Patti was recently interview by Match.com about Hidden Personality Clues. Click the link belowto read the full article and find out what characteristics your date’s facial shape reveals!http://www.match.com/cp.aspx?cpp=/cppp/magazine/article0.html&articleid=13315&ER=sessiontimeoutPatti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
Speaking
-
Most Topular Stories
-
Hidden Personality Clues
Patti Wood MA, CSP. Speaker Body Language Expert Blog30 Apr 2013 | 11:01 am -
A Storytelling Moment With Kelly Swanson
Why I Love This Job26 Mar 2013 | 9:15 amToday's guest blog post is by Kelly Swanson. Kelly is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, motivational speaker, author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale? and creator of Prides Hollow and the wacky cast of southern characters who help you see beyond your obstacles, coach you through stress and change, and help you get from where you are stuck to where you want to be – laughing every step of the way. Kelly left the world of professional storytelling to become a motivational speaker and comedian, where she was surprised to learn that her background as a professional storyteller would turn… -
80% of Presentations Fail – Do yours?
Janice Tomich | Presentation Collaboration and Coaching11 Apr 2013 | 11:05 pmBy Corrie Miller Being able to present well is essential. If people listen, if you can achieve audience buy-in and engage when you speak, you have the ability to persuade. You can change minds. You can get the sale. According to Phillip Khan-Panni, UK champion business speaker and author, 80% of presentations fail to deliver their objective. If there is any truth to this (and we think it’s pretty close), that means that 80% are boring tune-outs that the audience forgets as soon as they leave the room. A lot of wasted hours on both sides of the stage, and a shame really when you… -
Presentation Tip: Word clues to better organize information
Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Blog17 Apr 2013 | 6:34 amWith information overload being the number one issue for audiences today, how can presenters better organize their information so it is easier to understand? I see hundreds and hundreds of slides for each customized workshop I do as I create the slide makeovers for that group. I have come up with four clues that I look for in the words being used on the slide that indicate an opportunity to better organize the message for the audience.One of the common mistakes I see presenters make is to have the same titles on a series of slides or use the word “continued” in the slide title. The… -
How to Turn 3 Mistakes into Profitable Content
Great Public Speaking19 Apr 2013 | 12:43 pmJeff Herring, "The Article Marketing Guy" was a special guest during my 3 night telesummit. He is the number one man in the world teaching article marketing to authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs. He revealed how to write and market articles for more prospects, publicity, and profits. Creating multiple streams of income with articles is possible and Jeff shows you how to do it in the least amount of time. Articles are used to establish a major web presence for your business and consumers will consider you an expert in your field or niche. If you are thinking, "I have nothing to write…
-
Presentation Zen
-
No excuse for boring an audience: Advice on giving technical presentations
7 May 2013 | 10:47 pmLong before "death-by-powerpoint" or vertigo-by-prezi, there were bad presentations. Really bad presentations. So don't blame the software. The genesis of painfully dull or muddled presentations predates the computer. No one knows this better than scientists, researchers, and academics, who have long been required to attend numerous conferences each year, conferences which typically feature a keynote speaker and scores of shorter presentations by others in their field. Over the years I've heard from many people with technical backgrounds about what is a good presentation and what is not. I've… -
TED Talk: A story of survival, resilience, and hope
24 Apr 2013 | 12:56 amHyeonseo Lee's 2013 TED Talk describing her escape from North Korea is one of the most compelling and inspiring talks I've seen on the TED stage in quite a while. I'm not saying it's technically the best TED talk ever, but it's certainly one of my personal favorites. I showed the talk a few times here to my students in Japan and they were amazed and inspired by this young woman's experience and her remarkable story. There are storytelling lessons to be learned by examining these kind of true-life personal narratives. In the book Story Craft: The Complete Guide to Writing Narrative Nonfiction,… -
Should we be suspicious of stories?
12 Apr 2013 | 3:35 amWe are wired for stories. “Evolutionary biologists confirm that 100,000 years of reliance on stories have evolutionarily hardwired a predisposition into human brains to think in story terms,” says research scientist and engineer Kendall Haven in his book Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story. “We are programmed to prefer stories and to think in story structures.” Stories are ubiquitous in our lives. Jean-Paul Sartre said, "A man is always a teller of stories. He lives surrounded by his own stories and those of other people. He sees everything that happens to him… -
Visual storytelling lessons from Citizen Kane, one of Roger Ebert's favorite films
8 Apr 2013 | 1:34 amLast week, a mere two days after he wrote an article entitled "A Leave of Presence," the acclaimed and beloved American film critic Roger Ebert died. Like millions of other people, news of his passing deeply saddened me. I loved Ebert's writing, his wit, and his determination battling illness these past years, but I will always remember him from the '80s with Siskel & Ebert. Their authenticity was so rare and appealing back then (it's still rare today). I learned a lot about what makes for a good film over the years by reading or listening to Roger Ebert. Since the '90s, Ebert took time… -
Never leave the playground: The key to a long, happy life
5 Apr 2013 | 3:34 am"We don’t stop playing because we grow old,"George Bernard Shaw said. "We grow old because we stop playing." We know—but too often forget—that play is a key component of learning and creativity (it's even good for business). Play is also the key to a healty body, a healthy mind, and a long life, says Stephen Jepson, founder of Never Leave the Playground. Last week I received an email from Stephen Jepson saying how much the Presentation Zen book has helped him in spreading his message. Jepson, who is 72, is an internationlly acclaimed potter and a retired college professor on a mission…
-
DeFinis Communications Come Alive!
-
4 Traits that Distinguish Confident Speakers from Nervous Nellies
29 Apr 2013 | 9:32 amBack in 1990, Ron Hoff wrote a popular book about public speaking entitled I Can See You Naked. The idea was that if a speaker looked out at the audience and imagined everyone sitting in their birthday suits, he would take a scary crowd and turn it into a docile nudist colony, thus defusing their power to intimidate. For many people, that kind of visualization worked wonders in building confidence. But for the Nervous Nellies among us, it actually backfired. For them, the image is reversed. Instead of the speaker looking out at a group of meek naked people, they imagine an entire audience who… -
Let Your Public Speaking Skills Age Like Fine Wine
18 Apr 2013 | 8:43 amImagine having the opportunity to write a speech about a topic you know and love and deliver it nine times in the course of a day to a rapt audience, gaining new supporters and perfecting your delivery each time. That’s precisely the opportunity afforded to my client David Amadia, VP of Sales for Ridge Vineyards, when he attended the Vancouver International Wine Festival last month and participated in their “Meet Your Match” event. “Meet Your Match” is the wine education version of speed dating. Small groups of wine enthusiasts spent six minutes with each wine producer to taste… -
Rate Your Public Speaking Comfort Level
11 Apr 2013 | 5:36 pmWhen it comes to nervousness in front of a group, I have noticed people generally fall into one of four categories, which I describe as the following four levels. These levels are an indicator of what I call a speaker’s “capacity for comfort” in front of a group. Which one best describes you? Level 1: Pressured and Petrified: People in this category display the greatest signs of nervousness—visible blushing, perspiration, quivering voice, or shaking hands. They are extremely uncomfortable and can barely get their words out. These individuals generally have little experience speaking… -
How will the New Pope Fare as a Public Speaker?
15 Mar 2013 | 9:04 amPublic speaking is an important success trait for anyone, including the person filling the Pontiff seat. After all, when you’re charged with leading 1.18 billion people around the world, you must be able to communicate effectively to keep the flock aligned. How will the new Pope fare? According to some in the media, newly elected Pope Francis doesn’t get high marks for charisma, but his relaxed and chatty style will put people at ease. His power comes from his authenticity. He is sincere and genuine, with no bells and whistles, and that will win the hearts and minds of his listeners. The… -
Use the Power of Practice to Build Your Speaking Skills
19 Feb 2013 | 6:17 amThe psychologist and philosopher William James famously wrote: “99% of our activity is purely automatic; all of our life is nothing but a mass of habits.”After reading the book The Power of Habitby Charles Duhigg (which I first wrote about here), it is clear that habits define virtually every aspect of our lives, from how much we eat, save, or spend to how we work, communicate, and interact with others. One interesting example in Duhigg’s book focuses on Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. As a child, Phelps was high strung and intense, so his mother got him involved in swimming as a way to…
-
Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Blog
-
Presentation Tip: Stop judging a presentation by the number of slides in the file
14 May 2013 | 5:59 amWhen you open a PowerPoint file that has been sent to you, where do you look first? If you are like most people I speak to in my workshops, the first place you look is the lower left corner to see how many slides are in the file. Why do most people do this? Because they think that the number of slides will indicate how effective the content of the presentation is. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this article I want to explain why you need to break this habit. When you open a PowerPoint file and immediately look at the number of slides, you have some number in mind that you think… -
Presentation Tip: Context Before Conclusion
30 Apr 2013 | 11:27 amWhen you show a slide on the screen, the audience will naturally look at it and start to decipher it. When they believe they understand it, they turn back to the presenter to hear what they are saying. Notice the sequence. The audience comes to a conclusion about the meaning of the slide before they have heard a single word from the presenter. What if they came to the wrong conclusion? How easy is it to change their mind? Not very easy at all. In this article, I want to talk about how presenters can give the audience context before they come their own conclusion.The issue of the audience… -
Presentation Tip: Word clues to better organize information
17 Apr 2013 | 6:34 amWith information overload being the number one issue for audiences today, how can presenters better organize their information so it is easier to understand? I see hundreds and hundreds of slides for each customized workshop I do as I create the slide makeovers for that group. I have come up with four clues that I look for in the words being used on the slide that indicate an opportunity to better organize the message for the audience.One of the common mistakes I see presenters make is to have the same titles on a series of slides or use the word “continued” in the slide title. The… -
Presentation Tip: Reduce the words in each point
2 Apr 2013 | 12:03 pmIn my latest book, Present It So They Get It, I provide five strategies for reducing the information in your presentation down to just what the audience needs to know. Information overload is the single biggest issue in presentations today, and in my workshops, this section on reducing information overload is always a popular one for the participants. Today I want to extend one of the strategies so it is even more applicable to many presentations. One strategy I share in the book and my workshops is the 3R’s strategy for reducing the number of bullet points on a slide. It works well, and… -
Presentation Tip: Raise the average two slides at a time
23 Mar 2013 | 5:24 amAt the end of my workshops, I ask the participants if they have practical ideas that they can implement immediately to improve the effectiveness of their slides. Without exception, they all say that they have plenty of ideas they can use. In fact, the challenge is that they feel overwhelmed with everything they want to start doing to their presentations. If they tried to apply all the learning to all the slides in their typical presentation, it wouldn't work. They would end up spending too much time and give up with few, if any, changes being made. I want the participants in my workshops to…
-
Speak Schmeak
-
List-a-Palooza kicks off May 30!
21 May 2013 | 3:50 pmHave you heard of List-a-Palooza? It's a 90-day list-building challenge organized by PJ Van Hulle to see how rapidly you can grow your e-mail list. I did this challenge last summer and I've signed up again, because it's full of practical tools, it's fun, and it's FREE! With a profitable e-mail list you can: * Attract more clients and sales * Turn current clients into repeat clients * Fill your seminars and programs * Promote other peoples' programs that you believe in and earn $1,000s in affiliate commissions During the 90-Day Challenge, you will: * Receive weekly accountability check-ins for… -
Does your audience say you made their day?
15 May 2013 | 1:25 pmOn a recent teleseminar, one of my participants mentioned that his audiences are frequently attending for CEUs, and that they weren't particularly enthusiastic about being there. And we've all had audiences like that, who are mandated for one reason or another, and aren't there by choice or because they're particularly interested in our topic. When our audiences are less than enthusiastic, it's tempting to be unenthusiastic ourselves. It's tempting to just go through the motions because, hey, they don't want to be there anyway. And believe me, I've seen my share of this kind of presentation. -
A presentation tool you don't want to be without!
6 May 2013 | 10:51 amA quick video tip for you today: A presentation tool you don't want to be without! Here's where to find the GigaWare 4-port travel hub. -
Giving back, doing what I love
3 May 2013 | 12:25 pmClick to see full size I'm feeling very privileged today to have been awarded Women's Economic Ventures' 2013 Santa Barbara County Volunteer of the Year at their Empowerment is Priceless breakfast. I completed WEV's Self-Employment Training (SET) in 2004, for a jewelry business I had started after being laid off three times in four years from nonprofits that kept running out of money for my positions. It was one of my classmates who, after hearing me speak for the nonprofit I had co-founded, asked if I could help her present herself better to represent her business. The light bulb went on --… -
Never give up on your speaking goals
2 May 2013 | 5:49 pmClick to see full size. From Funders and Founders. On a recent call in a group coaching program I'm part of, our coach used the graphic to the left as the topic of discussion. As an entrepreneur, I could relate to everything in the graphic and how resiliency is a hallmark of successful entrepreneurs. If every setback makes you feel like quitting, then you're not cut out to be an entrepreneur! I found that the concepts in this graphic also happen to apply to speakers, so I'm going to share my thoughts with you on resiliency and "not giving up" for speakers. 1. Stay alive The graphic…
-
Janice Tomich | Presentation Collaboration and Coaching
-
The Importance of Human Connection
30 Apr 2013 | 8:55 pmBy Corrie Miller When I first met my friend Taya, I was almost overwhelmed by her warmth, her ability to draw me in, to want to get to know her. I was so comfortable that I was almost uncomfortable with it! Instantly. To this day she remains one of my favorite people on this planet. The reason? That connection is rare and is so awesome when you find it. In my 13 odd years on the media side of business I have always been intrigued by those people who can elicit an instant connection, and by the situations in which I find myself able to elicit that connection with others. I have always… -
Create Memorable, “Sticky” Slidedecks For Your Presentations
18 Apr 2013 | 3:20 pmBy Corrie Miller In our last blog post we talked about why your presentation might fail to meet its objective (connect with your audience, convert the sale). One of the biggies: Bad slidedecks. If your visuals don’t add anything to your talk, you’re wasting your time and your audience is tuning out. Let’s address this and show you some examples of what works. According to the Media Education Centre, research at 3M Corporation has shown that: The brain processes images a whopping 60,000 times faster than words. It’s called the Image Superiority Effect. … -
80% of Presentations Fail – Do yours?
11 Apr 2013 | 11:05 pmBy Corrie Miller Being able to present well is essential. If people listen, if you can achieve audience buy-in and engage when you speak, you have the ability to persuade. You can change minds. You can get the sale. According to Phillip Khan-Panni, UK champion business speaker and author, 80% of presentations fail to deliver their objective. If there is any truth to this (and we think it’s pretty close), that means that 80% are boring tune-outs that the audience forgets as soon as they leave the room. A lot of wasted hours on both sides of the stage, and a shame really when you… -
Always Presenting – Women Build Communities and Inspire Change
29 Mar 2013 | 12:12 pmby Corrie Miller Women are doing amazing things. They are building their communities, they are striving to better themselves and they are inspiring global change. It’s no secret that every day of our lives we are presenting, putting ourselves “out there” and making impressions on others. And it struck me recently just how many amazing, dynamic women have crossed my path of late. Calculated Presentations will begin to feature women that are making a difference here on this blog on a regular basis. We help women on the way up with their presentation skills (click to find… -
Three Powerful Public Speaking Techniques used by TED speaker Ron Finley
19 Mar 2013 | 8:32 pmDid you catch Ron Finley’s presentation at TED 2013? He was a powerhouse who captivated his audience and received a resounding standing O. If you haven’t watched him you should: Ron beautifully demonstrates what separates presenters who have their audience enthralled from those who don’t. But a little aside…understand that it didn’t come easy nor was it a quick process for Ron to get to the TED stage. When I was introduced to Ron he had a solid draft for his 12 minute presentation. This was about two months before he was scheduled to speak. His TED…
-
The Daily Figure
-
Should We "Invite" Instead of Manipulate?
7 May 2013 | 7:38 amKay Halasek, a professor at Ohio State, interviewed me for a writing MOOC (massive open online course). The main topic, besides rhetoric itself: Is manipulation a good thing? -
What if SCOTUS Sounded Like Americans?
