across the stomach,…

• 
  Presentation Skills and Storytelling in Business

• Take the First Step - Again and Again

  Doug

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:52 am

  I can remember growing up in Chicago when the year 2000 was a long way into the future. And now, in 2010, as we enter the second decade of the 21st century, I’m taking stock of how far I’ve come and what it took to get me here. As a child watching movies, I dreamed of being an actor in Hollywood. And then one day…I found myself acting on a movie set at Paramount Studios. After 16 years, when my acting career didn’t work according to plan, I set out for points unknown to find a new place to live and a new direction in life. That journey of discovery led me to Colorado…

• Storytelling Workshop in Denver February 20, 2010

  Doug

  2 Feb 2010 | 5:49 pm

  I’m calling this workshop The Triple Whammy Workshop with Doug Stevenson Whammy #1 - Story Theater signature story workshop. Polish your million dollar story and learn to perform it brilliantly. Whammy #2 - Watch Doug step out on a limb as he performs his new Rock ‘n Roll multimedia keynote: Get Out of Your Own Way.  Music includes: Van Halen, Lady GaGa, The Eagles, R. Kelly, and more. Whammy #3 - How to Shoot a Promo Video Workshop with Mark Camacho.  Learn about promo and You Tube videos and video production by participating in a 3-camera video shoot. Story Theater Workshop:…

• The Power of Story

  MichelleVan

  11 Dec 2009 | 12:01 pm

  This is a fun video. Watch it and be intrigued by the power and joy of story.

• Scripting Your Story Using The Nine Steps of Story Structure

  Doug

  1 Dec 2009 | 8:28 am

  Before you start telling a story and using it in your presentations, it is valuable to write the script out according to the Nine Steps of Story Structure.  Here is an example of a story scripted with the Nine Steps. Step 1 - Set The Scene: A good deal of my work involves giving storytelling workshops for large corporations. They’re usually one-day workshops at some remote location like a conference resort or a fancy hotel.  When you combine the natural stress that accompanies airports, shuttle busses and hotels with the physical work of being on your feet for 8 hours, it’s…

• When to Tell A Story and What Story to Tell

  Doug

  12 Nov 2009 | 2:54 pm

  ©Doug Stevenson 2009 - All Rights Reserved I recently gave the luncheon keynote speech for a state association. In the program that I presented, Emotional Eloquence, I usually tell three stories, which I call: The Oscar Story, The Chicago CEO Story and the Dagger Lady Story. Because I was speaking after lunch, I knew I needed to keep the energy high and work in a little more interaction.  I decided to take out the Dagger Lady Story and replace it with my Airport Story, because the Airport Story is funnier. Have you considered not only what stories to tell, but also when to tell them? When…

• 
  Executive Speech Coach - Business Presentations

• Power Presentations Tip 29: You are here

  George Torok

  31 Jan 2010 | 7:30 am

  Power Presentations Tip 29You are hereWhen you visit the shopping mall you might look at the map to find the location of a store that you want to visit. The map could be overwhelming and confusing, especially if you are looking at this map for the first time.There is one thing for which you first search. When you find it you will feel a sense of relief. Your eyes will flit about the map until you find this starting point. You might feel some impatience and frustration if it takes you too long to find that spot.And once you have found this thing - only then will you be ready and able to start…

• Where do the best speakers go to get better?

  George Torok

  21 Jan 2010 | 11:21 am

  If you are a good profesional speaker and you want to get way better - where do you go for help?Attend the "Get Better Get Busier Boot Camp" hosted by two globe trotting professional speakers, Warren Evans and Kit Grant.I was already a very good speaker. I had been told that by many clients and audience members. And I knew it. If fact I had been teaching and coaching presentation skills for years. And over the years I had attended many classes sessions with other presentation experts. (That's how you get good.)So I was reluctant to spend my money on more presentation training for myself.I…

• Power Presentations Tip 27: Close the Off Ramps

  George Torok

  17 Jan 2010 | 6:45 pm

  Power Presentations Tip 27:Close the off rampsIf your presentation is a highway you want to keep your audience on the road with you. You don't want them to take an off ramp and exit from your presentation highway because they might miss your important message, or even worse - never return. Therefore you must close the off ramps.Four common off ramps to be aware of and avoidWhen any of these things happen while watching TV viewers change channels. When you do any of these things to your listeners they mentally take the off ramp.Boring your listenersWhat bores people? Not speaking to their…

• For example or for instance?

  George Torok

  5 Jan 2010 | 3:56 pm

  For example or for instance? Choose wellDo you use examples in your presentations? It might work against you. Perhaps you should use an instance instead.Confused? So was I until my good friend and scholar, John Robert Colombo explained the difference so clearly.------------------An "instance" is an actual occurrence. An "example" is a hypothetical occurrence."In 1929 the stock market collapsed." That is an occurrence that actually happened. It can be discussed by historians and economists."Let's say the stock market collapses in 2011." This is an example of what may or might have happen. It…

• Secrets of Power Presentations top ten for 2009

  George Torok

  31 Dec 2009 | 10:11 am

  "Secrets of Power Presentations" by Peter Urs Bender made the Books for Business Top Ten List for 2009 - as reported in the Globe in Mail.This book is a simple guide to more persuasive and effective business presentations. It is currently in limited supply. This book was first published in 1991 and has made the Books for Business Top Ten List many times.Watch for the new revised issue out in 2010.Read Secrets of Power Presentations online here.George Torok is licensed by Peter Urs Bender to deliver programs on Power Presentations.Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George…

• 
  Public Speaking Can Be Fun

• Don Hewitt and Public Speaking

  Jacki Rose

  24 Jan 2010 | 4:56 pm

  Don Hewitt said, "Tell me a story." He knew how powerful stories were. That is why 60 minutes has been so successful. I keep telling my clients the same thing. Tell stories! When you do, your presentations will be much more successful.

• Fun Way to Improve Public Speaking

  Jacki Rose

  10 Jan 2010 | 12:38 pm

  I discovered an amazing way to overcome your fear of public speaking, grow your business, and have fun singing all at the same time! What is it? Karaoke!I was recently at a karaoke bar where one girl got up, sang, and then during the musical break (the part in the song where there are no lyrics and you just stand there with nothing to do)made use of that time and asked the audience: "Who needs life insurance? Pick up a brochure here." That's when I realized how beneficial karaoke can be.Later on, a man was up on stage, and before he started singing the karaoke DJ said, give Dave some support,…

• Conference Presenting – walking out

  Jacki Rose

  7 Jan 2010 | 1:23 pm

  If people walk out of your session don’t take it personally. Don’t even care. You have no idea why they are leaving and it probably has nothing to do with you. They may have already decided before they came in, that they were going to leave at a certain time. Some people may try to go to 3 sessions within 30 minutes and then go for coffee. They want to fit it all in. The fact that they walked into your session, you should be happy. They came to see you. There are several other presenters they may not have even attempted to see.

• Weight Loss and Public Speaking

  Jacki Rose

  10 Dec 2009 | 3:04 pm

  Preparing a presentation is a lot like losing weight. The first time you write out your presentation is when your presentation will be the longest, the heaviest. Then the process starts where you need to start making it shorter, thinner. You go through it once and see where you can cut back. Then you go back again and see what else you can take out or say in less words. You are making your presentation thinner and thinner. When you lose weight, if you need weight to lose, you feel happier, you have more energy, and you become more productive. If you make your presentation thinner, it will…

• Prepare Your Presentation

  Jacki Rose

  3 Dec 2009 | 10:52 am

  Most people who present don't do much preparation. The ones who do prepare, do not prepare as well as they could. Here are three quick steps to prepare for great results:1 - Decide what the desired outcome of your presentation is.2 - Write down everything your audience needs to know in order to produce that outcome.3 - Think of stories, examples, and analogies that you can use to hone your message.Once you do these three steps, write out your entire presentation word for word. After you do that, edit it to make it shorter and then practice, practice, practice.To get all 16 steps to preparing…

• 
  Jane Atkinson, Speaker Launcher Blog, Speaker Coach, Presentation Skills, Speakers Bureaus

• How Memorable is Your Speech?

  jane

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:37 am

  Whenever people find out that I am a coach for professional speakers, they always want to tell me about a speaker that they experienced. It’s rare that they remember the speaker’s name. But frequently they will tell me a story that the speaker told and we’ll be able to piece together the identity of that person. Often, when we leave a speech, we’re feeling like a rock start and think that they will never forget us!! But the truth of the matter is that by next month or next week, they most likely will have forgotten our name! What is it that you are doing within your…

• Where are You on Your “S Curve”?

  jane

  25 Jan 2010 | 10:00 am

  Ashridge Business School There’s that old saying, what goes up must come down. And if you believe the philosophy behind the S curve in business, you’ll understand why. In last months Voice of Experience (NSA’s monthly audio) Mike Rayburn talked about the S curve and how you need to re-engineer your business before you get to the bottom of the cycle.   Sage advice. For those of you on the way up, you can still use this guide to prepare. But I have a suspicion that if you’ve been in the speaking business for more than 7 years, this snake like curve has lashed out to…

• New Decade, New Marketing

  jane

  5 Jan 2010 | 12:52 pm

  Yesterday during my workout, I was watching “So You Think You Can Dance”. There was a section where they stopped the auditions and told the dancers what the do’s and dont’s for this year were. First thing to go? The male booty shake. No surprise there – who wants to see that? So what’s in and what’s out for this new decade in speaker marketing? OUT: Positioning as a ’speaker’. The joke is if your topics list is as long as your client list, you are positioning incorrectly. IN: Positioning as an ‘expert’. Be the expert, the…

• Fire, Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot

  jane

  17 Dec 2009 | 7:50 am

  How is next year going to be different for you? As we start to wind down for the holidays, you’ll no doubt be thinking about how you want to start off the New Year in your business. And, of course, you want to start it right. Right? Remember in The Wealthy Speaker, the formula Ready, Aim, Fire? Ready is – get crystal clear on what you are selling Aim is – move that clear message out into your marketing Fire is – roll that out to your target markets. Many people hit “Fire” without doing the “Ready” and “Aim” work. And by doing this,…

• Speakers, Back Away From the Pedestal

  jane

  10 Dec 2009 | 7:52 am

  You know that term, the bigger they are, the harder they fall? Of course, no one knows more about that this week than Tiger Woods. So a billionaire sports figure was cheating on his wife. Duh, big shocker! In the speaking industry, one wouldn’t expect the fall to be quite as far. But, is it? About 10 years ago, I was working with Vince (most of you know his story) and we got a multiple booking engagement with a public seminar company. He was going to be sharing the stage with some very big speakers and celebs. Mr. X (who shall remain nameless out of respect for his near retirement…

• 
  ManageSmarter.com - Presentations News

• Top 10 Meeting Mistakes

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Have your meetings run more rocky than smooth lately? One expert on the subject says there are an array of mishaps to beware of before your next corporate gathering.

• Top 10 Meeting Mistakes

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:00 am

  Have your meetings run more rocky than smooth lately? One expert on the subject says there are an array of mishaps to beware of before your next corporate gathering.

• 
  Excellence in Presentations

• Perception is all there is!

  normwei

  3 Feb 2010 | 5:11 pm

  I came across this fantastic video by Tom Peters. The subtext of it is this: Perception is all there is. There is no reality. Think about that when you make your next presentation. Think about how your audience perceives you; think about this when you give a glib presentation — will your audience view it as being authentic? Will they accept your message without hesitation? Or will they think that you have just memorized your presentation and you are just reciting it back word for word? Remember:  Perception is all there is!

• Vary your tone – an excellent example

  normwei

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:19 pm

  I posted a blog two years ago (February 2008) on the topic of why you should vary your tone when you are making a presentation. Our local meteorologist Lauren Casey at WINK TV gives an excellent example of that. Notice how she varies her voice and facial expressions constantly and makes her weather forecast INTERESTING.

• Another deadly presentation

  normwei

  30 Jan 2010 | 11:24 am

  There is an OSHA online training course that exemplifies the worst kind of presentation. It shows a series of slides packed with words or bullet points and it has a computer generated voice READING every bloody word on the screen SLOWLY…AAAARH. That is enough to put anyone in a deep coma after a few slides. It is beyond me why they do that “read along with Mitch” bit ala “sing along with Mitch”. Here is an example: Here is another example:

• Degrees of Finish – perception is reality

  normwei

  2 Jan 2010 | 6:56 am

  In Henry Boettinger’s wonderful book “Moving Mountains – the Art  and Craft of Letting Others See Things Your Way”, he describes an incident where his colleagues made a presentation to an executive before the real thing – a big presentation to a group of senior executives. The preview was superb. Every detail and lesson were brought to bear. Timing was exquisite. When the group finished the preview, the executive just sat silently shaking his head. He told the group: “It’s no good. Your presentation is simply too slick.” The executive went on…

• A Happy New 2010 to All My Readers!

  normwei

  1 Jan 2010 | 5:03 am

  Happy New Year to all my readers. May 2010 be a peaceful and happy year for you and may all your presentations in 2010 be wonderful and thought-provoking. Norman

• 
  Sandra Schrift - Executive Speech Coach

• ON AN “A” SPEAKER

  Sandra Schrift

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:30 pm

  Since 1982, I have been working with professional speakers and business professionals who make presentations to audiences nationally and internationally. The following are some special traits of an “A” grade speaker. •Every day they have something magnificent to do.•They are passionate because they believe what they have to say is significant.•They care about their audiences.•They further their success with great products.•They have “savoir-faire.”The Coach sez . . . “A” speakers are the same off the platform as they are on the platform! (C)2010 www.schrift.com

• ON FOLLOWING UP

  Sandra Schrift

  16 Jan 2010 | 9:13 pm

  A study by the Association of Sales Executives revealed that 81% of all sales happen on or after the fifth contact. If you are a business owner and making only one or two follow-ups, imagine all the business you're losing. Not following up with your prospects and customers is the same as filling up your bathtub without first putting the stopper in the drain! (David Frey) A follow-up allows you to ask good questions to learn about your potential client's needs and challenges. A good opportunity for you to present some possible solutions. That is how someone decides if they want what you have…

• ON THE SPEAKER INTRODUCTION

  Sandra Schrift

  5 Jan 2010 | 8:56 pm

  We’ve all been there: listening to someone totally botch our introduction to an audience. Now is a time to revisit your approach to your speaker introduction and how you support your introducer. Here are tips compiled (by speaker Jeff Davidson)over the years from various masters:Recognize that a good introduction must both set the stage and put the audience at ease. A bad introduction can diminish your impact. When writing up your introduction, include your speech title, who you are, what you’ve accomplished, and why you are qualified. Be accurate and make sure that your name is the last…

• ON LETTING GO

  Sandra Schrift

  22 Dec 2009 | 5:53 pm

  This is a good time of year to do a “baggage check.” What do you own that is dated and useless? What do you hang on to that is hurtful and defeating? Do you worry about future events that have or may no happen? Do you agonize over losses? Do you keep reliving past hurts and traumas? Dr. Lloyd Thomas suggests that to “let go” takes love. To “let go” is to acknowledge that which I cannot change, and pursue that which I can. To “let go” is not to care for, but to care about. To “let go” is not to fix, but to be supportive. To “let go” is not to deny, but to accept. The…

• ON THE POINT OF THE STORY

  Sandra Schrift

  20 Dec 2009 | 9:01 pm

  Over the years, while listening to professional speakers, I notice that the best story tellers deliver a speech with severalstories that are accented by their points. They understand that itisn't just providing content that impacts their audience, but their story. A way to inspire, motivate and get people to take some action, think differently. To make the emotional connection with your audience, try Pareto's Principle: 80% story and 20% content. You must reach their hearts and their souls. The Coach sez . . . people need to know as well as feel to be inspired to make a change.(C)2009…

• 
  Ah, Um, Er... A Toastmaster's Blog

• Speaking, but not communicating

  Sara Marks

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:29 am

  I am home sick today and catching up on watching The Daily Show.  I only get news from the Daily Show.  I can't take the pundits from the 24-hour networks and local news just scares me.  At least the Daily Show makes me laugh at the world's problems.I just finished watching last Thursday's episode where Stewart covered the previous evenings State of the Union.  His guest was Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian.  They discussed many things, but the one thing that struck me was a comment made about how the President was a great speaker, but maybe not a great…

• Club Webpages: Who Is It For? Members?