27 Mar 2013 | 6:38 amDecorum doesn’t mean using the right fork—unless your audience cares deeply about using the right fork. So what if the Supreme Court justices were plunked down in average America and forced to speak decorously? See this Onion piece. It will forever change your notion of decorum. -
Persuade by Shutting Up
21 Mar 2013 | 8:38 am”My theory has an opinion. I don’t have an opinion,” says Harvard B-school prof Clayton Christensen, author of The Innovator’s Dilemma. He’s employing a great rhetorical strategy. Want someone to agree with your opinion? Take yourself out of the picture. It makes you sound objective and disinterested—free of special interests. Those who have read my book or heard me speak know that appearing disinterested helps make an audience trust your opinion. So how do you take yourself out of your own point of view? 1. The… -
Making Your Character Count
15 Mar 2013 | 8:16 amI like to ask audiences for a show of hands: How many wish arguments were purely logical? Almost everyone’s hand, including mine, goes up. But Aristotle—the guy who invented logic as we know it—says that logic isn’t the biggest persuader. Nope. The biggest persuader is character. (Aristotle called it Ethos, but he was speaking in Greek.) Watch this amazing TED talk by the great ecologist Allan Savory and pay close attention to the character he projects. You can persuade people much more easily if they like and trust you. The three tools to get yourself liked… -
Stop Apologizing!
1 Mar 2013 | 12:26 pmFigaro has been going around the country telling corporations not to apologize. Has he gone to the dark side? Hardly! In fact, we think corporations would endear us to them a whole lot more if they stopped apologizing, followed his directions to the letter, and paid him lavishly for the privilege. Bloomberg Businessweek offers a fine example. It’s a truly great magazine—one that has undergone a wonderful renaissance. (Full disclosure: the magazine did a profile of us last year. But we were loving the magazine before that. Honest.) Its most recent cover, though, is awful. Click on…
-
'No Sweat' Public Speaking!
-
VIDEO #3 – Nuggets to Lessen the Fear. . .
1 May 2013 | 10:01 pmO VIDEO #3 – Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking This Video is the Third of Nineteen about Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking! Video Transcript Fred Miller, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking.” Here’s another one of my “Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking.” Insist on Name Tags for your audience. Name Tags reach out, and pull you in. They close the gap between people. And for one of my Best Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking, Arrive Early and Meet and Greet, they’re dynamite! “Hi, Bob, Nice to meet you! I’m Fred. Thanks for being… -
VIDEO #2 – Nuggets to Lessen the Fear. . .
24 Apr 2013 | 10:01 pmO VIDEO #2 – Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking This Video is the Second of Nineteen about Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking! Video Transcript Fred Miller, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking.” Here’s another one of my “Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking.” Arrive Early! I always try to be one of the very first to arrive at a venue where I’ll be speaking. And when you do, meet and greet people! It is amazing how much easier it is to speak to an audience where you have shaken the hand and thanked those who are arriving. Meet them at the door! Meet… -
WHERE Are Those “Speaking Opportunities?”
18 Apr 2013 | 7:54 amo “Speaking Opportunities are: Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities!” If you’re a regular visitor to my blog, have read any of my books, or heard me speak, you know that’s my mantra! People who take and make those “Speaking Opportunities;” grow their Businesses, advance their Careers, and increase their Leadership Roles.” No one has ever challenged that. Why would they? One question I’m asked is, “OK, Fred, I agree with your premise. Where are those speaking opportunities and how do I get them?” The obvious answer is: Contact the Usual… -
VIDEO #1 – Nuggets to Lessen the Fear. . .
3 Apr 2013 | 10:01 pmO VIDEO #1 – Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking This Video is the First of Nineteen about Lessening The Fear of Public Speaking! Video Transcript Fred Miller, NO SWEAT Public Speaking. Here’s one of my “Nuggets to Lessen the Fear of Public Speaking.” Never, and I mean Never tell the audience you have a fear of public speaking! I have seen some of the best presentations almost ruined because the speaker got up and said, “I don’t like this. My heart is pounding! I really hate speaking in public.” Never do that! Three reasons: It could become a… -
Continuing NO SWEAT Branding with. . .
26 Mar 2013 | 10:01 pmo More Branding Components! This series of posts is devoted to NO SWEAT Branding, focusing on the concept that EVERYONE is Self-Employed. We should promote ourselves through Personal Branding. The previous articles addressed the first of these components and emphasized: Branding Components include: All Promotional Material, on-line and off-line. There should be Brand Consistency in everything you distribute. Your Clothing can be part of your brand. Think about these people and Clothing that’s part of their Brand. Suspenders Larry King (He must have hundreds of them!) Black Turtleneck…
-
Comments on: Blog Link Bankruptcy
-
By: Garcinia Cambogia HCA
18 May 2013 | 7:59 amEveryone loves it when people come together and share opinions. Great website, continue the good work! -
By: orteza
17 May 2013 | 9:26 amWow! Finally I got a webpage from where I be capable of actually get useful data concerning my study and knowledge. -
By: lustra wrocław
15 May 2013 | 10:13 pmGreate pieces. Keep writing such kind of info on your page. Im really impressed by your site. Hi there, You have performed an excellent job. I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am confident they’ll be benefited from this website. -
By: gold 401k
12 May 2013 | 11:22 pmYou ought to be a part of a contest for one of the best blogs on the net. I will highly recommend this site! -
By: www.hostgeni.com
12 May 2013 | 4:14 amI’ll right away grasp your rss as I can’t to find your e-mail subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you have any? Please allow me know in order that I may just subscribe. Thanks.
-
PowerPoint and Presenting Blog
-
Presentation Summit 2013: Conversation with Rick Altman
21 May 2013 | 9:00 pmRick Altman is a presentation consultant based out of Pleasanton, CA. Rick has been hosting end-user conferences since 1989, and is well known as the host of the annual Presentation Summit conference. He has a strong sense of the needs of the presentation community. Rick has authored 15 books on presentations and graphics, including Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck. In this conversation, Rick discusses the upcoming eleventh edition of his Presentation Summit conference, to be held in September 2013 in Fort Lauderdale. Geetesh: The 2013 Presentation Summit is slated to be held soon at… -
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Change Background Styles in the Slide Master
21 May 2013 | 8:30 pmIn PowerPoint, the Slide Master influences the layout and look of all slides in your presentation. One of the changes you can make to your Slide Master is applying the Background Style used so that all slide layouts and actual slides in your presentation use a different slide background. In this tutorial, we will explore how you can choose from any of the 12 available Background Styles to apply to the Slide Master. Learn how to change Background Styles within the Slide Master in PowerPoint 2011 for Mac. Categories: office_mac, powerpoint_2011, templates, tutorials -
PowerPoint and Presenting News: May 21, 2013
20 May 2013 | 10:00 pmContinuing our series of tutorials on PowerPoint 2013, we look at the not so obvious differences between text placeholders and text boxes. We teach you how you can create outlines in Word 2013, and then import the outline content as new slides within PowerPoint. PowerPoint 2011 for Mac users can learn about adding Headers and Footers on their slides, and also on their Notes and Handout pages. Finally, we combined all our Pushpin graphics to make a single large collection -- including all colors and variations, you have 35 pushpin graphics that you can use on your slides. Read Indezine's… -
Keyboard Shortcuts: PowerPoint Web App for Windows
20 May 2013 | 8:45 pmHere's the most comprehensive list of PowerPoint Web App keyboard shortcuts that we know about -- many users are not aware that the in-browser PowerPoint web app supports an amazing number of keyboard shortcuts! However, these shortcuts may differ depending upon whether you are using a Windows or a Mac computer -- all the keyboard shortcuts listed on this page have been tested using the PowerPoint web app on the Internet Explorer web browser on Windows. Explore keyboard shortcuts for the PowerPoint Web App using Internet Explorer on Windows. Categories: microsoft_windows powerpoint_web_app,… -
9Slides: Conversation with Aaron Khoo
19 May 2013 | 9:00 pmAaron Khoo is a software industry veteran with a strong background in building and leading software teams and managing the delivery of projects, from conception to completion, for a variety of companies, including Microsoft. Prior to joining 9Slides, Aaron served in the executive capacity as President and Chief Technology Officer for several technology startups. He spent nearly 10 years with Microsoft as principal development lead on a variety of projects, including Xbox, Interactive Entertainment Business Analytics team, and Windows Gaming Experience. He holds several patents for software…
-
Business Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen Shapiro
-
My SUCCESS Magazine Audio Interview
13 May 2013 | 3:00 amBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroToday’s Monday Morning Movie is actually an audio file… In the October 2012 issue of SUCCESS Magazine, there was a four page article by yours truly. You’ve been able to read the article online since it was published. (It is the cover article; “Innovate of Die!”) However, unless you subscribe to the magazine, you will not have heard my 22 minute interview with SUCCESS Magazine’s publisher, Darren Hardy. It was on the CD included with the magazine, but not available anywhere else. Darren was kind… -
Facts About Happiness That May Surprise You
11 May 2013 | 11:06 amBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroToday’s Friday Fun Fact… At the end of this month, I will be speaking in Copenhagen at a Happiness at Work Conference. This got me thinking about what it is that makes people truly joyous. Business Insider gathered some research on this topic and amassed 36 Scientific Facts about happiness, some that may come as a surprise. Here are a few of my favorites: You have to earn 2.5x as much money to be as happy working for someone else as you would be working for yourself: Perhaps that is why Forbes reported that… -
A Toast to Creativity
26 Apr 2013 | 8:00 amBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroToday’s Friday Fun Fact… In previous posts, I have shared a variety of activities that I engage in to still my mind and foster more creative thinking. These include activities like walking on the beach, meditating or sitting in the hot tub. Andrew Jarosz for the University of Illinois shares another way… drinking alcohol. In his recent study, Jarosz found that a moderate level of alcohol “loosens a person’s focus of attention, making it easier to find connections among remotely related ideas.” The study… -
Be Alive; Be Creative
17 Apr 2013 | 3:00 amBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroHere’s the transcription of my Monday Morning Movie… The other day I attended a small group session on creativity. Less than a dozen people were in the room, from all walks of life. Most of them weren’t from the world of business. The facilitator asked the question, “What is creativity?” I decided to sit back and see what others would say. I heard the types of responses that I would typically hear if I asked that question in a corporation. For example, it’s about new ideas. It’s about novelty. -
Meeting George
16 Apr 2013 | 8:28 amBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroBack in 2006, my Goal-Free Living book was published by Wiley, and I was feeling quite proud. Later that same year, after giving a speech in Los Angeles, I drove up to Santa Barbara to attend a conference, arriving just in time for lunch. While standing in the line for the buffet, I turned around and said hi to the guy next to me. He told me his name was George. He then asked me what I did. Given my new book and the success of my speech earlier that day, I said with a bit of swagger, “I’m an author and professional speaker.” I…
-
Great Public Speaking
-
3 Tips for Making YouTube Videos SEO Friendly
22 May 2013 | 10:38 amYouTube is a great platform for videos and it can also be a very powerful marketing tool. Video marketing can establish you as an expert in your field and you have a way to share your content to consumers that prefer video.YouTube is the second largest search engine so you want to make sure your videos reach your target market. Below I outline 3 areas that you should optimize on your YouTube videos. You worked hard on your videos now it is time to get the most views. The optimizing steps below assume you already know how to upload your video to YouTube.3 Tips for Optimizing your YouTube… -
Get More Followers on Twitter With Tweetable Links
9 May 2013 | 10:21 amAs a speaker you may be familiar with the most common options for promoting your Twitter handle on your website or blog posts such as the:The Share button- which allows readers to post a title of your article and link it to social media. Add me button- which allows readers to link to your social site so they can add you to follow.But today I want to dive into another option, which is creating a tweetable link. This is another useful option for business owners looking to increase traffic to their website or blog by marketing on Twitter.What is a Tweetable link?A tweetable link is a… -
Do You Have Klout?
29 Apr 2013 | 1:37 pmIf you are using social media to market your professional speaking services or products keep reading to reveal how it can help improve your social media marketing. What is a Klout Score?Your Klout Score represents your social media influence with a number between 1 and 100, 100 being the best. Your Klout score gives you a way to grade yourself on social media. As a business owner you should try to at least keep your Klout Score over 50 in order to be considered an expert in your business niche. I always stress the importance of writing creative, engaging posts to create brand awareness. As a… -
How SEO Can Help Your Business
22 Apr 2013 | 12:52 pmSEO stands for search engine optimization which is essential to being successful online. SEO will help your website rank higher in the search engines so your target audience can find your business. Search engines are looking for unique content, fast website speed, keywords, and positive user experience. -
How to Turn 3 Mistakes into Profitable Content
19 Apr 2013 | 12:43 pmJeff Herring, "The Article Marketing Guy" was a special guest during my 3 night telesummit. He is the number one man in the world teaching article marketing to authors, speakers, and entrepreneurs. He revealed how to write and market articles for more prospects, publicity, and profits. Creating multiple streams of income with articles is possible and Jeff shows you how to do it in the least amount of time. Articles are used to establish a major web presence for your business and consumers will consider you an expert in your field or niche. If you are thinking, "I have nothing to write…
-
Max Atkinson's Blog
-
More nails in the coffin of political speech-making in Britain?
13 May 2013 | 2:12 amAbove are the video clips I'll be showing at the UK Speechwriters' Guild Conference on Thursday. Below are some notes on what I'll be saying about them.In earlier blogs, I've suggested that a major change in the past 25 years has been the replacement of political speeches by broadcast interviews as the main form of political communication in Britain - even though interviews hardly ever result in anything other than bad news about the politicians themselves. As a result, effective political speech-making has become a dying art, in which there appears to be a curious collaboration between… -
Cameron's impressive success in 2010
9 May 2013 | 11:05 amPreparing for a presentation on our political leaders' curious preference for making speeches in peculiar places, I stumbled across this from David Cameron speaking in front of a window at the end of the 2010 general election.My reason for posting it here is by way of a reminder to all the anti-Cameron Conservatives and their chums in the Tory press of some rather important facts.Although I didn't vote Conservative, I'm still baffled by the extraordinary hostility towards Mr Cameron from parts of the media that really ought to be thanking their lucky stars that he did so well at the last… -
Cameron's visit to Morrisons puts him neck and neck with Osborne in daft speech venue contest
1 May 2013 | 7:27 amIf imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, yesterday's speech by the Prime Minister at the Morrisons distribution centre in Bridgewater (above) could be seen as a bid to keep up (or down) with Chancellor George Osborne - who tried out another Morrisons distribution centre (in Kent) as a bizarre venue for making a political speech a month ago,What the connection is between Morrisons supermarkets and the higher reaches of the Conservative Party I have no idea but, if anyone else has a clue, I'd be very glad to hear from them.Meanwhile, I'm grateful to Morrisons and the Conservative… -
On the death of Margaret Thatcher: notes on the evolution of charismatic woman
15 Apr 2013 | 5:41 amWhen I wrote 'Our Masters' Voices' (1984), Margaret Thatcher was prime minister and looked well set to win at least one more term of office (and actually won two more). The following is a somewhat revised version of what I wrote then, and will be followed in due course by some further blog entries about how she and her advisors sought to solve the problems she was up against as the UK's first woman head of government.I first learnt of her death at an Autoroute service station somewhere between Geneva and Chambery, since when I have followed much of the commentariat on Twitter and elsewhere. -
Spring competition: where, when and to whom should our politicians read their 'press releases'?
2 Apr 2013 | 12:24 pmRegular readers of this blog know that I've been getting exasperated by the growing obsession of leading British politicians with making important speeches at strange times and at peculiar venues.David Cameron's much heralded speech on Europe was given at 8.30 a.m. in the morning at the London headquarters of an American news agency and was, in effect, a press release thinly disguised as a 'speech' (on which, more HERE).A week or so later, George Osborne turned up to read another press release at the offices of JP Morgan in Bournemouth (on which a bit more HERE).Today, Mr Osborne's…
-
SpeakerSue Says...
-
10 Biggest Email Pet Peeves of 2013
15 May 2013 | 6:49 amIf you knew that a habit of yours annoyed people around you, would you continue doing the annoying behavior? Yes, I wish that was a rhetorical question! It amazes me that intelligent, kind-hearted people think that because they are the ones doing the annoying thing, that the thing is no longer annoying. Take “Cheers” for example. During my workshops, Cheers and Ciao are always brought up by someone in the group, as sounding inauthentic, unless of course it’s a Brit writing or an email from an Italian counterpart. As soon as one person mentions it, the head bobs begin. (And… -
Cold Calling Made Simple
8 May 2013 | 8:28 am“You know what you’re doing and that’s why you’re able to change it up.” Blake Shelton, The Voice, May 7, 2013 I’ve had plenty of sales people tell me that having a prospecting script feels inauthentic and they’re uncomfortable using one. Those are the sales people who end up hating making those calls and struggling to make their numbers. Cold calling has never been more simple because of how easy it is to sound intelligent to the person we’re calling. With even just a bit of information (plans meetings, for instance, and works for XYZ… -
The main reason you haven’t closed the sale today
6 May 2013 | 5:33 amAttending my local Arizona chapter of Meeting Professionals International is always a treat. My friend and tech guru, Jim Spellos, was presenting and I was in Arizona so there was every reason to attend. When registering, the CVent form asked if I wanted to buy raffle tickets and I just wanted to quickly complete the registration (and I didn’t know what the prizes were being offered even though I know I should do it just to support the chapter ), so I didn’t tick those boxes. No one approached me about buying tickets during the networking time prior to the meeting. Before Jim… -
The 2 Most Important Types of Questions You Can Ever Ask to Build Sales
24 Apr 2013 | 6:48 amWhen the phone rang, I knew the person on the other end wasn’t a professional sales person as soon as he said, “Hi this is name with company, how are you doing today?” I didn’t know him, didn’t have time to tell him how I was doing today and really, did he actually care? Why would he care? More than that, he didn’t give me a reason to want to talk to him or tell him anything. But I stayed on the phone just to learn more about what not to do when prospecting. “Great!” I said. “Great, great,” he said (apparently two greats is better… -
What Your Email Says About You…
20 Apr 2013 | 10:48 amYou know how when people treat people who can do something for them really well, but treat people who seemingly can’t do anything for them, really not well, and you notice it, how you never think the same about the person. No matter how well they’re treating you, watching how they treat people they consider “unimportant” lets you know their true character. What was that quote about character shows when no one is around to watch (or something). In my opinion, it’s the same with email. Lots of sales people – and their bosses – take pains to write to…
-
Professionally Speaking
-
Guest Posting: How to Give a TED Talk by Manoush Zomorodi
3 May 2013 | 2:56 pmManoush Zomorodi is the host of WNYC’s New Tech City which is available for download on iTunes. She is the author of Camera Ready: How to Present Yourself and Ideas On Air or Online. Follow her on Twitter @manoushz. She blogs at manoushz.com/blog and writes for The Huffington Post. How to Give a TED Talk [...] -
Interview: Julie Mergen – Financially Savvy Speaker
26 Apr 2013 | 3:15 pmJulie Mergen is fascinated with business systems. She admires those who create products from concepts. Along with her innate entrepreneurial spirit, she simply finds money interesting — even more intriguing is the multiple, seemingly endless perceptions we as humans have about money. Julie says: “Money stops us, blocks us, money molds us, holds us, money [...] -
Book Review: The Age Of The Image, by Stephen Apkon
22 Apr 2013 | 7:00 amStephen Apkon’s new book, The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens more than lives up to last week’s preview in the Financial Times. This is one of the most thought provoking books I’ve ever read on corporate and political communications. Images are replacing written communication Newspaper circulation is down while [...] -
The paradox of performance
15 Apr 2013 | 7:38 amJan Dalley writes in the Weekend FT on the paradox that in an age of increasing digitization of our culture (via music downloads, YouTube video and more) people still seek out the unique personal experience of attending live performances: at literary festivals, rock concerts, and lectures. Historically, authors like Charles Dickens drew crowds of many [...] -
Book Preview: The Age of the Image, by Stephen Apkon
15 Apr 2013 | 6:31 amChristopher Caldwell writes in the Weekend FT about a new book, The Age of the Image: Redefining Literacy in a World of Screens, by Stephen Apkon (available tomorrow on Amazon). Apkon argues that there is a new kind of global literacy, based not on words, but images. This looks like a significant book for anyone [...]
-
Sticky Slides
-
Flowboard - presentations on iPad
21 May 2013 | 7:30 pmFlowboard is a presentation design app for iPad. In the TechCrunch video below, the company CEO gives a quick demo of the product. I am curious to hear your feedback on designing presentations on a tablet in a new app (using an iPad to display them is a no brainer). I can see the advantages of mobility, the touch interface, but on the other there are drawbacks: screen size, lack of navigation precision, incompatible file formats, and file management problems. -
VC presentation parody
20 May 2013 | 7:30 pmThis cartoon of Nikola Tesla (who do you say?) pitching VCs highlights many of the dynamics that are happening in VC pitch meetings (unfortunately). Two comments to this though: While entrepreneurs have no shortage of ideas to make a parody about VCs, I think VCs might have equally rich material to make fun of entrepreneurs pitching. But more importantly, anticipate this sort of VC behaviour. In this video the entrepreneur did not manage to get across what it is that he is actually doing early enough, and as a result the investor focused more on their email. VCs probably make up their… -
Put things in perspective
19 May 2013 | 7:30 pmI just returned from a camping and hiking trip in Israel’s southern desert (the Negev) and came home with some beautiful pictures. It is very hard to capture the sheer size of a landscape in a photo, and one trick to do this is the make sure to have an object in your frame that the viewer knows the size of. In the example below you see that the perspective greatly diminishes when I Photoshop my friends out. The same is true with data in presentations. Putting the stunning image with the word “53 million” on it does not put the size of the number in perspective. Relate it to something… -
You understand everything?
17 May 2013 | 3:05 amAn aspiring presentation designer asked me this question. “You really are confident that you can grasp any story that is thrown at you (scientific, financial)?” I answered positive. Yes, I have some background in business, engineering, and financial analysis, but there are cases where I do not get it the first time around. I do not think that that is my problem though, if I do not get it, the audience of reasonably intelligent people will not either. Time to try to explain it to me again. I am not embarrassed to ask stupid questions, and never say that I got it when I did not. -
Tell people what they should see
14 May 2013 | 7:30 pmWhat is clear to you is hardly ever clear to everyone in the audience. A screen shot with a cleverly integrated login feature, a photo of a long line of people who cannot wait to try your product, an image of an unhappy customer. When in doubt, put a big call out or title that says what the audience is expected to see.
-
DiResta Communications Inc.
-
Keep Your Eye on Pragmatics When Presenting
21 May 2013 | 11:50 amPublic speaking is not just about the spoken word. As a presenter you must know your content and your audience. But you also need to know about pragmatics. Pragmatics is the relations between words, expressions, or symbols and their users. … Continue reading → -
Presentation Pragmatics-Key to Effective Communication
16 May 2013 | 7:56 amDo you know the meaning of pragmatics? Most people believe that public speaking is about the spoken word. But what about the unspoken meaning? Public speakers and presenters who rely solely on the spoken word are at a disadvantage. Presentation … Continue reading → -
Your Brain on Stage Fright
9 May 2013 | 12:59 pmSome call it flop sweat. Others call it stage fright. Whatever you call that tightness in the pit of your stomach, sweaty palms, and racing heart, we’ve all experienced it. Public speaking still ranks as a top fear. Even professional … Continue reading → -
Give Fear the Finger
7 May 2013 | 1:45 pmIf you’re like most people, you avoid public speaking like the plague. But that’s a recipe for failure. Successful people must have good presentation skills and speak to build their reputations and expertise. What most public speakers do, is resist … Continue reading → -
Press Release: Students Rock FWA Dinner Speeches
30 Apr 2013 | 12:12 pmFor Immediate Release DiResta Coaches Student Award Winners for Annual FWA Awards Dinner New York (April 29, 2013) — Two students, Ashley and Fang Fang, stole the show last night as they gave their two minute acceptance speeches to 600 … Continue reading →
-
TEDTalks (video)
-
TED: Judy MacDonald Johnston: Prepare for a good end of life - Judy MacDonald Johnston (2013)
22 May 2013 | 7:58 amThinking about death is frightening, but planning ahead is practical and leaves more room for peace of mind in our final days. In a solemn, thoughtful talk, Judy MacDonald Johnston shares 5 practices for planning for a good end of life. -
TED: Phil Hansen: Embrace the shake - Phil Hansen (2013)
21 May 2013 | 8:00 amIn art school, Phil Hansen developed an unruly tremor in his hand that kept him from creating the pointillist drawings he loved. Hansen was devastated, floating without a sense of purpose. Until a neurologist made a simple suggestion: embrace this limitation ... and transcend it. -
TED: Peter Singer: The why and how of effective altruism - Peter Singer (2013)
20 May 2013 | 8:23 amIf you're lucky enough to live without want, it's a natural impulse to be altruistic to others. But, asks philosopher Peter Singer, what's the most effective way to give? He talks through some surprising thought experiments to help you balance emotion and practicality -- and make the biggest impact with whatever you can share. -
TED: Sergey Brin: Why Google Glass? - Sergey Brin (2013)
17 May 2013 | 8:03 amIt's not a demo, more of a philosophical argument: Why did Sergey Brin and his team at Google want to build an eye-mounted camera/computer, codenamed Glass? Onstage at TED2013, Brin calls for a new way of seeing our relationship with our mobile computers -- not hunched over a screen but meeting the world heads-up. -
TED: Jay Silver: Hack a banana, make a keyboard! - Jay Silver (2013)
16 May 2013 | 8:06 amWhy can't two slices of pizza be used as a slide clicker? Why shouldn't you make music with ketchup? In this charming talk, inventor Jay Silver talks about the urge to play with the world around you. He shares some of his messiest inventions, and demos MaKey MaKey, a kit for hacking everyday objects.
-
Why I Love This Job
-
The Hidden Value of Your Stories
21 May 2013 | 10:00 amContinuing our theme on the power of storytelling, today's guest blog post is by author, speaker and comedian Judy Carter. Based on her new book The Message of You, Judy speaks about the power and humor behind the stories that make up our lives – and how anyone can use those stories to make a difference in other people’s lives – including their own. Share a story that made a difference in your life, or a story you shared that made a difference in another person's life, in the comments below! Do you have a secret stash of dinner party stories, or stories you tell friends in a… -
A Storytelling Moment With Kelly Swanson
26 Mar 2013 | 9:15 amToday's guest blog post is by Kelly Swanson. Kelly is an award-winning storyteller, comedian, motivational speaker, author of Who Hijacked My Fairy Tale? and creator of Prides Hollow and the wacky cast of southern characters who help you see beyond your obstacles, coach you through stress and change, and help you get from where you are stuck to where you want to be – laughing every step of the way. Kelly left the world of professional storytelling to become a motivational speaker and comedian, where she was surprised to learn that her background as a professional storyteller would turn… -
Going Verbally Viral: The How & Why
20 Mar 2013 | 10:15 amToday's guest post is by Brian Walter, founder of Extreme Meetings. He provides customized infotainment to make meetings memorable. Last month Brian stopped into our office and our team agreed his humor made his visit one of our most memorable meetings this year! Viral is now a good thing. And something you want to spread throughout your company, starting at your next large meeting. Express key concepts in a way that makes them go verbally viral throughout your organization. Thanks to the Internet, we have re-defined the rapid infection rates of a… -
Keynote on Unbroken's Biggest Question: Who Should Play Louis?
12 Mar 2013 | 10:30 amToday's blog post is a guest piece by Keynote's Marketing Assistant, Nicole Newton, who worked at a movie theater from 2007-2011 and, as a result, has seen almost every movie to hit theaters during her "career in the industry." A movie rendition of Louis Zamperini's incredible life has been on the drawing board for over 55 years, but it's been gaining visible momentum since 2010, when author Laura Hillenbrand published "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption." Since its publication, "Unbroken" has remained on… -
TED2013: Keynote's Newest TED-Head Weighs In
4 Mar 2013 | 9:53 amToday's guest post is by Nicole Newton, Keynote's Marketing Assistant and newest TED-Head. TED has transformed into a staple for spreading revolutionary ideas. TED2013 was a dramatic shift in the history of TED, implementing a different approach with its speaker selection to give a powerful voice to "The Young. The Wise. The Undiscovered." In our business we work with inspiring and thought-provoking speakers every day, but we always look forward to hearing new voices at TED. In a recent interview TED curator Chris Anderson explains how he found new…
-
Public Speaking Library
-
Backing the call
22 May 2013 | 6:48 amFellow speaker,According to professional speaker Patricia Fripp, you can use a callback to remind the audience of something they have already heard:Reinforces an already introduced pointCall back to a character the audience has already been introduced toBring back an emotion or feeling in your storyCalling,Tim WilsonProfessional Speech CoachFree speaking tips at: http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com -
Pointing with power
21 May 2013 | 7:54 amFellow speaker,According to professional speaker Patricia Fripp, when using Powerpoint (or some other slide presentation software):Introduce idea before showing visualShow visual in silence (allows audience to focus on slide)Blank the screen and discuss visual (brings attention back to you)Getting attention,Tim WilsonProfessional Speech CoachFree speaking tips at: http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com -
Time to transition
20 May 2013 | 8:19 amFellow speaker,According to professional speaker Patricia Fripp, you can transition in your speech through:Dialogue - the end of a conversation between you and someone else brings up the next subject to discussTalent - use singing, magic acts, or some other special talent as a way to link up your topicsVisualizing a diagram - instead of handouts, describe a simple diagram to your audience and step them through the different parts of the diagram - each step is a transition pointMoving out,Tim WilsonProfessional Speech CoachFree speaking tips at: http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com -
Moving along...
19 May 2013 | 4:17 pmFellow speaker,According to professional speaker Patricia Fripp, you can transition in your speech through:Acronyms - explain each letter in your acronym and transition between each letter (e.g., "After you take Action the next step is to have the "C.")Phrase - could be in parallel transitions (e.g., "Dave is a crazy man [story about Dave] Dave got me acting crazy [story about you]")Repeat the phrase - say the same phrase over and over (e.g., "Step up and step out! [make a point] That's you need to step up and step out!")Moving,Tim WilsonProfessional Speech CoachFree speaking tips at:… -
Three questions
18 May 2013 | 6:49 amFellow speaker,When creating your speech, lay it out in the order:Why? - Why should the audience care?How? - How will your speech make the audience better?What? - What does the audience need to do?Transitioning,Tim WilsonProfessional Speech CoachFree speaking tips at: http://speakingquicktips.blogspot.com
-
Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
-
I Want to Be a Better Man
14 May 2013 | 3:24 amEveryone wants to be better. We want to look better, feel better, perform better, get better results, etc…. I’ve fallen into this category and as I’ve realized as I’ve interacted with thousands of people via social media over the last couple years, I’m not the only one. I don’t think that there’s anything wrong with focusing on improving yourself – after all, we can do some amazing things when we improve ourselves. Lately, I’ve had a few things on my mind though. It all hit me last week when I was having a conversation with a friend. I… -
Job Interview Success: Five Things to Do Before a Job Interview
25 Apr 2013 | 3:09 amInterview preparation is something that few people do correctly. Writing down the address, contact info and grabbing a few extra resumes doesn’t cut it in today’s highly competitive job market. You should plan on spending at least two full hours preparing for an interview. If you haven’t interviewed for a while, you’ll want to spend an additional two hours doing things like having mock interviews and researching the latest interview techniques in your field. Once you’ve set aside that time, here are five things that you should do before an interview: 1. Plan Your Route:… -
Social Media Overwhelm – How to Deal with It
18 Apr 2013 | 6:46 amIf you’re not actively using social media to promote your business, you’re at a disadvantage. Services like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest are now giving small one-person businesses the exposure that used to require a six-figure marketing budget. While this additional access to potential clients is fantastic, the downside is that there’s a lot to learn and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. The good news is that by just taking a few simple steps, you can leverage social media to effectively promote your business. Reserve Your Spot: With new social media services popping up every… -
Why You’re Losing Twitter Followers
15 Apr 2013 | 3:24 amTwitter seems to be the social media service that people struggle with the most. In my classes, I tend to do a lot more explaining about it than services that are much more straightforward. Still, I think it’s the best service for making new connections if you can figure out what you’re doing. I’ve explained how to use Twitter in another post, but one thing I’ve never gotten into to detail with is the mystery of why people unfollow other users. Twitter users tend to be more finicky and unstable than the other services due to two reasons. First, most Twitter users don’t really…
-
Patti Wood MA, CSP. Speaker Body Language Expert Blog
-
Hidden Personality Clues
30 Apr 2013 | 11:01 amPatti was recently interview by Match.com about Hidden Personality Clues. Click the link belowto read the full article and find out what characteristics your date’s facial shape reveals!http://www.match.com/cp.aspx?cpp=/cppp/magazine/article0.html&articleid=13315&ER=sessiontimeoutPatti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. -
Sneeze Personality Survey
25 Apr 2013 | 5:54 am1. Write one word that best describes your sneeze. __________ 2. How do you sneeze in public? ________ … -
Shooting the Breeze about Sneezing!