  Sara Marks

  26 Jan 2010 | 8:23 am

  Here we go with the much anticipated part 2 of my comments on club webpages. Last time I wrote about what we should be thinking about with webpages for guests. What about a webpage for members? What do members need to help them reach their goals? Let's stick with our evaluation of FreeToastHost since most clubs are going with them. I am aware of easy-Speak, but I have not had a chance to really play with it yet. We will save that review for another day.A comment from the previous post mentioned that the front page is mostly for guests while the duty roster, calendar and other resources are…

• Club Webpages: Who Is It For? Guests?

  Sara Marks

  28 Oct 2009 | 11:45 am

  I am my home club's webmaster this year. We use FreeToastHost to run our webpage, but I have found it very limiting. It has sent me down a path of deep contemplation about club webpages.I am going to stop here and say that Freetoasthost is a fantastic service and one I am glad is available to clubs. Most clubs are just beginning to understand how a webpage can help them. It is enough to ask them to have a webpage. Without FTH this would not be possible for 99% of the clubs in the organization. I thank Bo and his team for helping this organization take this step in 21st century…

• Contest Season... again

  Sara Marks

  15 Sep 2009 | 11:28 am

  Yep, it's speech contest season again- Humorous this time. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of contests. There are a few reasons. While they are fun to watch, I don't think most members want to be part of them. I have found it intimidating to be speaking with those who are much better speakers than I am. I can only imagine how intimidating it would be to speak in the same contest as one of the few who return to the contests each year and make it to the international level. I suspect this actually acts as a deterrent for contest participation. I have spoken to a number of people who have said…

• New Toy: Scribd

  Sara Marks

  21 Jul 2009 | 11:43 am

  I realized last night that it has been 2 years since I updated my actual webpage. I use it as a professional portfolio. Thus, it isn't critical to keep updated, but 2 years is too long.I do keep a list of presentations I have done for Toastmasters. I send people there to re-print handouts and get copies of power points I may have run. In those 2 years, a lot has changed with technology and I have been looking for a way to begin using Scribd.Scribd is pretty cool. It allows you to upload word, power point, excel, pdf and more. People can then view, download, print and share the document. Here…

• 
  Great Speaking Coach

• Audiences Applaud When You Give Them More with Less

  Susan Trivers

  4 Feb 2010 | 5:32 am

  A CEO is listening impassively as I describe to her my Write a Speech Now system. Write a Speech Now is a clear structure upon which you build your speech. It's like a road map or a blueprint. Her first comment in response was that she couldn't tell me her three key points right then. She had too much in her mind. That was fine because I know that you don't walk around with three key points clearly in your head. I asked her some questions: what does the audience care about--for their organizations, for their customers, for themselves? What are the obstacles they face to achieve…

• Shaking Up (Your Audience) is Hard to Do...

  Susan Trivers

  1 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am

  when you're boring them to death with slide after slide, drowning them with facts and logic, force-feeding them with all the content YOU want to tell them. Every single business person I have coached--CEOs, key execs, marketing, sales and technical presenters, professionals, entrepreneurs--has been in audiences when they've experienced these horrible speeches and presentations. Yet, they are poised to do the same to their audiences! The good news is that they don't want to do the same and that's why they've come to me for help. I tell them to keep these three…

• Left Brains Need Their Right Brains

  Susan Trivers

  28 Jan 2010 | 6:10 am

  You'll be speaking to an audience of customers who are desperately searching for solutions to solve their difficult problems. Everyone is tense because the need is great. Your company has state-of-the-art technology that can help and you really want to make the sale. I guarantee that you will go to your computer, start searching for slides you've used before and assemble them into a deck for this audience. Your slides will be dense with bullets describing every feature. You'll have process flow diagrams covering every imaginable decision-point. The visuals you have will show…

• Simple Words Evoke Many Interpretations

  Susan Trivers

  27 Jan 2010 | 5:55 am

  What does customer service mean? Or leadership or business process re-engineering? Your definition may barely resemble the way your colleague defines any word. In recent Presentation Skills workshops I've been leading I ask the group--10 colleagues who've worked together for at least several years--to write down the 10 words that come to mind when they hear a ve simple word--the word 'run'. After 30 seconds they pair up and compare lists. Of the 5 pairs in each group, not one pair had 3 or more matching words. In fact, only one pair had 2 matching words. For a simple…

• Get Close to Your Customers

  Susan Trivers

  21 Jan 2010 | 6:13 am

  You're giving a speech or presentation to a roomful of prospects, clients, industry experts, other stakeholders--how can you possibly "get close" to them? 99.5% of the time, someone has asked you to speak. (The other .5% you invite the audience yourself.) First step to getting close to your cusotmers is to have an enlightening conversation with the person asking you to speak. Second step is to call some of the people who will be in the audience. This is all part of your preparation for your appearance. Do not shirk this duty! What do you ask these people? Three specific…

• 
  tjwalker.com

• Sarah Palin caught writing on her hand

  TJ Walker

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:33 am

  Sarah Palin used her own hand for notes for her tea party speech this past weekend. I’m all in favor of using notes while speaking, but not on your hand! the problem with writing on your hand is that it makes you look like you are a first grader or someone that Rahm Emmanuel might [...]

• 8 Feb 2010 | 7:22 am

  TJ Walker

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:22 am

  clip 2010 02 08 04;52;39

• Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood makes soundbite Blunder

  TJ Walker

  5 Feb 2010 | 3:08 pm

  Ray “stop driving it” Lahood stuck his fit in his mouth earlier this week. To his credit, he corrected himself within 5 minutes. However, the damage was done. “Stop driving it” is just too juicy a sound bite for reporters covering Toyota’s woes to ignore. The sound bite is an absolute, emotional, attacking, and action [...]

• Outline for my new book on Talk Head Social Media

  TJ Walker

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:54 pm

  Bulldog PowerPoint Script 1. What is Talking Head Social Media? A. Simple, short talking head videos B. Simple, brief one-on-one interviews C. Anything you currently do in a text format 2. What is the starting point? A. Your ideas B. What people are searching NOW C. Twitter page of top searches for the day D. D. Yahoo E. E. My steve Jobs preview video from last week (point out music and backdrop graphic. Play a [...]

• 5 Feb 2010 | 2:51 pm

  TJ Walker

  5 Feb 2010 | 2:51 pm

  VID00119.AVI

• 
  The Next Meeting

• Creating Online Business Opportunity

  Storyboard Guru Speaks

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:33 pm

  Within this article today, we are going to look at a couple of different ways that you can make money by creating an online business opportunity. We’ll spend the bulk of our time looking at eBay with a small amount of space looking at generating money through Adsense. EBay is a main source of income [...]

• Merchant Account Frequent Despairs

  Storyboard Guru Speaks

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:33 pm

  Merchant account bearers occasionally have difficulty with transactions, customers and the equipment that they use to run their business. These sufferings can prow from the credit card processing equipment to the customers charging particular products on their credit card. If a merchant does research, he can find a good solution to his processing needs, [...]

• All About Jim Edwards

  Storyboard Guru Speaks

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:33 pm

  Jim Edwards products have made a significant contribution to online entrepreneurs who aims to make a living and build profitable businesses in the comforts of home. Most everyone secretly wishes to have the freedom one gets with working from home. Whoever said you can’t mix business with pleasure? Sure business is not always equated with [...]

• Who Is Kevin Wilke?

  Storyboard Guru Speaks

  7 Feb 2010 | 10:33 pm

  Marketing has never been an easy thing to do. Some may be gifted with a natural talent for it, but for most of us, it requires constant learning and continuous adjustment. I say adjustment because oftentimes, what you know now may not apply in the future and you have to adapt quickly lest [...]

• Small Business Health Insurance

  Storyboard Guru Speaks

  7 Feb 2010 | 9:52 pm

  Are you a small business owner? If you are, how many employees do you currently have? If you have under fifty or one hundred employees, in total, you can often legally be considered a small business. Although you may have already considered yourself a small business, the actual definition is important, as it will have [...]

• 
  Laugh-O-Nomics | Humor in the Workplace from Motivational Speaker & Humorist Brad Montgomery

• Re/Max

  Brad Montgomery

  5 Feb 2010 | 10:29 am

  Hey Re/Max! Thanks so much for inviting me to work with you last week.  We had a great time here in Denver. Here’s a quick reminder video I created just for you. Today can be a great day at work — for you and the people you’re leading.  But the only way to guarantee that it is great, is to make it so.   What are YOU going to do to make your leadership style, your management techniques, and your time at Re/Max fun, meaningful, and successful. Are YOU looking for a motivational speaker who can fire up your group?  Whether or not you are from Colorado, we should talk? Contact…

• How To Be a Motivational Speaker (Part 4) Adding Humor

  Brad Montgomery

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:34 am

  Be A Motivational Speaker! How to be funny on the platform:   a specific technique Here is Part 6 of the continuing series about how to be a motivational speaker. In this video, Brad Montgomery discusses adding humor to your presentation. (And if you want to be a paid professional speaker, you’ll need to be funny — if you want to get hired.) No, you don’t HAVE to be funny or to use humor if you want to be a motivational speaker.  But boring speakers never get hired back.   You MUST have some sort of humor, lightheartedness, or levity in your program.  You don’t have…

• Contest — Caption for the Monk!

  Brad Montgomery

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:39 pm

  I took this photo while going through Denver International Airport.  Got this shot off before a TSA guy “asked” me to knock that off.  (I wanted to get one from a different angle, but couldn’t get the guy to let me.  (I did make the TSA guy laugh…but I couldn’t get him to “look the other way.”   Goodie…. chalk one up for safety!) Leave caption below and I’ll send the funniest caption author  a copy of my book, Humor Us:  America’s Funniest Humorists on the Power of Laughter. Enter your caption below in the comments field. …

• How To Be a Motivational Speaker (Part 3) Speech Template

  Brad Montgomery

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:05 am

  How To be A Motivational Speaker | Template for a Keynote Speech A How-To video series about how to be a motivational speaker.   In this very informal video in which Brad Montgomery — a funny motivational speaker — Brad explains the simple format (or template) for creating a motivational keynote speech.      Interested in exactly how you can create your own speech?  No sweat…here are the details. Interested in learning how to use humor in your presentation?   Check out Brad’s Got Mirth:  Milking Your Presentation for all the Humor It’s Worth. Learn more about…

• It’s Up to Them. (And You Are Them!)

  Brad Montgomery

  21 Jan 2010 | 8:12 pm

  Okay Peeps!   You asked for it, you got it!  Here’s my latest ‘Brad Spouts Off’ episode direct from the Center for Humor in the Workplace Case Studies.  (Ok, you caught me… we filmed it in my office.) Are you eager for a better workplace vibe, (oooh!   what a fancy business buzzword!) more freedom to have fun, and an escape from a lousy toxic work environment?  Are you waiting for “THEM” to enable you to to make that happen?   Can’t wait until they finally fix it so that you can start working as hard as you should be?   Can’t wait for…

• 
  Persuasions Blog

• Feb 7, Informative Speech: How to for Experienced Speakers

  6 Feb 2010 | 6:46 pm

  Create an Informative Speech with this simple formula. Learn how to build a foundation, introduction, body, conclusion and other considerations.

• Feb 6, Learn the Importance of Pitch and How to Master This Speaker Skill.

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:07 pm

  The two types of pitch and how to master voice intonation in public speaking.

• Feb 6, Benefits of Humor in Public Speaking

  6 Feb 2010 | 2:06 pm

  Learn the benefits of humor in public speaking.

• Feb 6, Selling Basics:Better Than 2 Percent Closure, What Do I Need to Do?

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:41 am

  Selling basics: What do you need to know to have better than 2Percent close rate?

• Feb 6, The Persuasive Speech Process and How to Persuade

  6 Feb 2010 | 5:28 am

  Learn what Persuasive Speech is, is not, and the essentials of how to master it in public speaking.

• 
  Public Speakers Blog

• Should speakers thank the audience?

  steve

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:36 pm

  Seems like a pretty easy question to answer, but speakers have different beliefs about this. We get this question at every session of the Bill Gove Speech Workshop, and we give the workshop philosophy to the participants. Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking, felt very strongly about this. Listen to this 2-minute audio post and let us know what you think.

• Audience “Shocked and Stunned” by Senior Executives Comments on Speaking Business

  steve

  23 Jan 2010 | 8:32 am

  I interviewed a senior executive last weekend in Atlanta at the Siebold Success Network meeting for almost 2 hours onstage, and the audience of speakers was shocked at what she had to say. This executive hires some of the biggest speakers in the business, and she told the truth about what it takes to get hired at this level. As I’ve been saying over and over again in this blog, there’s a large group of speaker trainers getting rich telling people how easy the speaking business is and how you don’t have to be a good speaker to make it. They’re telling the masses of new…

• How to get booked as a professional speaker in the Fortune 500

  steve

  11 Jan 2010 | 11:47 am

  If you’re interested in speaking for the biggest, richest companies in the world but you haven’t been able to figure out how to do it, don’t feel bad. Fortune 500 companies have multiple gatekeepers whose only job is to screen and block calls from unknown vendors. The good news is there’s a secret to cracking the code, and there’s a group of speakers from 10 countries around the world who have banded together to help each other make it happen. All this group is missing is you!  Listen to this post and then visit www.sieboldsuccessnetwork.com    Steve Siebold

• To All Aspiring Professional Speakers: What are you waiting for?

  steve

  31 Dec 2009 | 11:11 am

  In mental toughness training, I speak to Fortune 500 sales teams about critical thinking to increase sales. For all of you who have the dream of being a fee paid professional speaker, I have a critical thinking question for you. I ask this question completely out of love. After all, I dreamed the same dream 15 years ago. We are kindred spirits. Listen to this post and do some soul searching this New years eve. I really want you to make it in this business. The reality is as good as the dream!  YOU can do it!  Happy New Year, 2010! Steve Siebold

• Is The Speaking Business Really That Easy?

  steve

  20 Dec 2009 | 5:38 pm

  There’s a group of people in the speaking industry telling emerging speakers how easy it is to become a successful professional speaker. Back in 1996, the year I started my full time speakering career, I heard the same thing. It turns out the people perpetuating this lie are profiting from it. Chances are they’re trying to sell you a seminar, book publishing deal, or CVD or DVD product that tells you how to make it. Some of these people are even telling speakers they don’t have to be good on the platform to make it. Of course none of what they say is true, but new speakers…

• 
  Visual, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

• My Thoughts on the State of the Union Address

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:12 pm

  Many blogs have already posted their comments on the State of the Union and I don’t want to rehash what’s already been said. I will leave it to the political pundits to critique the specific details of the President’s plan. However, I want to point out a couple pieces of the speech which I found interesting from a communication and persuasion perspective.The GreetingOne thing I noticed right at the beginning is when President Obama greeted everyone. He said “welcome” to everybody, but did not look into the camera when he said “welcome to my fellow Americans.” The audience is…

• Five Steps to Becoming More Likeable

  26 Jan 2010 | 7:57 am

  In our previous posts on likeability, we discussed that likeability is truly at the root of personal and professional success and what factors influenced likeability. With that background, let's outline a few things you can do to increase your chances of being liked:Generate optimism by describing challenges rather than stating problems. Spotlight what can be done instead of what can’t be done. Optimistic, passionate leaders generate more excitement and foster a “can-do” mentality. Who would you rather work with – someone genuinely excited about their work and shows it or a negative,…

• The Best of 2009

  8 Jan 2010 | 11:16 am

  Happy 2010 Everyone! Hope you had a great holiday season and have greeted 2010 with gusto!A look back at a few of the popular posts of 2009: The Five E's of PowerPoint – Every PowerPoint presentation should have the 5 E's – entertain, energize, emphasize, explain and evoke.Tattoo This – Guest blogger Alan Tuerkheimer discusses what body art communicates to the world.What's In a Face – Guest blogger Eliza Shepherd examines "micro-expressions" and provides a link to test how good you are reading facial expressions.The Likeability Series – Guest blogger Kristin Fitzgerald discusses the…

• What Makes Outrageous People Acceptable?

  3 Dec 2009 | 8:35 am

  What makes outrageous people acceptable? Energy. Individuals with high energy are not only welcome in most environments, but they are sought out. We all know that energetic individuals easily draw people into their circle. They are described as fun, crazy, something else, train wrecks, go-getters, barn stormers, and such.A good reference phrase is ‘high energy’. We like to hire people with high energy believing they will expend some of that vigor at the workplace. Out of the office and on a social level, high energy people allow the rest of us to be lazy. These people hold up their end of…

• Where are the Great Women Orators?

  16 Nov 2009 | 12:47 pm

  Turning over my keyboard this week to ZMF colleauge Bill Grimes. Who would make your list of great female orators? Comment below and let us hear your list. Talk to you soon ... TZThere are, and have been, great orators who happen to be women; Susan B. Anthony, Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Jordan, Hillary Clinton, to name a few. But male orators, past and present, far outnumber the women. Historian Philip Gavin’s Great Speeches Collection lists sixty-five speeches – three were given by women. University of Texas at Tyler Communications Professor Michael Eidenmuller’s list of the 100…

• 
  Talking Points

• With Speeches, a Little Goes a Long Way

  joey

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:44 am

  I know that I should be a better person than this. But my main reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union address this week was “Why did it have to be so freakin’ long?” I don’t have the attention span for such things. If I were President, I would propose that all speeches be limited to 15 minutes, with half of that time devoted to Q&A. Now that would be change we could believe in. No one Wants to Hear a Long Speech I’m not alone on this issue. Attention spans are short.  There was a study done of college students during 50-minute lectures.  Researchers found that the…

• Word Czars Ban “Czar” and other Jargon

  joey

  13 Jan 2010 | 7:55 am

  The word Czars at Lake Superior State University have declared 15 bits of 2010 jargon “shovel ready”. “The list this year is a ‘teachable moment’ conducted free of ‘tweets,’” said a Word Banishment spokesman who was “chillaxin’” over the holidays. “‘In these economic times’, purging our language of ‘toxic assets’ is a ’stimulus’ effort that’s ‘too big to fail.’” Former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe and friends created “word banishment” in 1975 at a…

• Public Speaking Tips from My Dog Balou

  joey

  11 Jan 2010 | 11:12 am

  My dog Balou is a 60-pound, black-lab mix that we adopted at a PetSmart rescue day last year in Sandy Springs.   And if he could only talk and write on a flip chart, I’m sure he’d be a great public speaker. That’s because he understands how to connect with people better than most humans. It’s about connection not perfection First, Balou understands that you can do a lot wrong if you establish great rapport. Balou makes lots of mistakes.  He eats the insoles out of shoes. He chewed the upholstery on our nice living room sofa. When he vomits on the kitchen floor, it’s truly…

• President Obama’s Speech at Fort Hood Great Example of the Power of Stories

  joey

  11 Nov 2009 | 3:52 pm

  President Obama yesterday spoke at the memorial services for those servicemen and women that died in the recent massacre at Fort Hood. In the speech, the President tells a brief story about every one of the people killed during the killing. If those stories don’t move you, nothing will. This video is of the entire service.  The President’s remarks begin at the approximately 15 minutes into the video.

• Improve Your Stories with a Little Schmaltz

  joey

  29 Oct 2009 | 6:56 am

  I was helping a banker with a story he planned to tell as part of his presentation.    “You know what this story needs?” I said. “This story needs some schmaltz.” He gave me a confused look. “You don’t know what schmaltz is?” I said. “It’s the good stuff. It’s the extra details and background that you add to the story that makes the story come to life.  All good stories have a little schmaltz.” If you want your stories to sing, you’re going to need some schmaltz. Schmaltz Adds Flavor First a little background for those of you who, unlike me, weren’t blessed with a…

• 
  Digital Roam

• My first public "back of the napkin" training conference March 4-5 in San Francisco. 10 seats left.

  dr@digitalroam.com

  20 Jan 2010 | 10:53 am

  Over the past two years, I've had the opportunity to share live my "back of the napkin" visual thinking approach with somewhere around 10,000 people in 20 states. (That's not including dozens of webinars reaching a dozen countries.) Now for the first time, I'm offering my full two-day training conference to the public. This is the full version of the same workshop I've delivered to Microsoft, eBay, Boeing, Gap, Kraft, Frito-Lay, Cisco, the US Navy, and the United States Senate. Back of the Napkin Training ConferenceView more presentations from Dan Roam. The…

• Unfolding the Napkin is available!

  dr@digitalroam.com

  28 Dec 2009 | 10:22 pm

  After 18 months of effort on the part of many people (Adrian, Ted, Courtney, Will, Amanda, Mark, Tom, Les, Isabelle, Sophie, Celeste, and everyone who provided feedback along the way -- you know who you are!) I am overjoyed to announce that as of today Unfolding the Napkin: The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures is here and available! If you enjoyed drawing on The Back of the Napkin, I think you'll really enjoy Unfolding it. It's not just the sequel, it's a remarkably different reading, seeing, and drawing experience; a complete do-it-yourself 4-day…

• Napkins at 35,000 feet

  dr@digitalroam.com

  26 Dec 2009 | 8:11 am

  Delta airlines flight attendant Jewel Van Valin found a unique way to help passengers relax on long flights following the bleak days of 9-11. She gave them crayons and asked them to draw. She found that the mood of passengers changed dramatically when they put crayon to paper. She's kept the drawing in flight tradition going ever since and now has 3,000 sketches created by her passengers. The Palm Springs Air Museum now has a show of Jewel's passengers' visual thinking. Photographer Ricky Mia has taken excellent photos of Jewel and her passengers at work. He also links to this…

• Napkin. Unfolded.

  dr@digitalroam.com

  14 Dec 2009 | 4:36 pm

  This holiday season has officially started at our house: I just received the first box of copies of my new book from Portfolio. Unfolding the Napkin: The Hands-On Method for Solving Complex Problems with Simple Pictures is here. (Well, almost. Although it's available for pre-order at all the online retailers, it won't be shipped until Dec. 29.) I'm excited about this book. Thanks to you, feedback on The Back of the Napkin came in from around the world over this past year and a half, and the most common theme was a request for more do-it-yourself exercises. I created Unfolding the…

• The Men Who Stare at Boats

  dr@digitalroam.com

  7 Dec 2009 | 5:17 pm

  The Strategic Studies Group is located at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. This group reports directly (and solely) to the Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon. The SSG is tasked with coming up with revolutionary ways of thinking about conflict and winning wars. I was honored to be invited to give a full "back of the napkin" workshop to the senior officers of the SSG. Last week I packed up my tablet PC and whiteboard and headed off to face the bracing December winds of Newport. Although I'm not at liberty to share what we talked about, I can say that I had an…

• 
  The Accidental Communicator

• What Is Your Body Telling Your Audience?

  Dr. Jim Anderson

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:01 pm

  Image Credit Is true that people can know what you are thinking by what your body language is telling them? What You Know About Body Language Is All Wrong Did you know that when you are delivering a speech, there is always another conversation going on? No, I’m not talking about your rude audience (although they may be talking also), instead I’m talking about your body – it’s having its own conversation with your audience. Maybe you should know what it’s saying…? The fact that we are always communicating with our audience through body language should come as no surprise to anyone.

• The Hassle Of Hecklers

  Dr. Jim Anderson

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:01 pm

  Image Credit There’s No Love Like A Heckler’s Love Just What Is A Heckler Anyway? Just imagine your next presentation. You’ve studied your audience, researched your topic, created a speech, and practiced, practiced, practiced. You take the stage and start to smoothly deliver your speech. Just a few minutes into your speech, you become aware of someone, gasp, talking. We’re not talking about quiet whispering here, we’re talking about someone in the audience standing up and shouting things at you. Congratulations, you’ve got a heckler… Why Do People Heckle Us? It’s in the world…

• What’s More Important: What You Say Or Who Is Saying It?

  Dr. Jim Anderson

  25 Jan 2010 | 8:01 pm

  Image Credit The Right Speaker With The Right Words Can Win Wars So here’s a question for you to ponder: what is more important – the words that you say or how you say them? This is one of the classic questions that gets asked about public speaking. Could you pick up a fantastically written speech and deliver it in a way that would create the same (or better) reaction in the audience that the original presenter got? It’s All About Teamwork In the end, it turns out that this is really a trick question. The answer is that you can’t have one without the other. It’s the combination of…

• You CAN Learn To Speak Like President Obama

  Dr. Jim Anderson

  18 Jan 2010 | 8:01 pm

  Image Credit President Obama Sure Knows How To Give A Speech Who do you think is the greatest communicator of all time? For most of us, we’d pick someone who has lived in the last 100 years because that’s pretty much all that we know. We’ve had some great ones in this time period: Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, etc. However, if I had to pick the best communicator out there right now, I believe that President Obama would win. Now the question for you, independent of your political beliefs, is how can you learn to speak more like him…? Welcome To The World Of…

• It’s Amazing What A Speaker Can Learn By Watching YouTube

  Dr. Jim Anderson

  11 Jan 2010 | 8:01 pm

  watch the pros at work. Great, just where do you find such pros and how can you get admitted to their speeches to watch them at work? Good news — I’m going to tell you how (and it’s free!) … Welcome To The 21st Century In the olden days (like about 5 years ago), if you wanted to become a better speaker then yes, you would have to pick yourself up and go to where a good speaker was giving a speech and plop yourself down and start taking notes. Thanks goodness we now live in the modern 21st Century and we no longer have to make such an effort in order to improve…

• 
  The Campaign Spot on National Review Online

• He Knows Who His Real Enemy Is, I Guess -- By: Jim Geraghty

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:48 am

  Looking again at that John Brennan op-ed in USA Today, I see he refers to Abdulmutallab as a "suspect" but asserts that administration critics, ipso facto, "serve the goals of al-Qaeda." In other words, in the eyes of one the administration's top men on counterterrorism, Abdulmutallab gets a presumption of innocence that you and I don't.

• A Headline I Wished I Wrote: 'Americans Losing Hope, Looking for Change' -- By: Jim Geraghty

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:16 am

  That's the headline to the latest Investors Business Daily/TIPP poll. Voters are souring on the economy and the government’s remedies, according to February's IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index. It fell 4.1% to 46.8, matching December’s level and the weakest since July. “Persisting high unemployment and a wobbly stock market dampened January’s optimism,” said Raghavan Mayur, president of TIPP, IBD’s polling partner. Readings below 50 signal pessimism. Confidence in federal economic politics dived 7% to 38.3, the lowest since President Obama took office. That's consistent with other…

• The Administration's War on Pie Begins -- By: Jim Geraghty

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:57 am

  Michelle Obama, back in April 2008: The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more. The news, today: First lady Michelle Obama launched a nationwide campaign Tuesday to fight childhood obesity, part of her effort to teach America's children about better nutrition and exercise.

• Approval Rating of Rep. Shea-Porter (D., N.H.) Hits 35 Percent -- By: Jim Geraghty

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:45 am

  There's still the better part of a year to go, but prospects for some GOP House seat pickups in New Hampshire look pretty healthy: According to a new poll by the University of New Hampshire only 35% of likely voters approve of the job [Rep. Carol] Shea-Porter is doing in Congress. 40% disapprove. 24% are neutral or don’t know for sure how they feel. Even worse, all potential Republican candidates for Congress -- even the lesser-known candidates -- would defeat her if the election were held today. Former Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta performs best against Shea-Porter, defeating her in a…

• Ah, That Calm, Respectful Obama Administration 'Temperament' -- By: Jim Geraghty

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:41 am

  The editors of USA Today are pretty scathing in their assessment of how the Obama administration responded to the Christmas Day attack: Top administration officials revealed last week that bombing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was again cooperating with authorities. Great. But the news pretty much negates earlier claims that no intelligence was lost when Abdulmutallab was prematurely read his rights. -- In Senate testimony, National Intelligence Director Dennis Blair had a "Duh!" moment as he hit his forehead and acknowledged that authorities fumbled the initial questioning of…

• 
  washingtonpost.com - George F. Will Archive

• How to get the country to solvency on entitlements

  George F. Will

  6 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  In 2013, when President Mitch Daniels, former Indiana governor, is counting his blessings, at the top of his list will be the name of his vice president: Paul Ryan. The former congressman from Wisconsin will have come to office with ideas for steering the federal government to solvency.

• A growth lesson from China

  George F. Will

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:00 pm

  On Day One of his vow to take "meaningful steps to rein in our debt," Barack Obama asked Congress to freeze portions of discretionary domestic spending. This would follow an astonishing permanent expansion: Republicans on the House Budget Committee say appropriations bills Obama has signed, along with his stimulus spending, have increased discretionary domestic spending 84 percent. He almost certainly will not keep his promise to veto spending bills when Congress, as it almost certainly will, largely disregards his request.

• The State of the Union address reveals a president of two minds

  George F. Will

  28 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Barack Obama tiptoed Wednesday night along the seam that bifurcates the Democratic Party's brain. The seam separates that brain's John Quincy Adams lobe from its Sigmund Freud lobe.

• Campaign finance: a 'reform' wisely struck down

  George F. Will

  27 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Last week's Supreme Court decision that substantially deregulates political speech has provoked an edifying torrent of hyperbole. Critics' dismay reveals their conviction: Speech about the elections that determine the government's composition is not a constitutional right but a mere privilege that exists at the sufferance of government.