25 Apr 2013 | 5:24 amShooting the Breeze about SneezingBy Patti A. Woodwww.pattiwood.netOfficial spokesperson for Benadryl and creator of the “Benadryl Sneeze Analysis”What is a sneeze?It is a sudden, violent, spasmodic, audible expiration of breath through the nose and mouth. What it going on in the body during a sneeze?Something irritates the lining in our nostrils. That irritation excites your trigeminal nerve. (An excited nerve tends to get frisky.) The impulse travels to a set of neurons in the brain stem called the “sneezing center.” It’s a lot like an astronaut saying, “Houston, we have a… -
What's Behind Roger Goodell's Draft Day Hugs?
22 Apr 2013 | 3:43 pmPatti was interviewed by ESPN to analyze the body language behind Roger Goodell's Draft Day hugs. Click the link below to read Patti's insights into the body language of Goodell's hugfest!http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/fandom/post/_/id/21119/a-brief-history-of-goodells-nfl-hugfestPatti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at… -
Body Language Read of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez
21 Apr 2013 | 12:40 pmPatti has analyzed a recent picture of Justin and Selena that has hit the internet for Hollywoodlife. Check the link below to read her insights!http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/04/21/justin-bieber-selena-gomez-reunion-wants-more-love-together/Patti Wood, MA, Certified Speaking Professional - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com. Also check out Patti's YouTube channel at…
-
The presentation skills blog...
-
What’s wrong with being a motivational speaker?
13 May 2013 | 12:26 amIn self-defence, before I start, let me make it clear I’m not saying all motivational speakers are a waste of time. I’ve seen some great ones – recently! So I’m not saying the whole niche is full or jokers. Nope, not at all. Far from it. There are some great motivational speakers doing some great [...] -
A quick and dirty presentation tip (video)
10 May 2013 | 2:19 amA quick and simple technique for warming up your face (and therefore part of your voice!) before you make your presentation… … with thanks to Durham University Business School for the video. -
60 presentation tips is….
7 May 2013 | 1:52 pm… now available on the Kindle! And we couldn’t be more pleased. The book of presentation tips and mini-articles “60 tips” has been available as a PDF download for a while now (http://presentation-skills-blog.co.uk/downloads/60-tips-in-30-days/) and people love it. Of course, you can still also get the 60 tips emailed to you over 30 days (http://presentation-skills-blog.co.uk/60-presentation-tips-in-30-days/) and [...] -
Raybould’s Rule for presentations number six
15 Apr 2013 | 12:57 amBefore we start, you can get hold of rules one to five here. It might be a good idea to read them before you read this, to get a feel for how seriously to take this! Raybould’s Rule number six is simple: more mouse clicks than key strokes. I’ve long contended that presentations should be [...] -
You’re not important – get over it.
8 Apr 2013 | 1:23 amI’m a bit of a traditionalist (in some areas of my life at least). The main ways in which that really manifests tend to be to do with Christmas – but there are other ways. One of them is how I start training sessions… it’s more often than not with a round robin of who [...]
-
Public Words
-
Communication Is Different Now
21 May 2013 | 8:45 amThis is the first of three blog posts inspired by Nicco Mele’s new book, The End of Big Twenty-first century communication has changed how we connect to the world in three essential ways: connectivity, authenticity, and style. The first way is obvious to any sentient being within reach of the digital world. As Nicco Mele notes in his brilliant book about the darker implications of the digital revolution, The End of Big, “Radical connectivity – our breathtaking ability to send vast amounts of data instantly, constantly, and globally – has all but transformed politics,… -
On the Job: Don’t kiss off the Q&A
20 May 2013 | 5:00 pmYou’ve just finished your big presentation and take a quiet breath of relief. Not so fast. A critical part of your presentation is about to take place. And if you’re not careful, it could spin out of control and undo all your hard work. That’s because it’s now time for the question-and-answer period. Be prepared to wait a full 6 seconds. That’s how long it can take before someone responds. » Nick Morgan Read the full article in USA Today » By Anita Bruzzese, Gannett -
How to make sure your 20-minute speech has a long-lasting impact
16 May 2013 | 7:44 amI’ve been working recently with clients on more and more 20-minute speeches. As I indicated in an earlier blog post, it’s the era of shorter speeches. Fidel Castro holds forth no more, and Hugo Chavez is gone altogether, so multi-hour practitioners are on the wane, but the rest of us are expected to bring it in under an hour more and more frequently. My fearless prediction is that 20-minute speeches will become the new norm. I think that’s a mixed blessing. No one ever complained when a speech ran shorter than the allotted time, and we’re all busy, so briefer is better – up to a… -
5 Essential, OBVIOUS, Basic Public Speaking Tips
14 May 2013 | 9:31 amHere are 5 essential public speaking tips that are so obvious you should be embarrassed if you’re not doing them already. 1. Make eye contact. That means picking individual members of the audience, talking to them just like you’re having a conversation, with the eye contact that naturally goes with that. DON’T look over the audience’s heads. 2. Know your audience. That means understanding their issues, their concerns, their hopes and their dreams. You’re not ready to talk to an audience if you don’t know what’s on their minds.. 3. Stand up straight. Check your… -
Why Go to the Trouble of Telling Stories?
9 May 2013 | 4:45 amPeople often ask me about storytelling in speeches – why should they go to the trouble to come up with good stories, what does it mean to tell a story, and how do you do it. They’re all good questions. Let me take them in turn. Why go to the trouble? Because if you take the other road – informing the audience of something – no matter how interesting the information, you’ll run up against the limitation of the brain and quickly overtax your audience. We can only remember, they say, 7 plus or minus 2 things. Most of the time, I think you only get to tell an audience 4 or 5…
-
Craig Strachan - Keep Talking!
-
Presenter View; a quick tip
6 May 2013 | 5:53 amHere is a quick tip to make your PowerPoint presentations a little more effective. If you setup Presenter View, you can see a great summary of your presentation on your laptop screen, and show the regular presentation on the projector screen. So when I give a presentation, I see something like this. Presenter View You can see which slide you are on, speaker notes, slide number, the next slide, timing etc. Anyway, it is very simply to setup, just goto the slideshow menu and activate Presenter View. Note that it will only be available when you have an external monitor connected. Presenter View -
Shopping with Cybercellar; a lesson in customer service
29 Apr 2013 | 6:07 amFirst of all full disclosure; Cybercellar gave me a R100 discount voucher to try out their website with the aim of writing a blog post about it “if you feel that we are worth mentioning, we believe we are!, it will be appreciated.” Well they gave me R100 to spend on wine; of course I am going to use it! And I am going to mention my experience because in some ways it was amazing, and in some ways about the worst I have ever experienced. But whatever happened, there are lessons here. The story in brief. The downhill experience… I ordered 6 bottles of wine on the evening of 9 April, and… -
DEVONThink or Evernote?
28 Mar 2013 | 4:26 amI have been a paid user of Evernote for a couple of years and have always found it to be a very good service. However I have become recently more and more frustrated in it, in particular changing the MAC interface to a complex and unintuitive interface, and the reliability of the sycing between the cloud and the IOS app. So I have been looking for an alternative, and I think I may have found it in DEVONThink pro. Since both DEVONThink and Evernote are used to store and find pretty much anything stored in notebooks (e.g. notes, documents, images, PDF etc), they pretty much do the same thing. -
Author, Publisher, Entrepreneur: How to publish a book
27 Feb 2013 | 11:37 amAuthor, Publisher, Entrepreneur: How to publish a book, by Guy Kawasaki and Shawn Welch Although I would like to publish an ebook at some stage, it is not something that I am looking at doing right now, so the review copy on my Kindle sat there for quote a while before I got to browsing through it. When I eventually got to it, I read the entire book cover to cover in a single day. This book is for anybody who has or is considering writing, publishing and distribution an ebook, and will save you hours of time and frustration. I have always thought the process of creating an ebook is pretty… -
10 steps to creating a really strong story
5 Dec 2012 | 4:12 amGuest post by Jim Harvey It sounds like a presentation trainer’s cliche, but it’s not. In business presentations, the story is the thing. There’s a skill and a structure to creating interesting and compelling narratives. A craft started in the verbal tradition by prehistoric man, developed by the ancient Greeks, sharpened by the French, the Italians, Spanish and British over centuries, is now made into a global, multi billion dollar industry by the Americans. Telling stories with a message is what people have always sought to do. And those who are good at it have real value in the…
-
The Eloquent Woman
-
London notebook: Lessons from speakers and speechwriters at #ESN2013
22 May 2013 | 2:15 amThe view from lunch with a speaker When you say "yes" to an invitation to speak, you hope it embraces you in return, and that's exactly what happened on my trip to London last week to give the closing keynote at the International Speechwriting Conference. As one whose biggest motivators are intellectual challenges and creativity, this conference was a perfect fit for me. I have weeks of great blog posts to come, but wanted to share these notes from my trip, particularly as they relate to my topic of women and public speaking. I think it's better than a handout: Before the conference,… -
The Eloquent Woman's weekly speaker toolkit
20 May 2013 | 2:15 amI'd love to see you along with the readers who are fans of The Eloquent Woman on Facebook. That's where you can see these good reads, resources and ideas from other sources, in addition to posts from the blog. But I'm also sharing those finds right here, from the week just past, just in case you missed them: Back-pocket help for speakers: Any of us might need this handy list of 14 ways to be fearless. Negotiating is tough. Here's a guide to when to use your heart and when to use your head in negotiations. About the quote: This fiery gem from author Ursula Leguin originally… -
13 famous human rights speeches by women from The Eloquent Woman Index
16 May 2013 | 10:45 pmWe've already rounded up famous speeches by women about voting rights, but women are frequent speakers on human rights of all kinds. Here's a baker's dozen of speeches on a wide range of rights--and wrongs--by women who've inspired us from the mid-19th century to this century, listed here in chronological order so you can see the progression: Sojourner Truth's "Ain't I a Woman?" speech is one of the most frequently quoted speeches about the rights of women and of women of color, yet even its title may have been added later by others altering her words. Even so, it's an inspiring view of… -
Working metaphors throughout a message: @rosannecash & @ivanoransky
14 May 2013 | 10:45 pmWhen I'm coaching speakers who want to use an analogy or a metaphor, most of the time, they spend a lot of time thinking about the metaphor--and then toss it away in a moment. It's a one-liner, a clever riposte, a throwaway line, sometimes. I much prefer to find ways to work the metaphor or analogy all the way through a talk or presentation. Not to beat it to death in a heavy-handed way, mind you, but to get the full use of it. It may seem like an intellectual exercise, but sometimes, working your way through a metaphor or analogy in a thorough way will help a speaker see holes in her… -
The Eloquent Woman's weekly speaker toolkit
12 May 2013 | 10:28 pmReaders who are fans of The Eloquent Woman on Facebook see these good reads, resources and ideas from other sources there, in addition to posts from the blog. You can keep up with the pack right here, with the finds I shared in the week just past: Around the water cooler, Hello Ladies blog is finding that Sheryl Sandberg's is making it easier for women to speak up at work about gender issues. Strike a pose, but make it a confident one. Here's another look at how a confident stance helps lower stress and boost confidence, two things every speaker needs. Get out those…
-
Executive Speech Coach - Business Presentations
-
And now a few words from our sponsors
13 May 2013 | 7:00 amHow to get more visitors to your tradeshow boothEach conference sponsor had a booth in the tradeshow room and they were invited to the main stage to say a few words. This was an important opportunity that many of the sponsors failed to recognize.Several sponsors took their turn at the microphone and bored us. They were clearly unprepared. Then one sponsor caught my attention with his first words. I listened to every word he said. As I looked around, it seemed that he had caught the attention of the entire audience.What did this sponsor do differently that made him stand out?First read what he… -
How to Make Stats More Interesting
16 Apr 2013 | 7:46 amWatch this video to discover:1. how to take stats from boring to brilliant and2. how to make charts on your slides more entertaining and instructive.This video is from a TED talk by Hans Rosling. When I first heard the topic and saw the typical chart displayed I expected a boring lecture. I was delightfully suprised. I enjoyed the presentation and understand his message.If you thought that a presentation packed with statistics has to be boring, watch this and enjoy.Presentation Tips on Twitter Presentation Skills Club on Facebook Executive Speech CoachBusiness presentation tips from… -
Superior Presentations 67: Don't Say Sorry
10 Apr 2013 | 4:00 amDon't say sorry.It happens. You're speaking to a group and you stumble on a word or make a mistake. The temptation is to immediately blurt out "Sorry" or some variation of that word. Don't say sorry when you make mistakes during your presentation. Instead, collect your thoughts as quickly as you can, restate the point correctly and move on. There are three reasons why you shouldn't say sorry: 1. Often many of the people in your audience weren't listening closely and they missed the error. But when you say "sorry" you unnecessarily draw attention to the fact that you made a mistake. 2. When… -
How to start your sales presentation
27 Mar 2013 | 1:19 pmWhat’s the best way to start a sales presentation?Start with a success story about how you helped one of your clients.The big mistake is to start with a story about your company, founder and vision statement. Your prospects don’t care about any part of that. Instead, start with a story about how you helped a client achieve success. Describe the initial condition or prospect’s challenge. Tell how you helped them and then talk about the results.Example:One of my clients was on a losing streak. He was making presentations to clients and getting shut out. After I coached the CEO on his… -
Corruption Implied by These Words
25 Mar 2013 | 7:30 am"Thank you doesn't butter my bread.“What are we going to do?”"The question is difficult to solve, but possible""You need a weightier argument,""We'll sort it out."These phrases are part of a list that the Kremlin has instructed Russian government officials to avoid using. The reason is that these phrases are a few of the ones that have been used to extract bribes and gifts. (As reported in the Guardian)The Kremlin is hoping to reduce the amount of corruption within the Russian government. Cutting down on corruption seems like a good idea. By identifying key words that have been…
-
Jane Atkinson, Speaker Launcher Blog, Speaker Coach, Presentation Skills, Speakers Bureaus
-
Technology Bonanza: Must Have Apps for Speakers
21 May 2013 | 10:28 amWhether you are a new speaker, or someone who has been around awhile, there’s always some new technology that you haven’t heard about. We’ll explore the various apps and software for running your speaking business more smoothly. SPEECHES: After researching Powerpoint, Keynote (by Apple) and Prezi - Prezi came off as the coolest (but comes with a learning curve) with Keynote as a close second. CRM/DATABASE SOFTWARE: To keep track of your leads and prospects, you must have something in place. An Excel spreadsheet isn’t going to cut it for long. Infusionsoft… -
Finding the Perfect Speaker Agent
20 Mar 2013 | 10:12 pm“I’d love to find someone to sell me.” That’s a statement I hear about once a week. But from what I’ve seen over the past 20 years, it’s easier said than done. Having been in the role of agent for the first 10 years of my career, I understand it well. The job description may include: Sales, marketing, customer relations, database management, gig management, product management, and so on… it can go all the way down to feeding the office fish! (Thanks Vince). The key to hiring successfully, I believe, is on the front end. Making sure that you have the… -
Why Does “Real” Sell?