• For Obama, a mandate to be moderate

  George F. Will

  23 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pm

  Churchill's wife said that his being turned out of office by British voters in July 1945 -- the war in the Pacific still raged, and he was participating in the Potsdam conference -- might be a blessing in disguise. He replied: It is very well disguised.

• 
  TSG Speakers Bureau Blog

• Patrick Lencioni on Getting Naked to Win Client Loyalty

  TSGspeakers

  1 Feb 2010 | 9:12 am

  Patrick Lencioni’s newest book, Getting Naked: A Business Fable About the Shedding the Three Fears That Sabotage Client Loyalty, lands on shelves this week. From Amazon.com: Written in the same dynamic style as his previous bestsellers including The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Lencioni illustrates the principles of inspiring client loyalty through a fascinating business fable. He [...]

• Looking Back with Thanks, and Our Top 9 Posts of 2009

  ShawnEllis

  31 Dec 2009 | 6:21 am

  Here we are at the end of another year! If your year hasn’t gone according to plan, you’re not alone. Be it the economic meltdown, the meetings industry crisis, or other circumstances, 2009 has been “interesting.” There’s always much to be thankful for, though, and we’re very grateful here at The Speakers Group. Thank you [...]

• Time to Negotiate – Ed Brodow Can Help

  ShawnEllis

  3 Dec 2009 | 9:54 am

  We’ve done a lot of negotiating at The Speakers Group this year. Wait, for speakers? I thought speakers weren’t supposed to negotiate. Something about fee integrity… Yes, speakers negotiate. The secret’s out. With meeting budgets slashed, speakers, speakers bureaus and other vendors in the meetings industry have had to adapt to meet clients’ needs. And that’s [...]

• Conscious Capitalism: Transforming the Way We Think About Business

  TSGspeakers

  30 Oct 2009 | 7:34 am

  Business today needs a new paradigm, because “business as usual” is just not working anymore. Environmental consciousness is exploding; public distrust of business is at an historic high; many employees and customers are disconnected from the companies they work for or buy from; suppliers feel squeezed; communities often organize to keep certain businesses out. The [...]

• Hire a Horrible Speaker in Six Easy Steps

  TSGspeakers

  20 Oct 2009 | 11:44 am

  photo credit: markhillary STEP ONE: Look only locally to save travel expenses. STEP TWO: Choose a speaker based on the theme of your event. STEP THREE: Read a book and hire the author to present the content. STEP FOUR: Base your search on price. STEP FIVE: Make name-recognition the top priority in your search. STEP SIX: Do it yourself.   Google [...]

• 
  Speakersite.com: Artie Isaac

• FEATURED ON SPEAKERSITE: Kathy Cleveland Bull

  Artie Isaac

  SpeakerSite was a topic recently at a big-time social networking conference. Kathy Cleveland Bull was there. Within a day, she had registered at SpeakerSite and — just as swiftly — decided to become a featured member on the site. I thought you might like to know Kathy a little better, so I interviewed her. Who Is Kathy Cleveland Bull? Of course, you can always visit her SpeakerSite profile. And here are nine questions for Kathy — and her answers: 1. Tell us, please, who you are and what you do. My primary purpose is to help people and organizations find simple and practical strategies…

• FEATURED ON SPEAKERSITE: Larry Edmonds

  Artie Isaac

  In the heat of the summer, I found a cheap ticket to Phoenix. (Go figure.) Plus, the big NSA Conference was going on there, so I thought I should be in town. I sent a message to the SpeakerSite members in Arizona: let's meet for lunch. Whaddya know. About a dozen of us met at the fancy schmanzy Arizona Biltmore for a lovely lunch. Who Cares?We did — and you might. Sharing on SpeakerSite is nice and sharing in person is twice as nice. We could all stand to learn a little more from each other. So, I'm going to profile the folks who came to lunch that day. Perhaps, by looking into their…

• How Was My Speech Delivery?

  Artie Isaac

  A friend and I were exchanging critiques on our performances last week as public speakers. In critiquing my friend's expert presentation, I wrote him mainly about the content and structure of his arguments. As an English major, I'm mainly focused on the rhetoric, rather than the delivery. Well, my friend followed-up this morning, specifically seeking advice on his delivery. He wrote: All of your points give me more ideas on how to make my next presentation better, and that's the goal for me: to become the best speaker I can be, to inspire others, educate them on relevant ideas, make sure I am…

• What A Good Weenie Can Do: How Each Of Us Can Strengthen SpeakerSite

  Artie Isaac

  My head is spinning following yesterday's SpeakerSite Weenie Festival and Reunion of Speakers. (Happily, my stomach is not spinning. The hot dogs landed beautifully.) We had a great time. I'll post a few photos as soon as receive them from the other folks. But some of the conversation, I'll share right now. Top Topics With so many clever, expressive folks sitting around a table, there were many topics of conversation. People shared their insights into their own subjects: financial planning, health and wellness, Alfred Hitchcock and women, the meaning of life, leadership, Myers-Briggs, and…

• FEATURED ON SPEAKERSITE: Jeff Knott

  Artie Isaac

  SpeakerSite welcomes all members — especially Jeff Knott from Apollo Beach, Florida — a featured member on SpeakerSite! Want to know more about Jeff? Here you go... Nine Quick Questions With Jeff Knott You can read all about Jeff on his SpeakerSite profile. Also, I asked Jeff nine more questions. Here are his answers: 1. Why did you join SpeakerSite? I believe I was among the first 800 members. I was attracted to the professionalism and experience of the members. Plus, Artie, I saw that you were from Columbus and my whole family are Buckeyes — what more do I need to say! 2. What hopes…

• 
  The Public Speaker's Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills

• 078 TPS Conclusion and Closers - How to End a Talk

  QuickAndDirtyTips.com

  4 Feb 2010 | 3:05 pm

  Questions go to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com or 206-350-7970. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes!

• 077 TPS That's Got A Good Ring To It! The Sounds of Your Words Matter

  QuickAndDirtyTips.com

  28 Jan 2010 | 3:05 pm

  Questions go to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com or 206-350-7970. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes!

• 076 TPS Does My Butt Look Big? Better Profile Pictures

  QuickAndDirtyTips.com

  21 Jan 2010 | 3:05 pm

  Questions go to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com or 206-350-7970. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes!

• 075 TPS How To Make Your Points Stick Using PEP

  QuickAndDirtyTips.com

  7 Jan 2010 | 3:05 pm

  Questions go to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com or 206-350-7970. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes!

• 074 TPS How To Get More Laughs

  QuickAndDirtyTips.com

  31 Dec 2009 | 3:05 pm

  Questions go to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com or 206-350-7970. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes!

• 
  Power Presentations

• Free Book Summary

  Visit getAbstract to download a free summary of The Power Presenter.  You can download versions of this summary for Kindle, Sony Reader, BlackBerry, Palm, eBook Reader, pdf or listen to an audio verision. getAbstract summarizes business books. Their mission is to provide executives worldwide with the best in business knowledge. They deliver this ...

• The Bootstrap CEO

  In the previous post, you read about how musicians and athletes practice their art to the point of effortless grace; and that presenters, while not performers, must practice their presentations to the point delivering it with confidence and poise. The practice methodology to achieve that lofty state is Verbalization, the ...

• Presentation Advice from Musicians and Athletes

  Three musicians and two athletes share a performance quality that any presenter would do well to emulate. The musicians are jazz pianist Art Tatum, violinist Jascha Heifetz, and dancer Fred Astaire; the two athletes are baseball great Joe DiMaggio and any good trapeze artist. All of them perform their specialties ...

• State of the Union

  In anticipation of Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, a conservative website posted a table with 36 phrases they expected him to use. After the speech, we checked the transcript and tallied the results. Clear evidence of the risk of forecasting.

• Scott Brown Footnotes

  As a footnote to Monday’s post about Scott Brown’s upset victory in the Massachusetts senate race and his now-famous statement, “With all due respect. It's not the Kennedy seat, and it's not the Democrat's seat. It's the People's seat,” this week, the New York Times reported about an election campaign ...

• 
  Matt Eventoff

• Crisis Communication – What Toyota Should Do Now

  Matt

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:39 am

  What Mr. Toyoda (and any executive in a similar situation) should do now: 1. Develop your Message – Today! – The Prius was a groundbreaking achievement, Lexus is a leader in the luxury class, and Toyota has always been dependable;  A week later, there is no message, which is a message. 2. Speak Publicly Immediately — You are simply taking too much incoming fire at this point; a member of the Toyoda family must speak, now, today, and every day going forward until this crisis is settled 3. Appear Publicly – Again, every day until this situation is calmed.  At this…

• Toyota’s Crisis Communication – Hiding Doesn’t Work

  Matt

  4 Feb 2010 | 11:30 am

  Toyota is learning a lesson that numerous companies have learned the hard way – when a crisis strikes, and the media comes a knockin’, answer the door or suffer the consequences. Toyota may be an international powerhouse, however at the same time it is a family-based brand, the family being the Toyoda family.  Akio Toyoda is the President, and his father Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, is the Honorary Chairman. This crisis struck what seems like a lifetime ago in terms of media cycles, and every day, this crisis brings more and more news, none of which is good. Toyota is doing very little…

• Fear Public Speaking? No More!

  Matt

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:37 am

  Man, I wish it was that easy.  I speak publicly often, and I still get nervous prior to every speech or presentation. Every single one. That being said, I’m in pretty good company — it has been noted that Sir Winston Churchill and President Lincoln also got quite anxious prior to speaking publicly. Unfortunately, no matter how many books, courses, DVDs, websites or snake oil salesmen promise to “cure” you of your fear of public speaking, it is never that simple, or that easy.  That being said, there are a number of techniques, strategies and tactics to use to…

• Public Speaking Lessons – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

  Matt

  18 Jan 2010 | 9:13 am

  Today we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a leader, a visionary and a hero. He was also one of the greatest communicators of the past century. Dr. King was always relentlessly on message, and always spoke with passion and energy. This clip is important for a number of reasons.  It is the conclusion of his final speech, given at Mason Temple in Memphis on April 3rd — he was assassinated the next day. He was speaking in support of the striking sanitation workers in Memphis, however as was usually the case when Dr. King spoke, his message was consistent regardless of who he…

• Social Media: A Cautionary Tale

  Matt

  13 Jan 2010 | 6:18 am

  Breaking news….Social media is in fact….Social! Social Media outlets are not diaries, confidants or private/confidential conversations. The reality is that now, more than ever, social media conversations are public, or at the very least semi-public. Whether “friends, followers or connections” the reality is that every day more and more of what you post is available via search.  More importantly, even without search, what you post can leave your immediate universe of friends and followers, and in some cases, even go viral. Who cares? You should, especially if a…

• 
  Thoughts On Presenting And Design

• My Thoughts On the iPad

  Mike

  31 Jan 2010 | 8:05 pm

  I’m sure by now, you’ve read enough about the iPad to think, “oh, come on, not another article about that thing.”  Granted, the hype and rumors got completely out of hand.  Contrary to the Windows zealots around me, they weren’t all fed by Apple.  I can’t blame them too much, though.  They don’t know the history of Apple and the community-fed rumor mill that precedes any and all product announcements.  This time, however, it was so bad that even mainstream tech press and blogs got into the act.  The rumors got so out of hand that the general…

• Managing Your Image Library

  Mike

  24 Jan 2010 | 3:04 pm

  As we design more and more slide decks, we inevitably create or consume an ever greater number of images, whether they’re photographs, icons, or whatever.  The problem is, however, it becomes a problem keeping track of them all on your hard drive.  Whether you’re using Windows or the Mac, this is where you see how the modern file systems are failing us.  To make it easy to find these files for later use, you need more than just the file names.  There’s a lot more information (metadata) that’s needed. If you have an image management application such as Lightroom,…

• YouTube Launches Limited HTML5 Support

  Mike

  21 Jan 2010 | 5:27 am

  via techcrunch.com Hopefully, this is the opening salvo in what will mean the end of plug-in driven sites using Flash and Silverlight. Flash leaks memory like a colander and Silverlight is just another means for Microsoft to try to turn the web into its own proprietary playground. ENOUGH!!! I signed up for the beta and I hope you will to. Mark your vote for open standards and being forced to install plugins to view content (especially government-created content, the ultimate slap in the face, kick in the groin, punch in the gut insult to taxpayers). Posted via web from Mike Pulsifer’s…

• Antietam – a set on Flickr

  Mike

  15 Jan 2010 | 8:41 am

  via flickr.com Took these a while ago and recently fixed up, knowing what I know now and didn’t then. Posted via web from Mike Pulsifer’s posterous

• Flora – a set on Flickr

  Mike

  15 Jan 2010 | 8:40 am

  via flickr.com Some photos I’ve recently gotten around to uploading. Posted via web from Mike Pulsifer’s posterous

• 
  Can You Hear Me Up the Back?

• Practice Twitter To Cut The Blather

  Ian

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:24 pm

  All presenters should Twitter, to practice compressing an idea into 140 characters. More clarity, more impact. End of post. Blather.

• 10 Presentation Tips From Steve Jobs’ iPad Launch

  Ian

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:32 pm

  Edited launch video. Full version (1hr 20min) here. Steve Jobs is rightly regarded as a master of the presentation universe. How many presentations get that level of global PR hype, both before and after the event? Here are 10 lessons to draw from the iPad launch speech: 1.    Open with an attention-grabbing  amazing fact: in this case, that Apple has now shifted its 250 millionth iPod. Which tells the audience: we’re probably right about this new product too. 2.    No jargon. Jobs uses none of the clichés that bedevil corporate speeches, particularly in the IT field. No…

• Shock Study: Fonts Are Actually Really Important

  Ian

  1 Feb 2010 | 3:44 am

  “Please. That font doesn’t match those shoes.” For years, people in black clothes and matching square-frame glasses have told you that font choice is important for successful communication. But how important are fonts, really? Maybe that’s just the designer’s opinion, rather than a scientifically proven fact. After all, communication is fertile territory for pseudo-science and wrong conclusions from legitimate research. As it turns out, scientists have researched it, and found that fonts play a decisive role in how your audience perceives your message. And more…

• Graphic Tips: Making Text Clearer On Photos

  Ian

  26 Jan 2010 | 11:09 pm

  The design guys and I are working on a food packaging project at the moment. It’s quite a fiddly task. There’s a Dan Brown novel’s worth of legal mandatories to fit on each box, much of it warnings about the two greatest threats to Western civilisation: nuts and crustaceans. DANGER THIS FOOD MAY HAVE BEEN PREPARED USING EQUIPMENT THAT MAY HAVE COME INTO CONTACT WITH NUTS OR CRUSTACEANS, OR POSSIBLY OPERATED BY A PERSON WHO ONCE SHOOK HANDS WITH SOMEONE WHO ONCE ATE A NUT OR CRUSTACEAN, AND IN FACT IT IS POSSIBLE TO DIE A SLOW AND PAINFUL DEATH FROM JUST THINKING ABOUT NUTS…

• Revolutionary New Touch-Screen Projector

  Ian

  24 Jan 2010 | 5:01 pm

  If you’re looking for the future of presentation technology, you only need look as far as CSI Miami and its futuristic rainbow-lit headquarters. That’s where you’ll find image scanners that can query a database of all the left-handed golf gloves in Florida, and bring up a photo and address of each owner. We’ve previously discussed their image sharpening software that can take a grainy security camera image and enlarge it to full HD. Then there’s the transparent screens that allow you to flick images around with your hand like playing cards, which you can see at…

• 
  Professionally Speaking

• Never Read a Speech...Badly

  Kathy Reiffenstein

  4 Feb 2010 | 12:04 pm

  I'm the first one to advise against reading a speech. It usually is tricky to maintain decent eye contact, a struggle to sound authentic, challenging to create any kind of connection with the audience...and just plain boring to listen to. Yet you may be faced with some of these situations: Perhaps your comments have been through legal or regulatory approval and need to be delivered precisely as written. Perhaps there are slander concerns. Perhaps you are delivering highly technical content that needs to be exact. Perhaps you give a great many speeches [think president or foreign diplomat] and…

• Presentation Tip: Get a Voice Coach

  Kathy Reiffenstein

  28 Jan 2010 | 1:49 pm

  "A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished..."     Margaret Atwood In our everyday lives, we take our voices for granted. We don't think about producing sound. When we open our mouths to speak, we are confident that sound will come out. As presenters we need to consider more than just making sound. We need to consider how our sound sounds -- the quality of our audio. Yet many presenters exhibit a range of vocal problems which make them hard to listen to and diminish their impact on the audience. Do any of these issues sound familiar? A monotone speaking voice? Squeaky, high-pitched…

• Presentation Resolutions: Embrace Technology

  Kathy Reiffenstein

  21 Jan 2010 | 10:53 am

  Although we only have three hundred and forty-four days left in 2010, I, for one, don't think it's too late to create some New Year's resolutions for the year. And for those of us who want to take our presentations to a new level, let's start out the new decade* by embracing some resolutions involving technology.[* to be absolutely correct, 2010 is actually the final year of the last decade, but it sounds like a start rather than an end to me!] calendar from redstamp.com used under a Creative Commons LicenseHere are a few ideas that can improve your presentations if they make their way onto…

• Presentation Skills for Executives

  Kathy Reiffenstein

  13 Jan 2010 | 9:52 am

  Good presentation skills are good presentation skills, no matter what position or title you hold...right? Well, yes...and no. While it's certainly true that there are many foundational best practices for effective presentations that are applicable for everyone, once you reach an executive level in your organization, there are a few necessary tweaks to adopt. EXECUTIVE TWEAKS 1. As an executive, you need to be even more aware of how you come across and how people perceive you because you have more visibility and power both within and outside your organization. What you say and how you say it…

• Presentations: 5 Boring Behaviors and How to Fix Them

  Kathy Reiffenstein

  6 Jan 2010 | 12:27 pm

  I'm pretty sure that no one sets out to give a boring presentation. Yet why do so many presentations end up that way? There are a number of classic presentation behaviors that will send you off the charts on the boring meter. Now these aren't mysterious things that we don't know are boring. They are simply behaviors we don't pay enough attention to.So here's a tune-up for the new year, reminding us how to banish boring presentations.[Yawning Koala Bear from the archives of the National Media Museum, used here under a Creative Commons License]BORING BEHAVIOR: Reading Your PresentationSOLUTION:…

• 
  Speak Without Interruption

• Why I Quit My First Job

  Minnette Coleman

  9 Feb 2010 | 9:58 am

  The summer after I turned 16 I got my first real job. My mother did payroll and kept books for many small businesses. From her I learned how to do taxes, balance payroll and keep office ledgers. She insisted I take typing even though at the time I wanted to be a lawyer-painter-journalist-fashion designer. So she got me a summer job working in Reverend Berrian’s grocery store. Not as a clerk, which I would have found exciting, but as the person who logged in invoices, payroll as well as daily receipts. The office was in the back of the store past the rest rooms and past the dark, enclosed…

• Question Time Isn’t the Answer

  Peggy Noonan

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:25 am

  Question Time Isn’t the Answer In the age of terror, America needs sober, bipartisan leadership. There’s renewed interest in Question Time, or rather in the idea of trying to import in some fashion the British parliamentary institution whereby the prime minister appears each Wednesday in the House of Commons in order to take questions and debate. The idea of an American version came up after the president’s meeting last week with House Republicans, which was notable in that it was televised, mildly informative, and did no harm. If you’ve watched Question Time over the…

• Would you accept this Challenge?

  Bob Grant - Editor

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:03 am

  My daughter – of whom I am extremely proud – is teaching gifted students in a middle school.  She has offered the following challenge to them (with this confirming e-mail to parents) - would you accept, and adhere, to this challenge: Currently, we are studying one of the Five Themes of Geography:  Movement.  In today’s globalized society, I’m focusing on the movement of ideas, and this leads to the topic of technology.  As a result, I am asking the students to conduct an exercise relating to our dependence on technology to move/communicate our thoughts. …

• I Ate no Dog – I Ate no Cat

  Bob Grant - Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:20 pm

  I Ate no Dog – I Ate no Cat by Bob Grant When I first traveled to China I was warned about the food from many well meaning people – some who had traveled to China and some who had not.  I was told that I would starve if I did not take food in my suitcase – so I did.  I took trail mix and hard candy – nearly overloading my suitcase with them.  It was just one of the stereotypes – of China – that I had heard, and believed, before I experienced true Chinese food for myself.  For that first trip – I ended up throwing away most of the food that I had brought because I did not…

• The SWI Question of the Day (2-9-10)

  Bob Grant - Editor

  8 Feb 2010 | 10:00 pm

  Do you consider yourself normal or abnormal? We welcome your thoughts and comments.

• 
  997 Ways to Be a Great Speaker

• How to Find Your ‘Real’ Speaking Voice in 60 Minutes Or Less

  Guest Blogger

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:05 pm

  Recently, I read an article about improving your voice in 7 days. While I do not agree with the writer’s suggestions or methodology, the truth is that you can actually find your ‘real’ voice in about 1 hour. Admittedly, your ‘real’ voice will not be a habit in only 60 minutes, but one of the fascinating results about the correct approach to voice training is that you will begin your hour with your old or habitual voice and you will end that hour with your real one. In fact, in many cases, this discovery takes only a few minutes. What is fascinating about good…

• Write a Better Speech With Better Tools

  Guest Blogger

  29 Jan 2010 | 10:16 pm

  What’s in YOUR Speech Toolbox? My husband is a tool guy. He’s a car guy and a DIY guy, so his passions have driven him to collect every tool known to man, animal and God. Well, I thought he owned every tool. I’m frequently amazed how he can wander through the tool department of Sears and STILL find something he not only DOESN’T own, but MUST own, lest the world tilt off its axis. And how many times have I heard him utter words of frustration, while in the middle of a project he proclaims “I can’t finish it! I don’t have the right tool!” I shake…

• Public Speaking: The Top 8 Success Tips That Will Bring You Speaking Success!

  Guest Blogger

  21 Jan 2010 | 6:14 pm

  1. Find your niche and audience… …once you do dig deeper and really narrow in on a very specific group of people, a group that you are meant to serve, one that desperately needs your solution to their very specific problem. Find the problem. Offer the solution. 2. Create a brand for your speaking business. What do you want to be known for? Research your competitors and see how they’re positioning themselves… set yourself apart from them and be different, don’t be afraid to be the purple cow in the field. Be clear with your brand; do not confuse your audience. It really…

• 52 Weeks of Public Speaking Tips… Cool!

  Guest Blogger

  18 Jan 2010 | 10:54 am

  World Champion of Public Speaking, Craig Valentine, has created a neat resource program… sign up for it, and you’ll get 1 public speaking tip per week, for 52 weeks. And, it’s free. Cool, eh? Go here: http://www.52speakingtips.com – (and, tell him we sent you!) Related posts:Write a Better Speech With Better Tools 3 Keys To Hook Your Audience Into Your Story Five Tools to Ignite Your Audience With Your Introduction

• Public Speaking – Your State of Being Determines Your Results – Passionate Power Presentations #3

  Guest Blogger

  18 Jan 2010 | 3:00 am

  Everything begins with and flows from your state. Your results in public speaking or any other activity you engage in will only be as effective as your personal state. Your state manifests from your thoughts, beliefs and emotions; in particular those you choose in the moment. When you drill down further, what are beliefs? Your beliefs are just particularly strong thoughts; ones with which you have attached strong, personal meaning. Your emotions manifest from your thoughts; and from the meanings, emotions and beliefs you connect to your thoughts. So, it is all about your thoughts and how well…

• 
  The Presentation Advisors

• Create Remarkable Presentations or Be Ignored

  Jonathan Thomas

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:16 pm

  When it comes to benches, they're all pretty standard, right?  4 (or so) legs with a place for your butt and maybe a place to lean your back.  When have you stopped and said, "that's a pretty average bench"?  Never, because nobody notices something they've seen a million times.  When have you even noticed a bench?  Business presentations today are like benches.  They differ a little in color and materials, but overall they're basically the same.  Standard corporate template.  Titles on the top of the slide, followed by bullet points below.  Maybe…

• 4 Presentation Tips You Should Never Follow

  Jonathan Thomas

  4 Feb 2010 | 9:20 pm

  Recently I stumbled upon a 2007 blog post from Neil Patel at QuickSprout.com.  It was entitled "The Lazy Man's Way to Building a Great PowerPoint Presentation."  I have to say, I found myself disagreeing with most of it...so much that I felt compelled to blog about it.  [Please see Neil's response below] If you read my work even on a semi-regular basis, you'll know that I hardly ever speak from a pedestal and never put other people's work down.  I'm not a critic.  I am constantly crediting others for my inspiration and see my fellow presentation designers as colleagues, not…

• Top 5 PowerPoint Presentation Design Posts of 2009 from Presentation Advisors

  Jonathan Thomas

  31 Jan 2010 | 7:21 pm

  2009 was my first full year of blogging and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was able to both educate and connect with my readers, two things I love doing.  Like all blogs, 2009 had it's share of posts that were better received than others.  I wanted to aggregate them all in this post, so it can live as a quick reference base.  The best posts were voted on by the Academy (me).  So without further adieu, here are the top Presentation Advisors posts of 2009. PowerPoint Design Methods - There's much discussion about the best PowerPoint design method.  How many slides should be used?  What font…

• Cooking Up a Healthy Presentation for Your Audience

  Jonathan Thomas

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:18 pm

  Everyone likes to eat.  Well, nearly everyone does.  It’s certainly an enjoyable pastime for my wife and me.  But we also take our diets and exercise (fairly) seriously as well.  I often draw similarities between eating and presenting.  I mean, why not join two of my passions? Your brain, like your stomach, can only accept a finite amount of information.  So when you deliver your presentation, you have to keep your audience in mind.  If a chef wants to give her diners the best meal they’ve ever had, she has to offer an amount of food that they can…

• No Bullets? No Agenda? No Question and Answer? Oh My!

  Jonathan Thomas

  20 Jan 2010 | 8:05 pm

  This is Part 3 of a 3 part series, wrapping up my thoughts about Seth Godin's Linchpin Session in NYC on Friday, January 15th. Yesterday I reviewed Seth Godin's Linchpin presentation, but promised to continue the discussion today.  I had mentioned that Seth did a few things that some people in the presentation community may find taboo. Here are three that stuck out to me, although just because I list them does't mean I necessarily think they're taboo.  I hope they'll be more of discussion items than anything, since most of these have good viewpoints from both sides.  I'll give my opinion,…

• 
  Talking Points

• With Speeches, a Little Goes a Long Way

  joey

  29 Jan 2010 | 8:44 am

  I know that I should be a better person than this. But my main reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union address this week was “Why did it have to be so freakin’ long?” I don’t have the attention span for such things. If I were President, I would propose that all speeches be limited to 15 minutes, with half of that time devoted to Q&A. Now that would be change we could believe in. No one Wants to Hear a Long Speech I’m not alone on this issue. Attention spans are short.  There was a study done of college students during 50-minute lectures.  Researchers found that the…

• Word Czars Ban “Czar” and other Jargon

  joey

  13 Jan 2010 | 7:55 am

  The word Czars at Lake Superior State University have declared 15 bits of 2010 jargon “shovel ready”. “The list this year is a ‘teachable moment’ conducted free of ‘tweets,’” said a Word Banishment spokesman who was “chillaxin’” over the holidays. “‘In these economic times’, purging our language of ‘toxic assets’ is a ’stimulus’ effort that’s ‘too big to fail.’” Former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe and friends created “word banishment” in 1975 at a…

• Public Speaking Tips from My Dog Balou

  joey

  11 Jan 2010 | 11:12 am

  My dog Balou is a 60-pound, black-lab mix that we adopted at a PetSmart rescue day last year in Sandy Springs.   And if he could only talk and write on a flip chart, I’m sure he’d be a great public speaker. That’s because he understands how to connect with people better than most humans. It’s about connection not perfection First, Balou understands that you can do a lot wrong if you establish great rapport. Balou makes lots of mistakes.  He eats the insoles out of shoes. He chewed the upholstery on our nice living room sofa. When he vomits on the kitchen floor, it’s truly…

• President Obama’s Speech at Fort Hood Great Example of the Power of Stories

  joey

  11 Nov 2009 | 3:52 pm

  President Obama yesterday spoke at the memorial services for those servicemen and women that died in the recent massacre at Fort Hood. In the speech, the President tells a brief story about every one of the people killed during the killing. If those stories don’t move you, nothing will. This video is of the entire service.  The President’s remarks begin at the approximately 15 minutes into the video.