6 Mar 2013 | 6:07 amOne of the greatest moments at this year’s Oscars was when Jennifer Lawrence, who won for “Silver Linings Playbook,” fell up the stairs on the way to her acceptance speech. During the subsequent standing ovation, she said “you guys are only standing up because I fell and you feel bad. That was embarrassing!” This girl is real. She doesn’t take herself too seriously. That’s what we want to be as speakers. People who can laugh when we stumble. On the other hand, Anne Hathaway is a terrific example of poised and polished, but guess what? Nobody likes… -
Trading Time for Coffee
31 Jan 2013 | 7:19 amThe coaching program that I’m involved in this year has really got me working hard to value my time, and to recognize when I’m spending it poorly. Are you spending your time effectively? For instance, you’ve been around the block in the speaking industry and emerging speakers are calling (for some of you, weekly) to ask if you will have a coffee with them to help them get launched. Is this a good use of your time? I’m all for mentoring, but I think you have to be realistic about how much you can do. Many people, because they get so many calls, start to think,… -
Are You Having a Mid-life Business Crisis?
21 Jan 2013 | 10:49 amIt’s not uncommon for us to look outside the walls of our business and wish we were somewhere else. This is certainly what led to my own Mid-Life Business Crisis (MLBC). After 15 years in the speaking industry, I thought ”hey, I should do something different”. That was what led me to believe that I could indeed straddle two lanes (which I could not) and write the Frog book. The Frog Whisperer: A 3-Step Approach to Finding Lasting Love was born out of crisis. I really wanted a change of scenery. But as I wrote in detail in The Wealthy Speaker 2.0 – it was a…
-
Great Speaking Coach
-
How to Hold Your Audience in Rapt Attention
13 May 2013 | 2:03 pmThere is magic in those moments when everyone in the audience is paying full attention to you. You don't need to be a sleight-of-hand magician to make this happen. You only need to tell a great story. A powerful example of how a great story is like magic was reported in the news about Bill Clinton speaking at Howard University's 2013 graduation. Clinton described his visit to Indonesia and a tour through the camps sheltering many tens of thousands of those left homeless by the tsunami in 2004. Clinton praised the handsomeness of a 10 year old boy. The interpreter told Clinton that… -
Do You Know Likability Makes Influence Possible?
7 May 2013 | 7:18 am"Organize the facts logcially" or "create an incontrovertible formula" or "collect a zillion proof points." I've heard these approaches to being persuasive thousands of times over the years. Yet the study of human psychology shows that these "left brain" approaches hardly ever work, or don't work on their own to influence behavior. What does work well is being likable. Likabiltiy is one of 6 influence factors identified by Ribert Cialdini, PhD. proven to make a difference in the behavior of people. The stronger your likability, especially… -
Sometimes You Just Have to Stop Revising
2 May 2013 | 6:54 amIs there one set of words that is perfect? That could never be improved upon? That wouldn't benefit from just one more tweak? Probably not. If for no other reason, as we and our circumstances change, our thinking changes and we could continue to revise ad infinitum. Sometimes you just have to stop revising. It may be the fifth, eighth or tenth time and then you've got it. Additional revisions will just make your content weaker, more labored, more stilted, more distant from the original thought that prompted the writing in the first place. Here's an example: After several… -
Establish Your Unique Identity
26 Apr 2013 | 8:56 amDo you compare yourself to someone else? You're "sort of like..." or "in the style of..." or "a knock off of..." Stop it immediately! The original person X or person Y is likely online in many media. If you identify yourself in terms of person X or Y, you'll simply send your listeners or readers or followers to that other person and they can do so with a few taps of a finger. Why would they listen to you when they can go directly to the original? Put your efforts into working diligently and thoughtfully to be the very best YOU. What makes you who you… -
Relevance: Your Speeches Must Keep Pace with Rapid Changes in the World
24 Apr 2013 | 8:48 amYour audiences require value, a return on the investment they've made to show up and listen to you. You only give that to them by talking about views and visions that are constantly refreshed. Any speech or segment of a speech that is more than 3 months old does not pass the relevance test. Get rid of it. Not only has the world changed in the past few months, all the people in it--and in your audiences--have changed too. What was fresh and new a few months ago is either now accepted practice or has gone by the wayside. People today are quick to adopt, adapt or discard. You will give…
-
TJ WALKER
-
com.onescreen.widgets.load('4693-882b1c157d6362f85a685c77b3bda45c', 'os_dmp_embed'); This application requires JavaScript.
25 Apr 2013 | 7:17 am -
George W. Bush Library Opens – Was Bush Worst 2-Term President Ever?
25 Apr 2013 | 6:13 amRecent public opinion polls show former President George W. Bush’s approval ratings improving with the American public. But is there a case to be made that Bush was the worst two-term President ever? Consider the following: *Security. More American citizens were killed on US soil (9/11) than under any other president. *Debt. Bush tax cuts left the country in greater debt than under any previous President. *Peace. 2 Bush wars, started under false pretenses, resulted in thousands of American soldiers dead. *International Reputation. The Bush pre-emptive wars left the US reputation around… -
TJ Walker Show Jan 31, 2013
31 Jan 2013 | 9:16 am -
TJ Walker Show Jan 30, 2013
30 Jan 2013 | 10:03 am -
TJ Walker Show Jan 28, 2013
28 Jan 2013 | 9:32 am
-
Funny Happiness Motivational Speaker Brad Montgomery
-
Get Your People Out of Their Seats! They’ll Never Forget It!
13 May 2013 | 7:32 pmIt’s Electric! It’s Kinetic! It’s Frenetic!What energizes your group, lifts up the mood, galvanizes action? A FLASH MOB!What is an The? • A Spectacle • An out of your chair, interactive, team-building phenomena • A fun, easy-to-learn dance designed to surprise and energize, and teach your groupHow does it Work? • A ruse gets your leadership team out of the room for 5 minutes • Brad teaches the rest a uber -simple dance they’ll surprise themselves with. • Your group SURPRISES your leadership team with the impromptu FLASH MOB!But We don’t have Enough… -
Aw Shucks! You Said What?!??
5 May 2013 | 9:28 amI’m just back from doing my motivational speaker thing for a healthcare group in Georgia.I thought the program went really well.… The audience came along nicely, the reviews were terrific, the valuations were flattering. But when I turned my camera onto my meeting planner he was kind enough to raise as well.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6J0OFnJynsIf you are looking for a motivational speaker for your business audience or healthcare audience I would love to be your guy. Give us a call and we’ll talk about how we will customize a program just for you, your audience, their… -
Is Your Speaking Or Creating Change?
3 May 2013 | 8:54 amCan Your Motivational Speaker REALLY Create Change?I just spoke for an amazing group of healthcare management administrators in Georgia. These are the good people who are behind the management side of healthcare. They hired me to be an motivational speaker, but they also needed a strong business message… They needed an outsider to help them face the incredible changes that are rocking their jobs.I was flattered when my client — my meeting planner, David — told me that one of his favorite parts of the keynote was to see that his audience changed from the start to the end.At the beginning… -
Your PowerPoint Blows; Here’s a Tip
1 May 2013 | 7:06 amA new litmus test for your PowerPoint presentation.I have very strong feelings about the use of PowerPoint. In my estimation 99.5% of all PowerPoint presentations absolutely blow.I mean they are horrible. Tragic. Embarrassing. But goody for you, based on my 25 years experience as a professional presenter and motivational speaker, I have a couple of tips to ensure you are in that tiny percentage of presenters who can create an interesting, relevant, and fun PowerPoint.The two things you need to know about PowerPoint are One: you have too many words; and Two: you have too many slides.First,… -
Can Your Speaker Deliver the Goods? Are You Sure?
30 Apr 2013 | 4:51 pmI recently worked as a healthcare motivational speaker for 250 nurses in a Colorado hospital. These nurses are doing a lot of amazing things dealing with change… And their leaders they asked me to come in to encourage them and help put all of the incredible changes our healthcare system in general, and their hospital in particular are going through into perspective. And to give their nurses some concrete suggestions and tactics to be both better leaders and to better manage change.We had a great time. There was a ton of laughter in that room. But what I think is more important is…
-
Public Speakers Blog
-
Are You REALLY a Thought Leader?
2 May 2013 | 5:36 amThe speaking business is made up of thought leaders and thought followers. Bill Gove was a thought leader. Larry Wilson was a thought leader. Bob Proctor is a thought leader. Most speakers are simply regurgitating the thoughts of others. The question is, are you REALLY a thought leader? What differentiates you from other speakers? What is your unique point of view on your subject of expertise? Have you taken a clear and bold position that establishes you as a thought leader? These are among the most important questions all speakers must answer. Watch this short video I taped in Minneapolis… -
The Hottest Speaking Topic in 2013
2 Apr 2013 | 7:09 pmWhat is the hottest speaking topic in 2013? Watch this short video to find out and I’ll look forward to your comments. YouTube [See post to watch Flash video] -
Speaking Legend Tribute: George Morrisey
24 Mar 2013 | 6:54 pmI was honored to have speaking legend George Morrisey, CSP, CPAE and Cavett Award Winner in my audience last week at the Central Florida Speakers Association in Tampa. George Morrisey is 86 years old and the author of 19 books. He’s one of the great legends of the speaking, training, consulting business. Watch this short interview I did with Mr. Morrisey before my speech. YouTube [See post to watch Flash video] -
Speaking Legend Tribute: The Great Larry Wilson
12 Mar 2013 | 6:02 pmI’ve been lucky enough in the past 17 years to share the stage with the biggest names in the business, and this post is the first in a series of tributes to the one skill or technique that made makes them so unique. I start with the best of the best, none other than the great Larry Wilson. When Larry is on fire in front of a group, it’s a mystical experience. I’ve never seen anyone connect at a higher level to the toughest, most sophisticated audiences. When Larry Wilson speaks, corporate America’s biggest executives listen. Watch this short video and I’ll look… -
Professional Speaker Apprentice Opportunity
27 Feb 2013 | 7:04 pmThere are only a few days left to view the professional speaker apprentice webinar. This 19-minute presentation tells the truth about how most top speakers make it in this business, and it’s something all emerging speakers need to know. For some of you, the apprentice opportunity may be the break you’ve been waiting for. Watch this short video on and I’ll look forward to your comments. To view the webinar, visit http://www.mtlicense.com [See post to watch Flash video]
-
Visual, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
-
Power Pose & Stilettos - Can They Create Confidence?
24 Apr 2013 | 2:26 pmYesterday morning, I happened to catch Hoda and Kathie Lee while at the airport. Interestingly, the segment I watched featured two life coaches opining on how to "Create Confidence". They advised adopting a "power pose," citing research which demonstrated that a power pose for as little as two minutes can boost confidence, making people feel more powerful and more willing to take risks. The segment continued with advice on how to be more assertive and improve your confidence when walking into a business. Their first piece of advice: "wear stilettos". The positive attributes of that… -
Communication Styles Impact the Teachers Strike
12 Sep 2012 | 9:15 amAs the public watches reports on the Chicago teachers strike, it is hard not to notice the stark difference in communication styles of the two sides. While speaking, the Teachers Union Vice President Jesse Sharkey did not present himself as a person who is looking for a win-win. Using the word 'draconian' was a show of arrogance, not cooperation. The Union President, Karen Lewis, was calm but rather bullish on the 10:00 pm news interview when she spoke about the latest city proposal on the table. The city spokesperson, in contrast, was professional and strong, but reasonable. Are they… -
Juror Fashion - What Does It Mean?
27 Aug 2012 | 5:31 pmJurors showed up today donning sports team wear for the Drew Peterson trial. It is not as uncommon as you might think for jurors to get all matchy matchy during trial. At the Edwards trial, jurors had red, purple, grey and even black days. Sports jerseys were seen recently in a murder trial in an east coast courtroom. Scooter Libby faced a jury dressed in Valentine apparel shortly before his conviction. There are likely dozens of other unreported instances of ‘team jury’ apparel. What does it mean? It could mean the jurors are just messing with us. They want some attention, are… -
Shocking But True
30 May 2012 | 12:38 pmGuest Blog: Bill Grimes You would think intelligent, sophisticated people like federal judges and lawyers arguing high profile federal cases would know basic email jargon. WRONG! Not all of them. The lack of familiarity is right there in the transcript of the Washington, D.C. perjury trial of former baseball star Roger Clemens. Outside the presence of the jury, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton and the attorneys were discussing whether to ask witnesses questions jurors had submitted. One question referred to "email threads" between Clemens and his personal trainer. Judge Walton and Clemens’… -
When PR and Legal Advisors Collide
22 May 2012 | 11:04 amIn Friday’s Reuters article Jamie Dimon was lauded by the PR crisis management industry and warned by the legal beagles. Clearly, the two groups should spend more time talking to each other. The best path for any corporate leader in a similar position – and there do seem to be increasing numbers in this club – is to come forth with an aggressive message that is as clear and open as the crisis communication gurus suggest while also taking care avoid legal words that lawyers will later pounce on. As experts in communication, we mostly agree that some message is better than no message. The…
-
The Accidental Communicator
-
Great Speechwriters Know How To Start From The End
21 May 2013 | 2:00 amYou don’t want to start writing a speech at the beginning, instead start at the endImage Credit Quick question for you: what’s the difference between a sculptor and a painter? It turns out that the answer is pretty simple: a sculptor creates by removing, a painter creates by adding. A similar difference exists between good and not-so good speech writers. The good ones know to start writing their next speech from the end… Using The Reporter Test We all know about the importance of public speaking and since we want to be effective public speakers we are always looking for ways to… -
3 Secrets Speakers Use To Add Stories To Their Speeches
14 May 2013 | 2:00 amWhat speech wouldn’t be better with a good story?Image Credit Does your next audience really want to hear your speech? I mean really, what are they going to be doing after you are done speaking? You know about the importance of public speaking, but do they? Would they rather just get to that next thing and skip your speech? For many speakers this can be the case (especially if they are speaking just before lunch is to be served). In order to fix this problem, you’re going to have to add some stories to your next speech and that means you’re going to have to discover the 3… -
How Good Of A Speaker You Are Depends On How Well You See Yourself
7 May 2013 | 2:00 amTo become a better speaker, you have to be able to see yourself clearlyImage Credit Every speaker wants the same thing – to become a better speaker. The challenge that we all have is that although we understand the importance of public speaking, often we don’t know what we need to change in order to become better. The secret to solving this problem is to take the time to see ourselves the way that our audience does. How To Evaluate Your Next Speech Imagine for a moment that you are a professional sports star. You are only going to remain a part of the game if you keep getting better… -
The Importance of Making a Great First Impression With Your Audience
30 Apr 2013 | 2:00 amEvery audience that you meet is another opportunity to make a first impressionImage Credit Note: This article has been written by Philip J Reed on behalf of DexOne, creating small business marketing solutions. We all know about the importance of public speaking, but did you know that people size you up from the moment they see you? It’s not about being judgmental — at least not on purpose (in most cases). It’s just human nature to read the environment. In “5 Ways To Make A Killer First Impression”, Vanessa Van Patten, Author of “Human Lie Detection And Body Language… -
Public Speakers Do Better When They Lose The Script
23 Apr 2013 | 2:00 amScripts are for movies & TV shows, not speeches!Image Credit If I asked you to do a perfect job for the next speech that you gave, what would you do differently? I’m willing to bet that at least one thing that you’d do is write out a script and use it to deliver your speech. We’d all do this – it’s the best way to make sure that you don’t make a mistake, right? It turns out that it’s not the best way and I’m going to tell you why… Why Do We Want To Use Scripts? What magical power do scripts have over us – why do we seem to be drawn to them…
-
National Review Online - The Campaign Spot
-
All of Obama's Scandals Are Ultimately About Information Control
22 May 2013 | 8:43 amThere’s really no reason for the press to suggest that the recent slew of scandals involving the Obama administration -- Benghazi, the AP phone-record seizure, the snooping in James Rosen’s e-mail, the IRS's targeting of conservative groups, and so on -- are a confusing jumble. There is a very clear thread running through all of the administration’s actions: * The U.S. deputy chief of mission in Libya, Gregory Hicks, says that he was told not to speak to a member of Congress about Benghazi without a State Department lawyer present, that he received a phone call from Hillary Clinton’s… -
Can Anthony Weiner Get Voters to See Beyond His Scandals?