• Improve Your Stories with a Little Schmaltz

  joey

  29 Oct 2009 | 6:56 am

  I was helping a banker with a story he planned to tell as part of his presentation.    “You know what this story needs?” I said. “This story needs some schmaltz.” He gave me a confused look. “You don’t know what schmaltz is?” I said. “It’s the good stuff. It’s the extra details and background that you add to the story that makes the story come to life.  All good stories have a little schmaltz.” If you want your stories to sing, you’re going to need some schmaltz. Schmaltz Adds Flavor First a little background for those of you who, unlike me, weren’t blessed with a…

• 
  Dahle Communication

• Before giving a presentation try to get an idea of what they want

  Travis Dahle

  3 Feb 2010 | 9:04 am

  Next week I am going to be giving a presentation to Sioux Falls Up & Coming - a group of young professionals that meet weekly to "pursue common goals and inspire great change." Luckily, I know most of the members of Sioux Falls Up & Coming and follow them on Twitter. I say lucky because of what I was able to do - get feedback before my presentation.  Audience adaptation is a big part of giving a speech. If you know what your audience wants to hear, you can adjust your speech to fit that audience. Politicians try to do this all the time. When they are in Iowa, they will talk…

• Avoid making the big mistakes - what the Minnesota Vikings can teach us about public speaking

  Travis Dahle

  25 Jan 2010 | 6:19 am

   Growing up in eastern South Dakota means one thing when it comes to professional sports - we usually follow the Minnesota teams. This is not always the case (I'm actually a Denver Broncos fan) but you will see a lot of purple and gold during the football season and the Minnesota Twins are our adopted baseball franchise.This means that Sunday was not a good day for eastern South Dakota. My twitter feed was filled with a variety of people commenting on the Vikings and their eventual demise. I am pretty sure that the productivity in this state and in Minnesota is not going to be very high…

• Guest Post: Joey Asher from Speechworks - Public Speaking Tips From my Dog Balou

  Travis Dahle

  13 Jan 2010 | 6:21 am

  One of the benefits of having this blog has been getting to know various people around the world that I never would have met before. The following post comes from Joey Asher from Speechworks. Public Speaking Tips from my Dog Balou  By Joey Asher, President Speechworks My dog Balou is a 60-pound, black-lab mix that we adopted at a PetSmart rescue day last year in Sandy Springs, Ga.   And if he could only talk and write on a flip chart, I’m sure he’d be a great public speaker. That’s because he understands how to connect with people better than most humans. It’s…

• Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie, Robert Downey Jr. and Style

  Travis Dahle

  12 Jan 2010 | 6:06 am

   I love a good movie. A movie that not only entertains, but is intelligent and witty or has great action scenes and special effects. Most movies give you one one or the other - never both. When a movie can capture both I usually will end up enjoying the movie so much I'll buy the DVD when it comes out. It is rare that a movie will cause me to either buy the book it was based on or want to see it again in the movie theater. However, Guy Ritchie's new movie Sherlock Holmes is causing me to do both - and apparently a lot of people feel the same way.What is it about this movie that…

• One Year Down - A review of my favorites

  Travis Dahle

  5 Jan 2010 | 6:18 am

   One year ago today I published my first post on communication here at Dahle Communication. I wasn't quite sure how much I was going to be able to spend posting articles or what I would talk about all of those times. After one year though, I have realized that there is a great deal to talk about and I don't plan on stopping anytime soon!With that said, here are my top 10 posts from the past year. They are not the top ten in views or comments, but what I feel are the 10 bests posts. Best can mean a variety of things, but to me it represents a post that was thought provoking, got…

• 
  Speaking Pro Central

• The Eloquent Woman joins BlogHer

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:30 am

  I'm happy to say that The Eloquent Woman blog is now part of BlogHer, the community for women who blog. You'll find a link to The Eloquent Woman here on BlogHer's directory of blogs--a great resource if you're looking for more blogs relevant to women. It's just another way to widen our circles to reach more women with news about public speaking.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central

• 7 hints for fostering communities of online learners

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:17 am

  In my childhood, school was rather like the public library; you sat alone in silence until your work was done. More contemporary views of learning and information favour collaboration, connection and social intercourse. The premise is that we accommodate and apply new learning best when we work with others.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central

• Winter Weather Wallops Writers

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:12 am

  No sooner had I posted the announcement about going to the 2010 Ragan Speechwriters Conference than word came from the organizers that the event has been canceled due to the snowstorms that have hit the Washington DC area. I I was looking forward to presenting at the event and meeting colleagues.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central

• The Big Reveal?

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:50 am

  Telling personal stories is the most important skill that speakers work on developing. But how personal do you get? As 1990 World Champion of Public Speaking, David Brooks, often says, 'make a point, tell a story.' You've worked on your story, and it has all the right elements, such as memorable characters, dialogue that sounds like real speech, vivid words, and it makes a point.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central

• PowerPoint Tip: Drawing on top of graphs

  9 Feb 2010 | 6:41 am

  Web content is becoming more and more important to include in our presentations. Whether it is traditional research we do or new content like blogs and Twitter, we need to use our access to a broader range of information to bring the latest perspectives to our audience. I’ll be doing a program in May for the DPI-PDW Conference in Ottawa that includes ideas on how to find and incorporate content from the web.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central

• 
  The Strategic Communicator

• Sharí’s Article Featured on Top Management Web Site

  Sharí Alexander

  9 Feb 2010 | 7:27 am

  Click here to read Sharí’s article “Networking and Selling Using Body Language Secrets” at ManageSmart.com!

• Presentation Mistakes: The Show Must Go On!

  Sharí Alexander

  1 Feb 2010 | 8:49 am

  Ooops! I’ve done it. You’ve done it. We’ve all seen it done. You’re giving a presentation and something goes wrong. The papers are out of order. The slide has the wrong font. The projector shuts off. You trip on an electrical chord. The list can go on and on. But the show must go on! No matter how many times you may run into it, it is always a mortifying experience when something goes wrong in your presentation. You’ve worked hard on preparing and you want the presentation to be perfect. But when it comes to presentations, there is no such thing as perfection! If you are like me and…

• Powerful Networking

  Sharí Alexander

  18 Jan 2010 | 9:08 am

  Not too long ago I wrote about how to find the most important person in the room by reading specific body language cues. (By the way, thank you to all the magazines and other blogs that picked up this story!) Recently, a colleague on LinkedIn asked how do you present yourself as the most important person the room? Great question! While the body language cues I discussed in the first article came primarily from how people react around you, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few things you can do to bring the “air of power” back to you. 1.) Look the part: As nice as the saying is…

• Speaking with an Edge

  Sharí Alexander

  13 Jan 2010 | 7:51 am

  Every speaker seeks to make a difference in the lives of their listeners. Even if only one person gets an a-ha moment, it is well worth it. As a speech coach, my clients often ask me if there is some key or technique that can help increase the a-ha moments in their speech. They mistakenly think that if they add one more step in their 5-step process the audience will get it. Or if they create a crafty acronym, that will make a difference. Or if they sing a song or add a poem, the audience will feel a stronger connection to their message. While each of these can be helpful in a speech for other…

• How to Pump Yourself Up Before a Presentation During a Slump

  Sharí Alexander

  11 Nov 2009 | 4:17 am

  The day will come when you have to give a great presentation and you’re not feelin’ your mojo. In this podcast I cover 5 tricks I use to bring up my energy and feel my best before getting on the platform. Powered by Podbean.com

• 
  John C. Maxwell

• johncmaxwell: Wonderful Leadership Roundtable with @Chris_Hodges & Todd Mullins.

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:55 am

  johncmaxwell: Wonderful Leadership Roundtable with @Chris_Hodges & Todd Mullins.

• johncmaxwell: Today I'm team teaching with Christ Hodges & Todd Mullens at a leadership roundtable. Looking forward to it!

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:58 am

  johncmaxwell: Today I'm team teaching with Christ Hodges & Todd Mullens at a leadership roundtable. Looking forward to it!

• johncmaxwell: A problem is something that can be solved. A fact of life is something that must be accepted. Know the difference.

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:01 am

  johncmaxwell: A problem is something that can be solved. A fact of life is something that must be accepted. Know the difference.

• johncmaxwell: Margaret & I just finished hosting 45 friends of EQUIP at our home. We had a great time!

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:17 pm

  johncmaxwell: Margaret & I just finished hosting 45 friends of EQUIP at our home. We had a great time!

• johncmaxwell: Do u have a personal plan for growth? I didn't until I met with Paul Meyer. New blog post: http://short.to/16gt7

  8 Feb 2010 | 2:22 pm

  johncmaxwell: Do u have a personal plan for growth? I didn't until I met with Paul Meyer. New blog post: http://short.to/16gt7

• 
  Machen MacDonald

• MachenMacDonald: ran 3.02 mi on 2/8/2010 at 8:44 AM with a pace of 8'42"/mi http://bit.ly/bHsXMt

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:59 pm

  MachenMacDonald: ran 3.02 mi on 2/8/2010 at 8:44 AM with a pace of 8'42"/mi http://bit.ly/bHsXMt

• MachenMacDonald: set a goal to workout 12 times in 4 weeks http://nikerunning.nike.com/n/g/en_US/1677821676/269186986/?sitesrc=twit_ab_plus

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:07 pm

  MachenMacDonald: set a goal to workout 12 times in 4 weeks http://nikerunning.nike.com/n/g/en_US/1677821676/269186986/?sitesrc=twit_ab_plus

• MachenMacDonald: ran 0.92 mi on 2/5/2010 at 3:09 PM with a pace of 8'50"/mi http://bit.ly/8YLm6w

  8 Feb 2010 | 7:32 am

  MachenMacDonald: ran 0.92 mi on 2/5/2010 at 3:09 PM with a pace of 8'50"/mi http://bit.ly/8YLm6w

• MachenMacDonald: ran 6.66 mi on 2/2/2010 at 8:56 AM with a pace of 9'15"/mi http://bit.ly/9ParsH

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:05 pm

  MachenMacDonald: ran 6.66 mi on 2/2/2010 at 8:56 AM with a pace of 9'15"/mi http://bit.ly/9ParsH

• MachenMacDonald: ran 0.8 mi on 2/1/2010 at 9:11 AM with a pace of 10'00"/mi http://bit.ly/b2RAcg

  1 Feb 2010 | 10:09 pm

  MachenMacDonald: ran 0.8 mi on 2/1/2010 at 9:11 AM with a pace of 10'00"/mi http://bit.ly/b2RAcg

• 
  Andrew Windham

• AndrewWindham: @aaswartz hey now! I want my coffee date too!

  28 Jan 2010 | 5:43 am

  AndrewWindham: @aaswartz hey now! I want my coffee date too!

• AndrewWindham: @AshfordCapital will give u a call on we'd or Thursday, excited to see what we can cook up

  26 Jan 2010 | 10:11 am

  AndrewWindham: @AshfordCapital will give u a call on we'd or Thursday, excited to see what we can cook up

• AndrewWindham: Getting acupuncture stim treatment, lookout Ironman Orlando I'm coming and won't b denied, u goal #1 for 2010!!!

  19 Jan 2010 | 1:11 pm

  AndrewWindham: Getting acupuncture stim treatment, lookout Ironman Orlando I'm coming and won't b denied, u goal #1 for 2010!!!

• AndrewWindham: @AshfordCapital sounds great

  19 Jan 2010 | 12:35 pm

  AndrewWindham: @AshfordCapital sounds great

• AndrewWindham: @sdevon done! Trust u are well too ;)

  19 Jan 2010 | 12:34 pm

  AndrewWindham: @sdevon done! Trust u are well too ;)

• 
  Tony Robbins

• tonyrobbins: Heard this the other day and laughed out loud! "JESUS LOVES YOU: BUT TO BE FAIR HE’S NOT THAT PICKY! " ;-)

  7 Feb 2010 | 1:44 pm

  tonyrobbins: Heard this the other day and laughed out loud! "JESUS LOVES YOU: BUT TO BE FAIR HE’S NOT THAT PICKY! " ;-)

• tonyrobbins: How are you doing on your new years resolutions.. a past memory? Resolutions' ONLY require WORDS... But RESULTS require ACTION! Commit & Win

  7 Feb 2010 | 1:42 pm

  tonyrobbins: How are you doing on your new years resolutions.. a past memory? Resolutions' ONLY require WORDS... But RESULTS require ACTION! Commit & Win

• tonyrobbins: beautiful honoring of JIm Rohn legacy last night. Saw so many he touched Les Brown,Dennis Waitley, Brain Tracey. All privileged 2 know him!

  7 Feb 2010 | 1:35 pm

  tonyrobbins: beautiful honoring of JIm Rohn legacy last night. Saw so many he touched Les Brown,Dennis Waitley, Brain Tracey. All privileged 2 know him!

• tonyrobbins: RT @RorOShea: I got your1st tapes circa 1989, because I wanted 2stop procrastinating. They changed me.When I listened to them in 1999.LOL

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:31 pm

  tonyrobbins: RT @RorOShea: I got your1st tapes circa 1989, because I wanted 2stop procrastinating. They changed me.When I listened to them in 1999.LOL

• tonyrobbins: "Great hearts send forth steadily the secret forces that incessantly draw great events."Ralph Waldo Emerson

  2 Feb 2010 | 2:26 pm

  tonyrobbins: "Great hearts send forth steadily the secret forces that incessantly draw great events."Ralph Waldo Emerson

• 
  Kevin Eikenberry

• KevinEikenberry: finishing a talk - Leadership in the New Economy - I hope to deliver it in Cincinnati tonight!

  9 Feb 2010 | 4:02 am

  KevinEikenberry: finishing a talk - Leadership in the New Economy - I hope to deliver it in Cincinnati tonight!

• KevinEikenberry: RT @jennypratt: @kevineikenberry and the UK's Kate Atkin talk confidence & communication Thurs morning. Register now: http://bit.ly/czs7iD

  8 Feb 2010 | 9:13 am

  KevinEikenberry: RT @jennypratt: @kevineikenberry and the UK's Kate Atkin talk confidence & communication Thurs morning. Register now: http://bit.ly/czs7iD

• KevinEikenberry: @NicoleWTHR THanks!! less if I am drving towards Cinci in the morning, or about the same there?

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:42 am

  KevinEikenberry: @NicoleWTHR THanks!! less if I am drving towards Cinci in the morning, or about the same there?

• KevinEikenberry: @NicoleWTHR when is it going to start snowing? :)

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:37 am

  KevinEikenberry: @NicoleWTHR when is it going to start snowing? :)

• KevinEikenberry: RT @SallyHogshead: What does @KevinEikenberry think of #fascinate? (Hint: me likee) http://bit.ly/ar6l0U - check it out - a great book!

  8 Feb 2010 | 8:16 am

  KevinEikenberry: RT @SallyHogshead: What does @KevinEikenberry think of #fascinate? (Hint: me likee) http://bit.ly/ar6l0U - check it out - a great book!

• 
  Les Posen's Presentation Magic

• Why the iPad will change Apple users’ skepticism for its version 1 products

  lesposen

  4 Feb 2010 | 8:23 pm

  I’m preparing a rather lengthy (even for me) blog post about the iPad which I’ll publish once I complete my Presentation Magic workshop at Macworld next week. Curiously, the dust has yet to settle on the iPad, even though more than a week has passed. Can you recall a product in this class which has garnered as much pre-release hype and guesswork, and one where the punditry continues the discussion long after? I’ll keep this blog entry short and sweet, prompted by deadlines to prepare my workshop yet inspired by some great comments on the muledesign blog following an article…

• Apple Tablet naysayers: get your heads around the idea it’s not a new form of PC, but another and superior way of interacting with data.

  lesposen

  26 Jan 2010 | 5:46 pm

  On the eve of the Apple special event, and considerably more information dribbling out from sources that we are looking at a tablet-format device, spare a moment for those naysayers asking why the world “needs” another tablet, when the models before (powered by flavours of Windows) have all but failed to make an impact, except for very highly specialised fields, such as medicine and logistics. My reading of their assertions, usually anonymously posted in the comments sections of mainstream IT or Apple websites and blogs, has all the echoes of past attributions about previous…

• Who will join Steve Jobs on stage next week? A few educated guesses… perhaps Rupert himself?

  lesposen

  19 Jan 2010 | 8:20 am

  I was having lunch last Friday with the guys at Connecting Point, a Melbourne Apple reseller with a large customer roll within the educational sector, from primary (elementary) through to college (university). It also makes sales to individuals, and I have referred a number of switchers to them over the last year or so. I was booked to see Avatar for the second time at the iMax cinema not far from the Connecting Point Friday lunch get together, last week including an Apple engineer, so dropped in to discuss my preparation for Macworld, and of course rumours over the tablet. I jokingly offered…

• Newsflash: Microsoft announces Powerpoint 2010 will be able to run two videos on the one slide at the same time! (Yawn) Watch this demo I made in 2006 with Keynote 3 running nine (yes, nine) videos simultaneously, without dropping a frame.

  lesposen

  13 Jan 2010 | 5:11 am

  The official Powerpoint  2010 blog today made an exciting announcement regarding how Powerpoint will handle video in the future. Here’s a screenshot below (I’ve added the red underline to draw your attention to the money quote, click to enlarge): Because Powerpoint 2010 will take advantage of hardware acceleration and DirectX9.0, you no longer need to use auxiliary software like Windows Media Player to play videos on a slide. If you’re a Apple Keynote user, you’ll know that since it was released in 2003, seven years ago, it’s had superb video handling…

• Augmented books and the Apple tablet: I can hardly wait to create one on Keynote for the tablet

  lesposen

  12 Jan 2010 | 4:07 am

  With the extra spare time due to the summer break here in Australia (things get busy again next week), I have been experiencing a “Perfect Storm” of blogging: Intense interest in things electronic via CES 2010 (now history), the headiness of a major Apple product revolution that even has sceptics agreeing something big this way cometh January 27, and of course thinking and preparing for my Macworld trip in a month’s time. It will be an intense two weeks away, with several days at Macworld for a Presentation Magic Powertools workshop the second week of February, a folk dance…

• 
  PRESENTability

• Creative ad – A Bus Stop with a Tuque

  Denis Francois Gravel

  4 Feb 2010 | 4:49 pm

  A bus stop wearing a tuque!! I saw one on twitpic today, I know it is cold in Quebec City (I leave there), but this is really funny. It is real creativity. Thanks to @LaGeeke for the information and the picture. As you can see the tuque is related to the milk ad. It is part of the campaign “Soirée réconfortante” (free translation: comforting evening). I found some information about the campaign and more pictures on INFOPRESSE.com (French) Share with me: What creative ad did you saw lately? Related posts: 35 Creative Ads 3 Mind-blowing ads using technology What is “fly-vertising”?