22 May 2013 | 8:39 amThe only thing holding back Anthony Weiner's mayoral campaign is the fact that the candidate is Anthony Weiner. The intriguing thing about Weiner's video announcing his mayoral candidacy is that if it weren't from Anthony Weiner, almost everyone would concur with his assessment of what ails the city: a cost of living that crushes the middle class, "regulations that nickel and dime small businesses to death," schools that can't provide a good education for every child, "the people who put everything they had into this city are getting priced right out of it." But voters -- and certainly the… -
Original CIA Talking Points Never Explicitly Referred to Benghazi Demonstration
22 May 2013 | 8:38 amThe Washington Post has a front-page story on the formulation of the Benghazi talking points, concluding that: a close reading of recently released government e-mails that were sent during the editing process, and interviews with senior officials from several government agencies, reveal [then–CIA Director David] Petraeus’ early role and ambitions in going well beyond the [House Intelligence] Committee’s request, apparently to produce a set of talking points favorable to his image and agency. The story certainly reads like a hit on Petraeus -- who, of course, did not respond to the… -
Benghazi's Perpetrators, Still Running Free
22 May 2013 | 7:38 amToday's Morning Jolt features a look at Lois Lerner pleading the Fifth, Anthony Bourdain's recent trip to Libya, some transactional journalism at the White House, and then this development#...# Benghazi: The Story the Obama Administration Would Prefer We Forgot About Sorry, families of Benghazi victims. We know who killed your loved ones, but we just don’t have enough to prosecute yet: The U.S. has identified five men who might be responsible for the attack on the diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, last year, and has enough evidence to justify seizing them by military force as suspected… -
'The Loop' Never Extends All the Way to the Oval Office
21 May 2013 | 9:20 amThe “worst tornado in the history of the world” hit the Oklahoma City suburbs yesterday. You know what to do: American Red Cross. Salvation Army. Recovers.org. Mercury One is organizing two truckloads from the Dallas area. The Tuesday edition of the Morning Jolt begins#...# Hey, I’m Just the President, Nobody Ever Tells Me Anything Around Here. Let me get this straight: To hear Jay Carney tell it, the president is pleased that no one in his senior staff told him that the IRS was targeting his political enemies? Senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Denis McDonough,…
-
New Republic
-
Jamie Dimon Blackmailed His Own Bank—and Won
21 May 2013 | 9:00 pmLast year, an unheralded shareholder proposal to split the chairman and CEO positions at JPMorgan Chase—both currently held by Jamie Dimon—captured 40 percent of the vote. This year, the proposal had much more fanfare, riding a wave of -
Fourteen Tech Founders NOT Wearing Hoodies
21 May 2013 | 9:00 pmIn the wake of Yahoo's Tumblr acquisition, the New York Times has a mini-profile of David Karp, the microblogging site's founder. We are informed, -
The Oklahoma Tornado Is Proof That Local TV News Can Still Be Powerful
21 May 2013 | 7:44 pmAmid all the expensive camerawork and sharp matching windbreakers on the major TV networks’ coverage of Monday's tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, the best dispatches largely came from local TV news. In the Times, Brian Stelter -
Grilled Apple
21 May 2013 | 5:10 pmIt's possible that no chief executive going before the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has had a more friendly hearing room than Apple CEO Tim Cook.An Apple logo stared at him comfortingly from the official notetaker's desk. About half of the reporters at the tables behind him we -
I'm Not a Sadist, You Sadists!
21 May 2013 | 2:50 pmLast week I wrote two unrelated articles for The New Republic. One was a defense of people’s right to oppose gay marriage. It charged that dissident voices on this subject were being suppressed (alt
-
George F. Will: Most Recent Articles and Archives
-
Obama’s tapped-out trust
16 May 2013 | 1:21 pmLeaving aside the seriousness of lawlessness, and the corruption of our civic culture by the professionally pious, this past week has been amusing. There was the spectacle of advocates of an ever-larger regulatory government expressing shock about such government’s large capacity for misbehavior. And, entertainingly, the answer to the question “Will Barack Obama’s scandals derail his second-term agenda?” was a question: What agenda? Read full article >> -
In IRS scandal, echoes of Watergate
13 May 2013 | 11:43 am“He has, acting personally and through his subordinates and agents, endeavored to cause, in violation of the constitutional rights of citizens, income tax audits or other income tax investigations to be initiated or conducted in a discriminatory manner.” Read full article >> -
On immigration, Charles Dickens matters
10 May 2013 | 5:53 pmCharles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” is a gooey confection of seasonal sentiment. It also is an economic manifesto that Dickens hoped would hit with “twenty thousand times the force” of a political tract. It concerned a 19th-century debate that is pertinent to today’s argument about immigration. Read full article >> -
Obama’s false hopes for 2014 — and his legacy
8 May 2013 | 6:05 pmThirty-one months ago Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell affronted the media and other custodians of propriety by saying something common-sensical. On Oct. 23, 2010, he said: “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” He meant that America needed conservative change from the statist course of Obama’s presidency (the stimulus, Obamacare, etc.), therefore America needed a president who would not veto such change. Read full article >> -
Muzzling free speech about taxes
4 May 2013 | 9:00 pm“The legislative department is everywhere extending the sphere of its activity, and drawing all power into its impetuous vortex.” — James Madison, Federalist 48 But under today’s regulatory state, which Madison could hardly have imagined, the legislature, although still a source of much mischief, is not the principal threat to liberty. Suppose a federal executive department flagrantly abused its regulatory powers for the unmistakable purpose of suppressing truthful speech that annoys the government. If you assume the Supreme Court would rectify this assault on the First Amendment’s…
-
The Speakers Group is Your Speakers Bureau for Leading Motivational Speakers and Experts» Blog
-
WATCH: How to Increase Your Productivity as an Entrepreneur
9 May 2013 | 7:14 pmAre you falling victim to hidden obstacles that get in the way of business productivity and profit? In this new video from successful entrepreneur and productivity expert, Eben Pagan, you’ll learn five steps to increase your productivity, and you’ll be inspired and motivated to focus more of your energy on doing those things that grow your business. -
Want some “good advice” for a better life and better business?
19 Mar 2013 | 10:00 amI recently asked a select group of our speakers for their “best advice to live a better life and build a better business” in the year ahead. Their responses are contained within this new ebook: Good Advice to Help You Live a Better Life and Build a Better Business. Read here: Good Advice for a [...] -
Should you work with a speakers bureau or book direct? A speaker’s opinion…
18 Feb 2013 | 2:28 pmOne of our speakers, Jeff Salz, just posted a great article for event professionals titled “Three Wishes Before You Put a Hold on My Calendar.” I encourage you to read the full article (and I’ll give you the link in a moment), but I wanted to highlight what he said about working with speakers bureaus [...] -
Fiscal Cliff Looms, Ed Brodow Shares Key to Successful Negotiations
28 Dec 2012 | 12:47 pmAt this very minute, leaders from the House and Senate are said to be huddling with the president for “last-ditch” talks. Will they finally reach an agreement to avoid the looming fiscal cliff? Ed Brodow, negotiation expert and member of The Speakers Group, says there’s only one way it will happen: “The only way this [...] -
Doug Lipp, Former Disney Trainer, Shares Leadership Lessons in New Book: Disney U
22 Dec 2012 | 1:44 pmIn helping Walt Disney create “The Happiest Place on Earth,” Van France and his team started a business revolution in 1955 that eventually became the Disney University — the employee training and development program that powers one of the most famous brands on earth. Now Doug Lipp, renowned speaker and former head of the training [...]
-
The Public Speaker's Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills
-
204 TPS The Power of Visualization (Part 1)
16 May 2013 | 4:05 pmOprah does it. Jim Carrey does it. Even Olympic medal winners do it. Lisa B. Marshall explains the power of visualization. Learn what visualization really means and how successful people use it. -
203 TPS How to Create a Podcast (Part 3)
9 May 2013 | 4:05 pmPodcasting is more popular than ever. Technology has made it so simple to access podcast content that you can listen from anywhere at any time. Get more tips from The Public Speaker, Lisa B. Marshall, for expanding your reach with podcasts. -
202 TPS How to Create a Podcast (Part 2)
2 May 2013 | 4:05 pmPodcasting is more popular than ever. Get tips from The Public Speaker, Lisa B. Marshall, for expanding your reach with podcasts. -
201 TPS How to Create a Podcast
25 Apr 2013 | 4:05 pmPodcasting is more popular than ever. Technology has made it so simple to access podcast content that you can listen from anywhere at any time. Get tips from Lisa B. Marshall, The Public Speaker, for expanding your reach with podcasts. -
200 TPS Be Your Own Public Speaking Coach
18 Apr 2013 | 4:05 pmEven if you're a veteran public speaker, there's always room for improvement. The Public Speaker has tips on how to coach yourself to improve your presentations.
-
Matt Eventoff
-
The Silent Killer…(aka “Death by Meeting”)
1 May 2013 | 6:30 amPortions originally in USA Today “If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be ‘meetings.” – Dave Barry We all attend them, participate in them, and to varying degrees, loathe them. The meeting. One study estimates that executives spend close to 1Ž2 of their time, during working hours, in meetings. Numerous studies, with varying results, estimate over 10 million meetings occur – each day. A decade old University of Arizona/University of Tulsa study found estimates… -
Protect Your Reputation Today…Your Crisis Response Blueprint, Pt II.
21 Feb 2013 | 7:00 amThere are 3 things every executive, business owner and employee needs to know about any crisis: Crisis Fact # 1 – They usually don’t occur on a Tuesday afternoon in the summer when things are slow, all key personnel are available, and everyone has free time. Crisis Fact # 2 – The crisis itself is often not what causes the most harm to an organization or an individual – the response is. Crisis Fact # 3 – Results usually mirror preparation – a prepared organization suffers less collateral damage for a shorter period of time than an organization that is “learning as we… -
Corporate Crisis Response Blueprint, Pt I
22 Jan 2013 | 6:27 amAn unfortunate reality of life is that crises occur, and they often occur when we least expect it. Few organizations are hit with a crisis situation on a Tuesday afternoon at 2pm when things are a bit slow and all hands are on deck. So what are some steps your organization can take to prepare today? 1) Start planning now Plan and prepare before you need to. What are your organizational themes when you are not in crisis mode? Identify your key messages. Who is on the messaging team? What does your organization stand for when there is no crisis? What is your organization known for? What are… -
What Japan Can Teach the World About Communication / コミュニケーションに関して世界が日本から学べるもの
4 Dec 2012 | 6:20 am“When one teaches, two learn.” – Robert A. Heinlein I recently returned from conducting workshops throughout Japan on behalf of the State Department, U.S. Embassy and Consulates with one goal – to teach Japanese executives, future leaders and top college students how to incorporate “Western” communication and presentation skills into each individual’s communication repertoire. Japanese students are taught very differently than are U.S. students, and the expectations for speeches and presentations are different. Lectures are lectures, and questions from an… -
When Communication Matters Most: 5 Crisis Communication Lessons from Hurricane Sandy
2 Nov 2012 | 9:52 amThe effectiveness of any leader is not determined during a campaign appearance or positive earning announcement, but rather during a time of crisis. Three days ago my hometown was decimated. My place of employment as a teenager now resides in the Atlantic Ocean. Much of where I spent my childhood no longer exists. Where I married the love of my life now rests in the Atlantic. My parents are in my residence, watching the community where they raised us for 30 years from a television, as they can’t live in theirs. My heart breaks every hour for my friends, neighbors and those people who I…
-
Professionally Speaking...
-
Repetition in Your Presentation
30 Apr 2013 | 1:02 pmRepetition has long been heralded in advertising, politics and public speaking as a device which can add emphasis and impact to key thoughts and phrases. But too much repetition in a presentation becomes annoying rather than powerful. I recently attended a webinar given by a well-known author – whose name you would recognize – and he repeated so much of his presentation I felt I was hearing it all twice. In some cases he repeated phrases three times AND the same words were showing on the slide. His presentations to live audiences follow a similar pattern. What has happened to this author… -
C-Level Presentation Tip #7: Anticipate Tough Questions
20 Mar 2013 | 5:00 amExecutive level presentations can strike fear into the hearts of even the most courageous business presenters. The conditions can be stormy and the likelihood of obstacles high. This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you can navigate successfully in the C-Suite. TIP #7: ANTICIPATE TOUGH QUESTIONS This can be a landmine in senior level presentations because most presenters don't spend adequate time preparing for questions. When you are preparing your presentation write down every question you can think of that might be asked. Look at your content… -
Body Language Practicum II - Hand Gestures
6 Mar 2013 | 12:16 pmA big challenge for many students in my presentation skills courses is what to do with their hands. When standing at the front of a room, suffering from nerves, one's hands seem like unwelcome and awkward appendages. To make matters worse, many presenters remember some misguided advice they've heard somewhere along the way -- 'don't talk with your hands.' Thus, hands are frequently found stuffed in pockets, gripping a podium or playing with their owner's hair, glasses or jewelry. In fact, hand gestures are like punctuation in a sentence. They help clarify what you're saying and add emphasis… -
C-Level Presentation Tip #6: Beware of Too Many Slides
19 Feb 2013 | 6:00 amPresentations to senior executives can seem a lot like ice climbing -- the terrain is slippery, it's hard to get a solid grip and the drop is a long way down. This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you won't slide sideways in those executive presentations. TIP #6: BEWARE OF TOO MANY SLIDES Just like sliding down a wall of ice can result in physcial disaster, hiding behind a big deck of slides in the C-Suite can result in career disaster. Slides can seem like a safe haven in an anxiety-laden senior level presentation -- helpful for jogging your… -
Better Listeners Get Better Speakers
5 Feb 2013 | 8:51 amWhen we think of a presentation -- whether a formal one on a stage with slides and a microphone or an informal one around a boardroom table -- we think of the presenter 'giving' and the audience 'getting'. The presenter gives her wisdom, experience, data, opinions, recommendations and the audience gets precisely those elements. But savvy audiences know it's not a one-way street. Presenters feed off the energy and attention of their audience. In fact, in a recent blog post, Seth Godin says, "The listener has almost as big a responsibility as the speaker does..." If an audience is listening…
-
Speaking Pro Central
-
ESPN Eliminating 300-400 Jobs: Uneasy lies the head employed in glam media
22 May 2013 | 4:35 am'Sadness, not surprise, followed announcements by traditional media such as the DAILY NEWS and COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW that there were layoffs. Now, we're puzzled that sports broadcaster ESPN, owned by Walt Disney, announced it is eliminating 300 to 400 jobs, some through layoffs, some through not filling them.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
London notebook: Lessons from speakers and speechwriters at #ESN2013
22 May 2013 | 2:15 am'The view from lunch with a speaker When you say "yes" to an invitation to speak, you hope it embraces you in return, and that''s exactly what happened on my trip to London last week to give the closing keynote at the International Speechwriting Conference. It was lovely to get encouragement and advice from them, in a bit of reverse coaching.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
Media: Surviving on a lot less
21 May 2013 | 7:21 pm'Maybe it started when I shifted back to executive communications from social media. Then it could have reached a tipping point when Mediabistro.com morning media news feed kept being released later and later in the day. I stopped keeping up with all the developments reported by the media. Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
List-a-Palooza kicks off May 30!
21 May 2013 | 3:50 pm'Have you heard of List-a-Palooza ? It''s a 90-day list-building challenge organized by PJ Van Hulle to see how rapidly you can grow your e-mail list. did this challenge last summer and I''ve signed up again, because it''s full of practical tools, it''s fun, and it''s FREE! Click here to get FREE access. Join me and let''s build our lists together!Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
OUT and THE ADVOCATE: Will they modify upbeat tone?