• Conseils de Nicolas Roberge pour les gestionnaires en TI face aux médias sociaux

  Denis Francois Gravel

  2 Feb 2010 | 6:08 am

  This post is only available in French Joueur très actif des médias sociaux de la région de Québec (et individu extrêmement sympathique), Nicolas Roberge a contribué à l’article du journal Les Affaires intitulé : Quatre conseils aux gestionnaires TI indécis face aux médias sociaux La version en ligne sur le site LesAffaires.com ayant été reformatée pour le Web, la photo de Nicolas n’y apparait malheureusement plus. Pour le bénéfice de tous, je me suis permis de numériser l’article et de le distribuer ici. Voici donc, la version originale avec la photo de Nicolas dans…

• How to respect allowed time

  Denis Francois Gravel

  29 Jan 2010 | 7:24 am

  A common problem in public speaking is having too much materiel to present and not enough time. As a consequence, speakers take more time than allowed. It annoyed the audience and put pressure on the following speakers and on the organization. How can you avoid doing this? I was a guest speaker last weekend at a Toastmaster Leadership Session for the District 61. As some experienced speaker took more time than supposed, it gave me the idea for this post. I had too much materiel myself and I struggled to respect the time. I spoke for  47 minutes instead of 45. I know two minutes is not the…

• 3 Presentation Tips – Interview sneak peek

  Denis Francois Gravel

  15 Jan 2010 | 9:13 am

  English Français I am not sure it was a good idea to accept this interview. While I was driving, ideas where popping in my head. How is it possible to have something to say to fill 25 min? Will I be interesting? You know, that kind of thing. It took less than 2 minutes to Davender to make me feel comfortable. He does this naturally with his large smile and his sincere interest in what we have to discuss. Screenshot of the interview of Denis Francois Gravel by Davender Gupta We agree on some topics to discuss and we start the interview. It runs really smooth. Like a conversation in your…

• World Premiere Tomorrow – I will be Interviewed

  Denis Francois Gravel

  12 Jan 2010 | 6:19 pm

  Tomorrow, I will live a premiere. I will be Interviewed. Davender Gupta, founder of The Visioneering Institute, is hosting a Web radio once a  week. He interviews people about passion and success. I have the pleasure to be his next guess. We record the interview tomorrow (13 of February January) and the broadcasting will be soon after. I will let you know. The interview will be in French and will be broadcast later on radiopassionauprofit.com Davender is a business leadership coach. He is involved in several regional, national and international business networks and associations including…

• 
  Vital Speeches of the Day

• Speechwriters Conference snowed out; scribes flock to sunny Scottsdale

  By and large, speechwriters are lonely folks who get together only once a year. And so when a couple hundred of them learned this morning that the Ragan's Speechwriter's Conference was canceled on account of snow, I'm sure "crestfallen" was the operative word for many. But there's good news in the bad ...

• The morality of teleprompters, speech texts and bullet points on the palm

  Can someone tell us how it is that people see moral distinctions—and they do—among the use of teleprompter (evil), speech text (acceptable, but not as cool as off-the-cuff) and, now, the crib-notes on Palin's palm? We value the off-the-cuff remarks so fondly. But do we also believe that thinking about what ...

• All about Sun CEO’s high-tech resignation

  Sun Microsystems' Jonathan Schwartz was the first big CEO blogger and he's the first CEO to resign via Twitter. If you're interested, here's the story.

• Vital Speeches of the Day podcast: EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION FORUM—How to avoid becoming a h-h-h-h-glib writer

  EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION FORUM: How to avoid becoming a h-h-h-h-glib writer David Murray dares to ask, and his speechwriter correspondents dare to answer: How do you avoid becoming a hack? (4 min.) [podcast]http://www.vsotd.com/media/podcast/Hack_final.mp3[/podcast] Click here for more FREE podcasts on the subject of executive communications.

• For executive communication pros, the main event airs after the Super Bowl

  This rare bit of Executive Communication Must-See TV is Undercover Boss, and the premier is right after the Super Bowl, on CBS. See communication consultant Carol Kinsey Goman's preview in the Washington Post. Because your faithful editor will be, shall we say, immersed in the Super Bowl festivities this weekend—visiting a journalist ...

• 
  Biblical Preaching

• Natural Born Series

  Peter Mead

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:00 am

  Some preachers plan series in a relatively simple manner.  They select a book of the Bible and then preach, unit by unit, through the book, or through a section.  Others select a topic and select appropriate passages to organize a topical series.  I am not critiquing either approach, but want to offer another option too. Just as we are in danger of reading the Bible to look for a message, so we can fall into reading the Bible to look for a series.  One way this manifests itself is in the sections we dismiss, as much as those we select.  For instance, what if we were looking in the Psalms…

• Fierce Attention and Affection

  Peter Mead

  8 Feb 2010 | 12:32 pm

  I was just reading a synopsis of an intriguing book.  The book is about the importance of conversations, both at work and at home.  Nothing to do with preaching though?  Well, perhaps more than might be obvious.  I was struck by the author’s second principle – “Come out from behind yourself into the conversation and make it real.”  She writes that it I too easy to try to please so much that the truth gets hidden away in exchange for a trinket of approval.  In the next section she writes of the need for fierce affection for the other person.  I won’t pursue that in terms of…

• Facebook in Sermon Preparation

  Peter Mead

  5 Feb 2010 | 4:14 am

  James Wood made the following comment on the post Extent of Application: I think he brings up a good point. I’ve tried to combat this by forming the sermon through conversation with the community. The beauty is, technology can aid this! I will post questions from the text to my facebook page as I’m studying. The responses help me to direct my study and hone my examples to reflect the needs of the community. I have not tried this, but am intrigued.  While not a huge fan of facebook, it may be an easy way to access “feed-forward” input in the preparation of a sermon.  The…

• The Forming of Images

  Peter Mead

  3 Feb 2010 | 10:08 pm

  Another quote from Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps, prompting a thought for today: Advertising is the direct result of the camera.  “Images have an incredible capacity to generate needs in humans that don’t naturally exist.” (75)  “Images initially make us feel rather than think.”  “Images don’t invite you to argue; they give you an experience.” (76) “Image culture dramatically shapes the way we think.  It also determines what we think about.” (77) It would be wrong to assume that such an image culture has only existed in our…

• Extent of Application

  Peter Mead

  2 Feb 2010 | 10:07 pm

  I was just reading a synopsis of a book on the effect of technology on faith.  For example: Reading and writing are individual activities.  The technology of writing favors individualism over community, leading us to spiritual disciplines of “quiet time” and “journaling” and a gospel that is primarily oriented to the individual.  Printing erodes the communal nature of faith. (p56-7 – Flickering Pixels by Shane Hipps) That’s an interesting observation.  I think many of us tend to promote an individual spirituality – quiet times, reading,…

• 
  PowerPoint Tips Blog

• Recording available for the training webinar: Animation and Video in PowerPoint—Advanced Techniques

  admin

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:21 pm

  If you missed it, we had a great webinar last week on Animation and Video in PowerPoint—Advanced Techniques. It was jam packed with 10 techniques and attendees also got a 14-page handout with detailed instructions and the presentation itself, containing all the techniques! You can now purchase the recording for $24.95, or buy all 5 webinars for the price of 4 for only $98. If you buy all 5, you’ll get the recording (plus the instructions and presentation) and access to the rest of the training webinars live. Read more about the webinar. Scroll down to the bottom to find the Buy Now…

• Should you say “thank you” at the end of a presentation?

  admin

  1 Feb 2010 | 1:34 pm

  There’s a great discussion going on at The Official Toastmasters International Members Group on LinkedIn. Because you can’t access the group unless you join, I thought I’d summarize the opinions and see what you think. Here’s the question the sparked the discussion: “In my home [Toastmaster] club, it has been generally accepted that the speaker does not thank the audience at the conclusion because it diminishes the impact of the ending and it is somewhat trite. The belief exists that the audience should be thanking the speaker for taking the time to prepare and…

• Resource for free sounds and sound effects

  admin

  25 Jan 2010 | 7:03 pm

  The Freesound Project is a web site that collects sounds and sound effects (not music) that are available under Creative Commons licensing, and therefore free and legal for anyone to use. It’s also a community; you can register and upload your own sounds for sharing. At the top right, enter a term in the Search box. For example, try entering thunder or bell, and you’ll find lots of options.

• Winning entry in the Shadows contest

  admin

  21 Jan 2010 | 2:24 pm

  In my blog post, “Add drama with PowerPoint 2007’s shadows,”  I had a contest for the best 3 entries. I got permission to show you the entry of the 1st place winner, John Sanders, so here it is. John says, “In the Education Department of WA Performance Management process we suggest that the staff member commence the process by reflecting on their work and where they are at prior to planning a course of action with their manager for the next planning period. I have used this picture while explaining the concept.  The original picture came from the clip art collection…

• Improve your slide design by trying layout variations

  admin

  21 Jan 2010 | 8:47 am

  In my “Create an Outstanding Presentation” workshops and self-study course, I teach four layouts that always look good. I taught them again recently in a presentation skills class for college students. I find that many presenters who create their own slides struggle with slide design. Not being artists, their efforts are clunky. They usually know this, but don’t know what to do about it. In March, I’ll be giving a training webinar, Slide Design for Non-Designers, that will provide many more solutions that anyone, even the artistically challenged (like me!), can use.

• 
  Twitter / PresentationsGo

• PresentationsGo: Public speaking is not a talent – it is a skill. Build the skills. http://short.to/132ol

  9 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  PresentationsGo: Public speaking is not a talent – it is a skill. Build the skills. http://short.to/132ol

• PresentationsGo: Watch another presenter and try summarizing their presentation in one sentence. That will force you to listen and simiplify.

  8 Feb 2010 | 5:19 am

  PresentationsGo: Watch another presenter and try summarizing their presentation in one sentence. That will force you to listen and simiplify.

• PresentationsGo: Power Presentation tips here http://short.to/132ol

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:20 pm

  PresentationsGo: Power Presentation tips here http://short.to/132ol

• PresentationsGo: The more we see you speak in public – the more we believe you to be a leader. George Torok http://bit.ly/5G3UOC

  7 Feb 2010 | 6:19 am

  PresentationsGo: The more we see you speak in public – the more we believe you to be a leader. George Torok http://bit.ly/5G3UOC

• PresentationsGo: 10 tips for Handling Questions with Authority http://is.gd/61O3J

  6 Feb 2010 | 4:19 am

  PresentationsGo: 10 tips for Handling Questions with Authority http://is.gd/61O3J

• 
  PowerPoint Ninja

• PowerPoint SmartArt is Dumb

  pptninja

  31 Jan 2010 | 4:23 pm

  SmartArt is not PowerPoint + Bob Ross. PowerPoint is often criticized for encouraging presenters to rely too heavily on bullet points and not helping people to communicate more visually. Microsoft added a feature known as SmartArt to help convert text into various stylized graphics. When you’re designing your PowerPoint presentation, you can quickly rotate through various shapes, colors, layouts, and styles in order to find the right graphic for your presentation. For novice or casual PowerPoint users, SmartArt can be a handy tool for quickly making your presentation more visual and…

• How to Keep Your PowerPoint Creativity Flowing

  pptninja

  16 Jan 2010 | 10:38 am

  Must...finish...this...presentation. (c) Shutterstock It’s getting late, and you’re the last one in the office besides the late-night cleaning crew. With the soft buzz of a distant vacuum in your ear, you wonder how you’re going to bring everything together in time for tomorrow’s big presentation. You stare blankly at the empty slide in front of you, thinking just a few more slides and you’ll be done. Two hours later, tired and hungry, you’ve made some progress (if you call one mediocre slide progress) and even the cleaning crew has gone home now. How can…

• 7 Tips for Presenting to Senior Executives

  pptninja

  21 Dec 2009 | 6:35 am

  Don't miss an opportunity to impress the execs! (c) Shutterstock When it comes to presenting, knowing how to present to senior executives within your own company or another company is going to have the biggest impact on your career. Some presenters figure it out to their great success. Other people crash and burn only to lament an opportunity missed. I’ve compiled a series of tips that will hopefully come in handy the next time you’re going to present to a CEO, CMO, Senior VP, VP, etc. For example, you might be proposing a promising new social media initiative to marketing…

• Wayfinding in PowerPoint Presentations

  pptninja

  5 Dec 2009 | 11:04 am

  How far to the good content? (c) iStockphoto / ulamonge Ever sit through 23 slides of a presentation and still have no idea how many more slides are coming? Maybe the presenter is just getting warmed up or maybe they’re wrapping up — who knows? You can’t always assume just because there are 5 minutes left, the presenter must be wrapping up. It can be difficult to determine where a presenter is in their presentation without some guidance. I recently drove up to Canada to visit family, and without the road signs and my trusty Garmin Nuvi GPS it would have been a far less…

• PowerPoint Ninja Toolbox: Distribute Options

  pptninja

  21 Nov 2009 | 10:35 am

  Get your ducks in an evenly distributed row (c) Shutterstock In my previous post, I covered the useful Align features within PowerPoint. Frequently, when I use these Align options to organize shapes and images, I also use the Distribute features at the same time. When you’re placing objects on a PowerPoint slide, you may align them properly, but that doesn’t mean they are evenly spaced. Spacing out your objects evenly is just another simple action that can keep your slides looking clean and professional. PowerPoint ninjas have zero tolerance for sloppily placed objects in their…

• 
  Speak for Success!

• Are You Singing Your Speech or Just Mouthing the Words?

  8 Feb 2010 | 6:58 am

  Did you ever consider that delivering an outstanding presentation is like performing a great song? Not only is the “music” delightful to listen to, but your voice soars on a combination of dynamic technique and an inspirational message. The way you use your vocal tools carriers astonishing weight with regard to credibility, authority, and that all-important attribute, believability.Why does your voice alone make such a difference? Well, for one thing, we all respond in basic, even primitive ways to the qualities of a person’s voice. If a voice is pleasant and authoritative, for…

• The Currency of Speech is Emotion

  6 Oct 2009 | 7:36 am

  A couple of years ago, my wife and I were shopping for a new car. I remember clearly my response to the salesman who showed us the model we were interested in. It wasn't, "Gee, that is a fine car!"(for I already knew that before I visited the lot). What I said was, "He's a really nice guy" . . . just before I asked my wife, "Did you bring the checkbook?"And Mrs. Merchant, the 4th grade teacher that I remember so fondly? I can say with certainty that I've never mused to myself, "Gosh, I loved the way she folded culture into that unit on South American geography. And her grasp of pre-algebra?

• For Transparency and Trust, Make It Face-to-Face

  23 Sep 2009 | 7:07 am

  Hard-boiled police detectives love using web-cams for interrogating suspects, don't they?Customs officials ask suspicious travelers to dial into conference calls.And you probably asked your spouse to marry you via an e-mail message--flagged, of course, with a red exclamation point.Why do these three scenarios sound ridiculous? In high-stakes communication situations, we depend upon the cues (and clues) provided by a face-to-face encounter.No other dialogue offers such a rich environment for getting to the truth regarding people's motives and trustworthiness.It's a lesson worth bearing in…

• When Your Presentation Encounters Hostility

  11 Sep 2009 | 6:50 am

  If an audience appears to be hostile or agitated, you need to act fast, says Dr. Gary Genard, president of Public Speaking International, who offers training on presentation and speaking skills worldwide. "First, you should have seen this coming," he says. "Don't be like a deer in the headlights. Prepare yourself by knowing the political climate, how much to share, who will be in the room, and how they like to receive information. Know your audience's need and expectations, otherwise you'll be flying blind." If you understand your industry, your clients, their cultural biases, and their…

• Salespeople and Others: Recognize a Nibble When You Feel One!

  27 Mar 2009 | 6:05 am

  Earlier this month, an executive delivered testimony before the House Financial Services Subcommittee, and rose from the witness table with a dozen daggers deeply embedded in his chest, neck, and back. Well, not literally. But I wonder if it felt that way for Edward Liddy, the caretaker head of American International Group or AIG. As you'll recall, Mr. Liddy testified about the $165 million in retention bonuses paid to employees of AIG's troubled Financial Products unit. By the time he was finished, there didn't seem to be a pair of dry hands among the panel members. As Macbeth may have put…

• 
  slidecoaching.com

• Content marketing and presentations

  slidecoach

  3 Feb 2010 | 12:42 am

  What is Content Marketing? According to Joe Pulizzi, a content marketing evangelist, author, blogger and speaker: “Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience – with the objective of driving profitable customer action.” Today customers are more demanding and autonomous in researching for information and solutions to their needs; that’s why the slogans of traditional marketing have lost much of their effectiveness. Organizations that…

• Do you stick to the template?

  Alessandra

  7 Jan 2010 | 2:33 am

  Some thoughts on presentation templates Many presentations are prepared using some sort of personal or company template. Some are better than others for sure, but that’s another topic. In any case, templates usually define a font, font size, color, position and alignment for the slide title (not the title slide).  Unfortunately many users don’t pay attention to the template they are using and move, reformat, resize, recolor, etc. the titles on individual slides. One title is bigger and moved to the left, another is smaller and centered, another has a different color. The result…

• Presentation Zeitgeist 2009

  Alessandra

  31 Dec 2009 | 7:17 am

  Zeitgeist is a german term that is being used more and more in the IT world. It is a german word that means “spirit of the times” or “cultural tendency”.  The web 2.0 site Slideshare.com published today the presentation trends of 2009, obviously based on the presentations loaded on its popular service.  Interesting how the French have the longest presentations (average of 38 slides) and the English the shortest (average of 18 slides). PowerPoint is still the number 1 tool for building presentations as the majority have been uploaded in PPT and PPTx formats. All…

• Learning from Steve Jobs: SlideRocket webcast

  Alessandra

  9 Dec 2009 | 4:25 am

  Yesterday evening I attended a good on-line webcast sponsored by SlideRocket, an on-line presentation building application with an advanced feature set. It is always good to be reminded of the style and techniques used by Steve Jobs in his great presentations.  I use him as an example for the Effective Presentation training seminars I run. The presentation was divided into 3 sections: Act 1 – create the story Act 2 – deliver the experience Act 3 – refine and rehearse During the first section, Carmine Gallo, the presenter and author of the book “The Presentation…

• “Private” presentation sharing

  Alessandra

  20 Nov 2009 | 3:43 am

  If you are working on a slide presentation and would like to show it to someone using a slide sharing service on the Internet, you can upload the presentation to Slideshare and use the Privacy options.  The system gives you three choices for each slide show: [Public] everyone [Private] Only me [Private] all people I follow You can also tick the check-box and select “give me a secret URL”.  The URL provided can be copied and pasted into an e-mail message to enable selected contacts to view the private presentation. If you just want to see how a presentation will look in…

• 
  All About Presentations

• TEDx Event in Hyderabad: Lessons & Experience

  9 Feb 2010 | 11:30 am

  I was among those fortunate people who were invited for TED x Hi-Tech City, an independently organised TED event at Indian School of Business, Hyderabad. TED is a great platform for amazing people to come and share their ideas which make a difference to the world around us. TEDx is a program run by TED which allows local, self-organized groups to organize TED-like talks.The ExperienceI went to TEDx with a lot of expectations. After having seen so many TED talks online, I was expecting some good stuff here as well. And I was not at all disappointed. None of the speakers except Nagesh Kukunoor,…

• Guest Post: Introduction to Creative Presentations

  7 Feb 2010 | 11:30 am

  This is a guest post by Edmond Mahony. Edmond is an independent digital strategist and brand planner based in London, UK. One of his current projects is The Ideas Forum – Spotlight Ideas. IntroductionI worked in a large IT company for many years. My experience of working in that company was that most presentations were left-side-thinking in approach. I imagine most other people in business in general have a similar experience of presentations (?) This article is about presentations that are about being right-side-thinking in approach.Difference between “normal” presentations and…

• Presentation: A Trainer's Perspective

  2 Feb 2010 | 9:10 am

  This is a guest post from Joel Xavier, an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad. He is based out of Pune, India and trains students for various entrance exams including MBA.This is a slightly long post but is very insightful. It is based on Joel's presentation experience during his recently concluded 5 day training session.I shot out an SOS email to Vivek one day asking him to provide me with ‘whatever’ content he had on ‘making presentations’ [He is a senior from my MBA days who even back then, was known for his slick presentations]. Why? I was to teach a bunch of engineers-to-be the nuances of…

• Best of the Month: Jan '10

  31 Jan 2010 | 11:30 am

  Yet another month passed by. In January the blog completed one year of existence. 164 posts, 13.7 posts a month and 1 post every 3 days. A huge amount of time and effort has gone in the last one year and will continue to go in every month.I would like to list down the most read posts of the blog in the last one year. Here is the list:#1 How to make sponsorship proposal presentations?#2 How many slides should your presentations have?#3 How to make a business review presentation?#4 7 lessons from Dr. Steven Covey's presentation#5 An introduction to SmartArt graphics#6 How to create your own…

• Are you up for this challenge?

  28 Jan 2010 | 11:30 am

  Here is a small challenge I want to throw at you. If you do take it up, share with me the results. If you find any problems with taking it up, do table your concerns.The Challenge: Deliver a Presentation without any text on your slides. You may use pictures, shapes, whatever but no text.The only situation you might not be able to try this is when you are in a formal setting. But explore the various informal talks/presentations you give. Try it out.Why this dare?To improve ourselves as a presenter.- So that we stop using excess text.- So that we stop using text as an anchor to remind us of…

• 
  Speak & Deliver - A Public Speaking Blog For the Speaking Public

• Learning a Script: Lessons from Road #1

  2 Feb 2010 | 12:24 pm

  Too...Many...Words!!!!It's been a long time since I've had to learn a script. At least, someone else's script. In college, I did several plays, memorizing lines from the likes of Oscar Wilde, Rodgers & Hammerstein, and Agatha Christie, and in my 20's I played the part of Legion in an Easter Passion Play, reciting a long monologue.Since then, the only memorization has been internalization of my own writing. It's much easier to 'memorize' your own words, particularly when the only person who knows if you're saying them exactly as you wrote them is YOU. Memorization of someone else's…

• I've Been Out...Speaking and Delivering

  26 Jan 2010 | 9:11 pm

  Have I really not written since the first day of the year?I'll be going into my choices lately over on my Champion of Choice blog, but let me sum up what's been happening the 3 1/2 weeks:1. Dec. 31 I was asked (after submitting a resume to Ambassador Programs/People to People) to film a short audition tape using the script they provided by email. It was due 4 days later, giving me the weekend to complete it.2. After sending in the tape on Jan. 4, I was asked to interview Jan. 5 (Tues).3. After the interview, I was uncertain as to whether or not I hit it off with my potential boss in the…

• Don't Let Toastmasters Hurt You in 2010

  1 Jan 2010 | 5:42 pm

  I hear, from time to time, that Toastmasters carries with it a negative connotation in the professional world of speaking. I've listened to Alan Weiss state that the World Championship of Public Speaking was the World Championship of Amateurism - on a teleseminar with a few of the very Champions he was describing. Tom Antion derides Toastmasters as a bunch of clueless people patting each other on the back while getting upset over ahs and ums.Is it true? Will Toastmasters ultimately damage your future as a speaker? Will those you want to call peers forever look down their noses at you, even if…

• Take Time This New Year's To Be Quiet

  31 Dec 2009 | 1:10 pm

  We're speakers. We're expected to talk. We like to talk. Other people usually like it when we talk!But as we celebrate New Year's around the globe (and I know some of you already are!), take time to be quiet. You don't have to be alone, just keep your mouth shut, and listen to the world around you. What are your friends and family saying? What is the world saying?When you do take time by yourself, what are YOU saying? What are the most pressing thoughts, what are their tone and emotion?As you head out into the next year, take time regularly to check in with the communication going on around…

• New Year, New Speech? 10 Reasons to Do Something New

  30 Dec 2009 | 12:49 pm

  As we near a new decade, are you planning on adding anything new to your speaking repertoire?It's easy to get comfortable once you find what works, and some speakers make a good living telling the same stories with the same punchline to make the same point year after year. After all, each audience is different, and for most, it will be the first time they hear the Starfish Story even if its the thousandth time you've told it. (Just an FYI for newbie speakers - don't tell the Starfish Story. Ever. Please.)But there are also plenty of reasons to switch things up a bit, if not change lanes…

• 
  The Presentationist

• Bill Gates’ Presentation Visuals: Big Improvement

  Antonio Ramos

  22 Jan 2010 | 3:06 am

  The ongoing revolution in presentation visuals — fewer/shorter bullet points, strong images, uncrowded slides — is clearly evident here. Good on ya, Bill and Mel! (via Garr Reynolds)

• All The Cool Kids (and me)

  Antonio Ramos

  11 Jan 2010 | 10:37 am

  This blog is now among  those listed at Alltop. Alltop, you might know, aggregates the best of the best blogs in many popular categories, like politics or humor or cooking. Started by Guy Kawasaki, the company aims to help you answer the question, “What’s happening?” in all the topics that interest you. Read more about Alltop here. “The Presentationist” may be found at http://speaking.alltop.com/ (way at the bottom). I am honored to share the same page with many whom I hold in high regard. Of course, I realize this means that regular, high-quality blogging must continue in…

• Promotional Video Hits the Right Notes

  Antonio Ramos

  4 Jan 2010 | 6:51 am

  Yet another multimedia presentation that I really like. Two questions that can change your life from Daniel Pink on Vimeo. Why does this work for me? It has a single, strong, simple message. The look and feel is upbeat and artful while the content is emotional and engaging. And on top of all that, it is short, clocking in at just over two minutes. For your next presentation, think about these elements. Strive toward communicating as well as this video does. You can do it.

• Letter to a Young Presentationist

  Antonio Ramos

  21 Dec 2009 | 12:59 pm

  Got this the other day: Good Morning Tony, I am a recent design graduate with a focus on advertising. I am looking to break into the field of being a presentation specialist for businesses and courtroom presentations. I’m working in advertising but would like to go out on my own as a specialist. My question to you is, what would be the most direct way of me getting into the business and what tools do I need to become proficient in this career? I currently use the Adobe Creative Suite for my work. Besides sharpening up my powerpoint skills, what else do I need to do to get into this…

• It’s Hard to Believe This is PowerPoint

  Antonio Ramos

  7 Dec 2009 | 3:23 am

  Sensing a need to step up their game, Microsoft got it right when committing to revolutionizing the manner in which graphics are rendered in PowerPoint. In their own words, “For PowerPoint 2010, we are making the biggest visual update to Slide Show in nearly a decade. PowerPoint’s graphics engine is completely rebuilt using DirectX. Everything in slide show (text, shapes, animations, and more) is rendered in full 3D using your machine’s graphics card.” Source here. Smooth, no? Also, I tweeted some days ago that Nancy Duarte’s “5 Simple Rules” would be…

• 
  Manner of Speaking

• Apologies and thanks

  John Zimmer

  9 Feb 2010 | 8:19 am

  This morning I had a surprise. An unpleasant one. When I went to check the activity on this blog, I was greeted with a message that it had been suspended for violating the WordPress terms of service. Now, a dozen thoughts raced through my mind as I tried to figure out what had happened. But then I reminded myself that this problem, although serious, is nothing compared to the problems faced by billions around the world each day. I wrote a message to WordPress Support and offered as much information as possible to help them. Within four hours I had an email from WordPress apologizing for the…

• Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 14)

  John Zimmer

  8 Feb 2010 | 11:36 am

  Cato (234 BC - 149 BC) Roman Statesman “Find the message first and the words will follow.” - Cato

• Analysis of a speech by Sir Ken Robinson

  John Zimmer

  2 Feb 2010 | 1:48 pm

  It is time for another TED Talk and this one by Sir Ken Robinson, is one of my favourites. Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in education, innovation, creativity and human resources. His latest book is entitled The Element. As Robinson states: “The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels.” Do yourself a favour and spend some time perusing his website. Before you do so, however, watch his talk below. It is 20 minutes, so find…

• Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 13)

  John Zimmer

  1 Feb 2010 | 1:39 am

  Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) British Prime Minister, Historian, Author and Orator “First he read his speech; second he read it badly; third it wasn’t worth reading.” - Sir Winston Churchill

• What Yanni can teach us about public speaking

  John Zimmer

  31 Jan 2010 | 1:12 pm

  I have been writing this blog for a little over eight months now. I recently looked back at some of the posts that I have written. Most of those posts contain advice about things that we should, or should not, do as speakers: look at the audience; don’t read your notes; use the stage; don’t fill your PowerPoint slides with loads of text; do this; don’t do that; do; don’t; do; don’t. I am not saying that such advice is not important – it is. (Otherwise, there wouldn’t be much point to this blog.) However, it is equally important that, as speakers, we…