21 May 2013 | 2:00 pm'Alternate-sex lifestyle publications OUT and THE ADVOCATE still arrive snail mail in a plain gray wrapper. I subscribe to follow trends in outlier media. However, in the past several months the tone in both have been upbeat. As As it should. The battle has not been won.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central
-
PowerPoint Tips Blog
-
2 PowerPoint 2013 secrets
14 May 2013 | 5:50 pmI just gave a webinar on upgrading to PowerPoint 2013, explaining all the new features and how to use them. During the webinar, I discussed 2 features that I realized are so hard to find that I really should share them with everyone. Find only photos In PowerPoint 2010 and earlier, when you chose Insert > Clip Art, you could specify that you wanted only photographs. You did that in the Clip Art task pane from the Results Should Be drop-down list, as you see here. But in PowerPoint 2013, you choose Insert> Online Pictures and get a dialog box instead. (It’s funny– in… -
Free video training: How to Turn Your Organization’s Leaders into Powerful Presenters
9 May 2013 | 12:46 pmI recently did the second of two free webinars for the good folks at Training Magazine Network. The recording is now available…and still free, of course! The topic is a timely one: How to Turn Your Organization’s Leaders Into Powerful Presenters. In surveys, employers consistently say that verbal communication is the most important skill they want in their employees. For internal meetings and sales, presentation skills are essential. But how do you train employees to improve these skills? In this video, you’ll get a syllabus for teaching presentation skills to the presenters in… -
Custom graphic contest winners!
6 May 2013 | 12:49 pmIn my earlier post, “Anatomy of a custom graphic,” I described a technique for blending images using transparency. In my newsletter, I announced a contest for the best use of that technique. (If you want to know about contests to get free products, sign up for my newsletter at the right!) Here are the 2 winners. Penny Whiteside of Farmers Insurance created a cool blend of 2 graphics for her slide. Can you see how the car is semi-transparent? Nancy Ellefson of the State of Minnesota’s Pollution Control Agency created a slide with 3 layers to “sandwich” the frog… -
How to convince executives that presenters need presentation skills training
6 May 2013 | 10:09 amI hear it all the time. It usually comes from people in the Communications or Marketing department. They’ve been reading this blog — and others — about how to create powerful, persuasive presentations. But executives at their organization are comfortable with the old way of using the slide as a teleprompter, even though the audience hates it! How do you convince executives that they are hurting themselves when they present? And that their sales reps and internal presenters are also having a damaging effect? Point to recent failures Keep an eye out for failures that might be… -
The role of persuasion and emotion in training
29 Apr 2013 | 1:26 pmI’ve always thought that persuasion and emotion were best left to sales and proposal presentations. After all, in an instructional setting, isn’t persuasion like propaganda? But in my course, High-Persuasion PowerPoint Presentation Program, I’m discovering that I was wrong. Actually, a couple of my students have taught me this. Imagine that you are training employees in a factory to follow certain procedures. If the employees don’t follow these procedures, your company’s customers may get hurt. Your company may get sued. So there’s a lot on the line. But…
-
slidecoaching.com
-
Internet Marketing: 5 challenges to win in the market
6 May 2013 | 12:54 amI will be presenting on the subject of web marketing to a local Rotary Club on Wednesday the 29th of May 2013 at 8 in the evening. Rotary Club Bollate Nirone is located just north of Milano. The evening is open to local entrepreneurs, managers and business professionals. If you are interested, download the conference flyer in pdf format. Share: -
Mario Monti’s first slide presentation
16 Nov 2012 | 5:59 amI have always wondered what it would be like if top government officials used slides during their speeches, instead of just reading from a script. That’s why I was surprised recently when I noticed in the news a photograph of Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti with a screen and a slide projected behind his shoulders. Usually screens have just the title of the talk, or a video close-up, but this time I saw… bullet points! I searched on the Internet for news coverage of the Financial Times Italy Summit and found a video where Prof. Monti confesses that it was his first time using… -
Six ways to use QR codes in your presentations
30 Sep 2012 | 10:00 amQR Codes (like the one below) go hand-in-hand with smartphones and mobile users. Can they also be used in presentations? Here are my six suggestions for presenters, trainers, teachers and speakers who want to start using their own QR Codes: Insert a QR Code on the last slide of your presentation which includes a link to your contact information (a Vcard) or Linkedin profile Insert a QR Code on a slide with a link to the current presentation on Slideshare or to your profile on Slideshare Insert a QR Code on a slide that links to a special offer or bonus materials only for participants Add… -
On being different (in presentations)
6 Sep 2012 | 6:45 amA while ago I read the outstanding book “Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd ” by Youngme Moon. You might enjoy viewing the book’s video trailer to get an idea of the content. This book should be required reading for all who are in marketing and business in general. It pushes the reader to think/act differently, to be original and not just copy what others are doing. You can read an excerpt here. Even though the book does not talk about presentations, it inspired me to think of… some ways you can be different in presentations In addition to slides, learn to… -
Tips for marketing with presentations
18 Aug 2012 | 2:57 amA post published in the Slideshare blog pulls together resources and links from users who use this popular platform to share their presentations. I have written about on-line presentation sharing platforms in the past, and these systems continue to be very popular and effective means to share your content, and content marketing is what it’s all about! Click here to access the article when you have some free time to read through the documents and links. If you have just a minute or two, I suggest scanning the headlines in this post: 5 Tips to perfect your slideshare presentations which…
-
All About Presentations
-
[Super Tip] Change fonts on all slides with a single click
26 Apr 2013 | 5:07 amQuestion: "My 10 slide presentation has fonts; Arial and Calibri. My header and body text are in Arial. The text boxes and shapes (including SmartArt) is in Calibri. I want to change all Calibri to Helvetica. I don't like Calibri. It's boring and too common. How do I do it at once?" Solution: Under the Home Tab -> Replace (on your extreme right) -> Replace font (click down arrow to choose this option) -> Choose which font you want to replace with which new font -> Done! (MS PowerPoint 2010) You can use this technique to change any font you have used in your… -
Save time while making slides... Customise quick access toolbar
24 Apr 2013 | 10:19 amI am going to share one tip today. This one tip is going to save you a lot of time in making PowerPoint slides. There are some tasks which you do many many times while making a set of slides. This tip reduces your time in doing such 'regular' tasks. Example: I convert my PowerPoint slides into PDF regularly. These are the steps do this in MS PowerPoint 2010. Go to File Tab -> Save & Send -> Create PDF/XPS Document -> Create PDF/XPS These 4 steps can be shrunk into 1 step by adding 'Creat PDF' task onto the Quick Access Toolbar. Where is this Toolbar? This toolbar is at the… -
This is how...
19 Apr 2013 | 2:51 amIn my last post I asked a question. Here is a table: How will you copy this table onto PowerPoint and still retain the formulas? After copying, if you want to change the discount from 5% to 6%, the Total figure (after discount) should change. The table should work in PowerPoint the way it does in Excel. This is how to do it... Copy the table in Excel -> Go to PowerPoint -> Paste Special as Embed. How to Paste Special? Option 1: Right click on the slide. Choose Embed from the Paste Options. Option 2: Under Home tab. Click on the arrow below Paste. Choose Embed. Now the table has been… -
How will you make Tables in PowerPoint work like Excel? [Reader Question]
10 Apr 2013 | 3:00 amWe copy tables from excel sheet onto PowerPoint. But once we have done that, the tables do not work like they do in Excel. The formulas don't work. Here is a table. The challenge is, how will you copy this table onto PowerPoint and still have the formulas intact. So after copying, if we change the discount from 5% to 6% in PowerPoint, the Total (after Discount) column will change. How will you do this? Avoid Googling for the answer :-) -
What's my point?
3 Apr 2013 | 10:45 pmA major strategy presenting is going on. The presenter is presenting lots of data (tables after tables). There are his recommendations and then there is data. After 10 slides, the CEO speaks out. "In all these complex slides, can you put one sentence summary at the bottom." The CEO was being bombarded by complex tables after tables. All he wanted to know is... what's your point? What does this table on slide 5 mean to me? Why are you showing it to me?
-
Speak & Deliver - A Public Speaking Blog For the Speaking Public
-
Time Flies When You're Having Fun...
22 May 2013 | 7:09 amNearly a month since my last post? Doesn't feel like it, that's for sure. This may seem odd, but I've actually been busy speaking...and coaching...even coaching someone giving a speech about being - wait for it - too BUSY! How do you handle it when you realize you've left a project, or a blog, unattended to far longer than you imagined? My clients often tell me how easy it is to put off writing their speeches, finding stories for their story log, and contacting potential places to speak. Indeed - I completely understand. The only answer is to get back to it - to put aside the feeling of… -
Speak the Movie at Cherry Creek
24 Apr 2013 | 6:53 amEd Tate & Rich Hopkins answer Questions at Cherry Creek Toastmaster's Speak Event Last night, Cherry Creek Toastmasters hosted a local showing of Speak the Movie.Cherry Creek member and 2000 World Champion of Public Speaking Ed Tate was in attendance, and in addition to offering a few introductory words, participated with me in the Q&A afterward. The response to the film was as positive as ever, and evoked a number of questions, including: - Is the contest fair? Are we really honoring our speakers with only one winner? - What was it like being followed by cameras? - How do you come up… -
4 Lessons in Self-Deprecating Humor from a 14-year-old
22 Apr 2013 | 6:55 amJack Carroll in Britain's Got Talent shows a wonderful sense of humor, and an understanding in how to connect with the audience. - Are you addressing any elephants in the room when you speak? - Do you use his method of using 'The Voice of the Audience', as he does when he starts with 'I know what you're thinking....' - Do you construct humor in your speech in the form of a story with an unexpected twist at the end, as in his closing joke? - And finally, are you confident enough in yourself to totally sell out - that is, go ALL IN with your speech? When you are, you'll be a lot closer to… -
Speaking of Boston
17 Apr 2013 | 7:58 amWhat do you say after a tragedy? Letterman and Leno wouldn't even do monologues after 9/11. The bombings in the Boston Marathon don't quite compare in scope, but the events are tragic, frightening, and sad nonetheless. Stephen Colbert offered his own take to open his show this week. It is a wonderful example of respectful humor and satire designed to honor the situation, motivate the city, and provide the much-needed release of laughter. Note his complete avoidance of political posturing, racial profiling, or even commentary about what to do next. Plenty of time for that....later. The Colbert… -
SAY It This Way - No, Wait, Say It This WAY
3 Apr 2013 | 7:49 amWhether you memorize your speech or not, there is one aspect of your speaking you do tend to commit to memory - the Way You SAY It. Once speakers find a line they can remember, it gets anchored into a certain style, and they will end up speaking it the same why time after time. Unfortunately, this doesn't always serve them well. It can be easy to simply be happy you are remembering what you want to say, instead of also focusing on HOW You Want To Say It. If you aren't examining where you're putting the EMphasis in your EmPHAsis, you are likely robbing yourself and your audience of some of the…
-
Manner of Speaking
-
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 164) – John Kennedy
21 May 2013 | 3:57 amJohn F. Kennedy (1917-1963) 35th President of the United States “The only reason to give a speech is to change the world.” — John F. Kennedy Filed under: Quotes for Public Speakers -
Behind Every Champion
18 May 2013 | 4:06 pmOne week ago, I achieved a goal that had been several years in the making. In Antwerp, Belgium, I won the Toastmasters International Speech Contest for District 59, which comprises 18 countries in Continental Europe. I now move on to the World Championship Semi-Finals, which will be held in Cincinnati, Ohio in August. If I win my Semi-Final, I will compete in the World Championship of Public Speaking two days later. The road to the Toastmasters World Championship is long and tough and filled with its fair share of ups and downs. Every year, 30,000 people enter the International Speech… -
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 163) – Richard Branson
3 May 2013 | 4:50 amRichard Branson – English Entrepreneur, Founder of Virgin Group “To be an impressive public speaker, you have to believe in what you are saying. And if you speak with conviction and you’re passionate about your subject, your audience will be far more forgiving of your mistakes because they’ll have faith that you are telling the truth. My answers aren’t always smooth and immediate, and often include a fair few ‘erms’ and ‘ahs’. But most audiences are far happier with a hesitant, sincere response than a speedy but superficial answer. -
Six Public Speaking Lessons from Freddie Mercury
23 Apr 2013 | 4:19 amFreddie Mercury was the heart, the soul, the very essence of showmanship. The lead vocalist and lyricist of Queen had one of the most incredible unique singing voices ever. And his singing talent was matched, step for step, by his onstage flamboyance. Over the years and across different musical styles, some singers have managed to achieve a magical blend of voice and onstage presence that places them in the pantheon of music. Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, Aretha Franklin, Luciano Pavarotti, Michael Jackson and Madonna come to mind. There are others, and Freddie Mercury has his… -
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 162) – Carly Fiorina
4 Apr 2013 | 1:07 amCarly Fiorina – American Business Executive, Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard “For me the process [of writing a university philosophy paper] would begin with writing twenty pages. Then I’d edit to ten, then five and finally two. I finally would get to a two-page, single-spaced paper that I hoped didn’t merely summarize, but rendered all the fat out of a body of ideas, boiling it down to the very essence of its meaning. “Two pages were not an easy, superficial abstraction of a work; they were the distillation of all the details of a work. Certainly the philosophies…
-
The Clarity Rules Blog
-
Presenting at Customer Experience Design 2013
8 May 2013 | 2:03 amQuantifying Customer Experience - Presented at Customer Experience Design 2013 from clarityrules This week, representing SMS Management & Technology, I presented at the Customer Experience Design 2013 conference in Darling Harbour, in Sydney Australia. Such a beautiful place and I wish I could have stayed an extra night and visited my sister-in-law. Alas.The conference was a pretty good day, with case study-style talks from the banking industry, the National Broadband Network, insurance & financial services and industrial product design, as well as… -
4 Lessons in business transformation from a former religious extremist
5 Oct 2011 | 6:31 pmLearning can come from unexpected places - Notes from a terror propaganda man:Maajid Nawaz was born in Essex in the UK. He gave a TED talk at TED Global in July 2011. In his talk, he revealed that from the age of 19, for thirteen years, he was a member of an Islamist extremist organisation, and his focus, from the UK to Pakistan, to Denmark and to Egypt, was on spreading the messages of their social movement in order to unite similar extremists across borders, to make it easier to take collective action.After spending time being tortured in an Egyptian prison, he had an… -
5 presentation lessons from the King's Speech
18 Jan 2011 | 7:21 pmJesse Desjardins @jessedee pulled together a nice slideshare presentation with five good preso reminders we can take from the popular movie the King's Speech.The five lessons are the following:Have faith in your voiceAdmit you need helpPut the hours in (!!)Become an expert from experienceBroadcast a true version of your self (a bit like Garr Reynolds' presenting naked)Have a peek at his great slideshare slides below. Note the full-bleed images (no logo-every-page-corporate-template-nonsense there) and the appropriate use of typography. I like how well the tone of the font on the 'lessons'… -
Creepy robots and how not to turn people off when telling business stories
4 Jan 2011 | 7:53 pmOn the right is the face of one of the most sophisticated androids on the planet. Nevertheless, the face isn't quite right is it?... In fact it's kind of creepy.So! It looks like authenticity is going to be one of the new trends in presentation for 2011. Hallelujah! (See Nancy Duarte's other predictions here.)I once had a mentor of mine tell me: "Greg, listen very carefully and remember this: Intent (he said,) counts more than technique." And he was right. It's a saying that has stuck with me for a lot of years. What he meant was that you can learn all the clever people-influencing techniques… -
Four presentation predictions for 2011
3 Jan 2011 | 4:57 pmNancy Duarte, one of my Clarity Heroes, author of Slide:ology and Resonate has posted her annual presentation predictions for 2011. In quick summary, her four predictions are:Tablet war will shape the future of presentationAuthenticity will trump 'spin'Slides will be hand-sketched and scanned inPeople will opt more for 'no-slide' presentationsSee her full post here.
-
Interruption Management
-
Too Much Stimuli
21 May 2013 | 6:50 amA newborn's brain is barely composed. For the first three months of life, humans experience the neural development that soon brings smiles, clear vision, and the ability to emit approximately 432 different cries. This is how it's been for more hundreds of thousands of years. What has changed is that from an early age, babies today will be inundated with too much stimuli. Does the lead to various disorders? Time will tell. -
Abundant Choice, Endless Distraction
21 May 2013 | 6:43 am"Logic suggests that having options allows people to select precisely what makes them happiest. But, as studies show, abundant choice often makes for misery." Barry Schwartz, "The Tyranny of Choice," Scientific American, April 2004 -
Putting Interruptions too Good Use
13 May 2013 | 9:23 amThe London subway system was experiencing a growing problem of unwanted vandals and thieves in their tunnels. So a plan was devised to play classical music and opera, such as Vivaldi, Mozart, and Pavarotti in the effort to make unwelcome visitors uncomfortable with the subway environment.Studies have shown that this type of music is unfamiliar and unacceptable to the thugs who hang out in the subway. Making them miserable with music they don't enjoy will drive them away. By making the subway tunnels and stations a caustic environment to the nature of thieves and vandals, the vandalism and… -
Read My Face: Intrusive!
1 May 2013 | 1:17 pmOracle Magazine, in 2011, noted that "in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Station there are vending machines that use facial recognition cameras to scan customers and link their faces to a database of demographic facial characteristics. By identifying a person’s age and gender, the machine then makes a personalized drink recommendation." "The appeal of facial recognition technology is that while it is very accurate, it’s not as intrusive as other biometric methods such as DNA testing. Japan is also embracing digital billboards that use facial recognition technology for tailored advertising, as well as… -
The Unwobbling Pivot
29 Apr 2013 | 6:39 amConfucius, The Great Digest and Unwobbling Pivot (an excerpt) by Ezra Pound The men of old wanting to clarify and diffuse throughout the empire that light which comes from looking straight into the heart and then acting, first set up good government in their own states; wanting good government in their states, they first established order in their own families; wanting order in the home, they first disciplined themselves; desiring self-discipline, they rectified their own hearts; and wanting to rectify…
-
Succeed Speaking
-
WATCH: How to Find Superstars to Grow Your Business
20 May 2013 | 8:46 amAs you grow your business, it begins to occur to you that there are things you can be doing in your business to produce even more value than you’re producing now – which will translate into increased sales, growth and profit. New opportunities turn up, new ways to create value emerge, and new ways to get customers manifest. And then you realize that there’s just one “little problem” with these new opportunities: Your schedule is already full, and you don’t have time to pursue them. The only way to “graduate” to the next level in your business is to delegate some of the… -
Why Marketing Like Starbucks Will Destroy Your Business
13 May 2013 | 8:09 am“Do NOT do what big companies do with their marketing, but instead do what those companies did when they were small and wanted to grow rapidly.” That’s some brilliant, powerful advice from Eben Pagan’s new marketing report which you can download free here (affiliate link). Us little guys are often told to look Starbucks, Google, Apple and other giants because “you should do what they’re doing and you’ll be the #1 brand in your market, too” Eben is right, though. Those companies are already established and if we do what they’re doing now,… -
Write Your Book in 90 Days – Free Training Event
1 May 2013 | 9:10 amIs it taking you longer to write your book than you ever expected? (Maybe a lot longer?) I was just notified of a free webinar (or teleseminar, if you choose) being hosted by Steve Harrison, publicity guru (clients include Jack Canfield, Robert Kiyosaki and others) and publisher of Radio-TV Interview Report. Steve is going to be interviewing a woman who’s developed a unique system for writing a quality non-fiction book in 90 days! (This woman happens to be the former creative assistant to famous author/speaker Tony Robbins, and at least 268 authors have used her system to get their… -
Four Tips to Crush Your Fear of Public Speaking
7 Jan 2013 | 8:54 amA Guest Post from Catherine Joyner You’re standing on a podium behind a lectern giving a speech to a packed house and you’re hands start shaking ever so slightly. You start to notice beads of sweat trickling down your face and you become self-conscious and nervous that people will notice. You’re voice starts quivering and you feel nauseous. This scenario might be a bit dramatic, but public speaking is a common fear among people; statistics have shown that people are more afraid of public speaking than rattlesnakes and death. How can you demolish your fear of public speaking… -
Do you embed YouTube videos on your website? If so, you need this (in my opinion)
3 Dec 2012 | 2:09 pmYou’ve got video on your website, right? The overwhelming majority of clients and prospects have told me that’s the first thing they’re looking for when they come to a speaker’s profile. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to get video on your site these days — especially with YouTube. Post it. Embed it. Done. And what’s not to love about YouTube? Here are three of my favorite things: They get over 800 million unique visitors a day! YouTube videos perform well — or can be optimized to perform well — in the search engines. It’s free! There…
-
Blogs
-
Is This Really How You Really Talk?
29 Apr 2013 | 12:16 pmSue Shellenbarger, the creator and writer of the Wall Street Journal's "Work & Family" column, wrote a comprehensive article here on how the quality of a person's voice can impact his or her career. Our solution is a skill called "Resonance," which helps anyone improve the quality of their voice by simply widening their throat, mouth, and nasal sinuses when speaking. You can find a full discussion about resonance along with a set of simple exercises in a chapter called, "How to Develop a Rich, Resonant Voice," in my new book Winning Strategies for Power Presentations. … -
Two Presentation Lessons from Leah Garchik
12 Apr 2013 | 12:00 amby Jerry Weissman Leah Garchik, a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle, writes mostly about social events, but this week’s column provided two important lessons for presenters. See if you can find them in the text of her column below; and while we’re posing questions, see if you can identify the three authors Ms. Garchik references: “She could do with a little less training,” said an observer who attended a book lecture last week by a modern feminist member of high-tech royalty. The author, whose homage and how-to about having it all is being snapped… -
Winning Strategies for Power Presentations: Conversation with Jerry Weissman
10 Apr 2013 | 11:15 amJerry Weissman's new book featured on Indezine: http://blog.indezine.com/2013/04/winning-strategies-for-power.html Jerry Weissman is among the world's foremost corporate presentations coaches. His private client list reads like a who's who of the world's best companies, including the top brass at Yahoo!, Intel, Intuit, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Netflix and many others. Jerry founded Power Presentations, Ltd. in 1988. One of his earliest efforts was the Cisco Systems IPO road show. Following its successful launch, Don Valentine, of Sequoia Capital, and then chairman of Cisco's Board of… -
From The New York Times
2 Apr 2013 | 10:12 amOne on One: Jerry Weissman, Silicon Valley’s Storyteller By QUENTIN HARDY Jerry Weissman may produce more revenue than almost any director in history. His big successes haven’t been plays or movies, though. For more than two decades, Mr. Weissman, a former television and stage director, has coached the executives of technology companies on the theater of the initial public offering. Mr. Weissman’s company, Power Presentations, works with chief executives on the “roadshow,” a major step toward a stock offering. The presentations consist of speeches, slide shows… -
Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama
28 Mar 2013 | 12:00 amMasters of the Game by Jerry Weissman The 40th and 44th Presidents of the United States, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, were two men whose politics are poles apart, but who share one common touch point that serves as a lesson for any presenter. Although their speaking styles also differ—Mr. Reagan, the genial former actor from the Midwest, who overwhelmed audiences with his underplaying, and Mr. Obama, the cool former Ivy League attorney, who rouses audiences with his dynamic voice and elegant bearing—both men use their individual styles in the service of their…
-
Moving People to Action
-
The Simple Maths of Leadership
13 May 2013 | 2:20 pmMy friend Bill Treasurer’s fourth book “Leaders Open Doors” is now available. In 90 easy to read pages, Bill cuts layers of confusion out of the term “Leadership”. Bill had an “Aha!” moment about a year ago. (I mean Aha as in the story of Archimedes in the bath). Bill has been teaching, coaching and mentoring leaders for over 20 years. He has worked with CEOs, Presidents, Teachers, Entrepreneurs… but never yet with his children. Earlier than expected, his moment came. His 5 year old son, Ian, came home from school and with a big smile… -
Career Advice From LinkedIn’s Billionaire Founder Reid Hoffman
13 May 2013 | 7:57 amReid Hoffman, Entrepreneur Reid Hoffman says it took him 15 years after graduating from Stanford to figure out what he wanted to do with his career. Hoffman eventually founded LinkedIn, a $19 billion public company. On graduation, he thought he would become an academic. Then he started some companies. Several failed… then he created LinkedIn. It didn’t fail What lessons can we learn from Hoffman’s journey? Expanding on ideas from his recent book “The Startup of You”, Hoffman and his co-author created a slideshow presentation called “The 3 Secrets Of… -
What’s your Metaphor?
11 May 2013 | 8:33 amAs I listen to the conversations around me, I hear many uses of metaphor: “Dublin is a maze”, “Anna has a flood of new ideas”, “Business is war”, “John is a waste of space”, “An MBA is a passport to a new career”. Metaphors are supremely powerful communication devices. They allow us to understand something new, framed as a version of something we already understand. Metaphor allows us to understand something by framing it as something we already know. They accelerate understanding. They accelerate our ability to deal with a new… -
10 Rules to Look Like you are Working Hard
10 May 2013 | 1:50 amSometimes I want a lazy day. Sometimes I don’t feel like producing good work. I often blog about productivity, about removing purposeless-busy-ness from our lives; but sometimes I don’t car and I want to give the impression that I am really working hard. Here are 10 golden rules for looking like you are working hard: George Costanza’s 10 Commandments For ‘Working Hard’ Never walk without a document in your hands. People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like… -
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 163) - Richard Branson
4 May 2013 | 9:40 amReblogged from Manner of Speaking: "To be an impressive public speaker, you have to believe in what you are saying. And if you speak with conviction and you're passionate about your subject, your audience will be far more forgiving of your mistakes because they'll have faith that you are telling the truth. My answers aren't always smooth and immediate, and often include a fair few 'erms' and 'ahs'. Read more… 46 more words Wise words from Richard Branson: "to be an impressive public speaker, you have to believe in what you are saying..."
-
Executive Speech Coach Presentations Training - NJ NY Manhattan
-
A movement becomes a racket
21 May 2013 | 9:45 amMatt Latimer, a Republican speech writer for Bush and Rumsfeld, has written a very entertaining book called Speech*Less. In it, he chronicles his misadventures as an idealist in a palace of racketeers. Here he is describing the 2008 campaign from inside Washington. …I was at a dinner party with four or five Republicans who’d been involved with every GOP election since 1976. Without exception, they hated McCain. ”He’s a lunatic,” said one. Others attacked him from the right as a betrayer of the faith. Another attacked McCain from the left, saying he was too quick to… -
Rehearsed vs. extemporaneous speaking
7 May 2013 | 12:39 pmA few years ago I attended my aunt’s memorial service, where anyone was invited to say a few words. I felt the need to tell a quick story that would remind everyone about her contagious enthusiasm for birds. No matter the difficulties in her life, and there were many, she would practically burst with delight at the sight of a bird–any bird! I am not in the habit of jumping up to speak extemporaneously to vast crowds of people, but I admired my aunt, and wanted to testify to the remarkable resilience of her character. I might have spoken for 60 seconds, maybe 120, and I felt… -
Tips from TED: 10 Commandments of Public Speaking
24 Apr 2013 | 7:11 amYou must know what TED Talks are. If you do, skip the rest of this paragraph. If you don’t, please go to www.ted.com and click on any one of the videos that you see. Or go to one of my favorites, such as any talk given by Hans Rosling or Rory Sutherland. I’m sure you’ll find your own favorites too if you wander around, watch, and listen. TED talks are 18 minutes long. Wisely, I think, because research suggests that 18 minutes is about the length of time that human attention can effectively sustain itself. I have attached below the instructions that invited speakers receive… -
10 Tips for Business Speakers
10 Apr 2013 | 7:13 amDefine a problem that your audience faces. Then solve it. The human mind tends to fixate on problems: rubber-necking is a case in point. Presentations about problems have both emotional and intellectual appeal. The problem, well-defined, elicits our feelings; the solution elicits our thoughts. Everyone has problems, so why not tickle, then soothe their anxieties. Talk to them about what keeps them up at night. Make the familiar, new, or the new, familiar. Bring a new perspective to an old issue, or bring a new issue to the awareness of your audience. Steve Jobs turned clunky… -
What’s the Difference Between a Speech and a Presentation?
27 Mar 2013 | 8:54 amWith the arrival and success of the TEDTalk, we are losing the distinction between a speech and a presentation. I’m not sure if anyone cares, but I have always felt that each is a separate tool designed for different jobs. So, if you are concerned about whether you should prepare a speech or a presentation, here is my take on how they differ and what the proper purpose of each should be. We have records of speeches that date back to ancient Egypt. We know what Pericles said in Athens, and we even know the date he said it. We can read the screeds of Demosthenes, and the muscular…
-
Comments for John Sadowsky - Leadership & Storytelling
-
Comment on In organizations, leaders are less able to use storytelling to manipulate by In organizations, leaders are less able to use storytelling to … : My CMS
6 May 2013 | 2:24 pm[...] An interesting aspect of corporate storytelling is that the authenticity of a story is more essential than its historical accuracy. Take for example the case of Hewlett-Packard, where emblematic stories of the two …See on http://www.johnsadowsky.com [...] -
Comment on When do work-from-home arrangements make good sense? by Alex
3 May 2013 | 7:30 amAs a full time working mother living in Switzerland, I was appalled by Mayer’s decision. Here are the elements that I’d like to raise: 1) One important point makes this debate a hypocrisy: Mayer has a private nursery next to her own office – she doesn’t feel the burden she is imposing on her workers and yet feels completely justified in what she is doing. She would have been so much more credible if she had ordered for staff nurseries to be built on all Yahoo office site locations, thus providing the same luxuries to her staff as she has reserved for herself. 2)… -
Comment on Some thoughts on the future of the MBA by Ahmad Salih
23 Mar 2013 | 1:58 pmI have read an article in HBR last year about the campus Tsunami. They have referred to new appaoches to online education bodies being established such as coursera or edx. I have tried one course with Princeton university through Coursera and found it useful. However, I found a very different education culture not only for me but for the professor who was communicating woth almost 40000 dtudents. I believe that it is an agressive step toward a new paradigm shift in education….. -
Comment on Should we all focus more on learning to ask questions? by Xavier
11 Feb 2013 | 7:28 am“To get good answers, you need to ask better questions” is one of the key rules I remember from your leadership course in Grenoble, John. It was back to 2003 and I apply it all the time. -
Comment on Update on my recent activity by ALBOUY
15 Jan 2013 | 8:04 amHello dear John, It’s a wonderful project and I am happy for you! I wish you the best. Hoping to see you in 2013. Kind regards, Michel.
-
Refuse to be Boring
-
Off to see the Wizards
27 Apr 2013 | 4:21 pmEarly in 2007 I became a “student” in the art of the presentation design. I had come to the realization, after one of my own presentations, that I was boring myself - never mind the audience! Since then, I have taken a number of presentation courses, and done a lot of reading and observing, but taking a course from Duarte Design has been on my wish list since I read slide:ology. I finally had a chance to do so earlier this month. Duarte Design, and one of the founders Nancy Duarte, shot to fame in 2007 when the world discovered they were the designers behind the presentation… -
How to make your next presentation more persuasive.
10 Feb 2013 | 12:59 pmYou may be able to convince someone that you have the best idea, product, or service, but can you persuade them to take action on your proposal? Quotations are one type of persuasive tool that can help move people to take action. But is there really a difference between being convincing and being persuasive? According to Seth Godin, marketing and business thought leader, “Persuasion appeals to the emotions and to fear and to the imagination. Convincing requires a spreadsheet or some other rational device.” I have found the best presentations have the right mix of convincing and… -
"_______, we have a problem.”
28 Aug 2012 | 4:22 amShould the name of your organization fill in the blank? On April 14th, 1970 during the Apollo 13 mission, astronaut Jack Swigert uttered the famous words "Houston, we've had a problem”. In the movie Apollo 13 (1995) it was changed to “Houston we have a problem”. Either way you word it, I think that many organizations may have a presentation problem. This was highlighted to me earlier this summer. I had the opportunity to give a presentation skills workshop to a group of corporate communications professionals. Before the session I sent out a pre-workshop… -
On your mark, get set…
7 Jul 2012 | 3:00 pmNot many people know that London won the bid for the 2012 Olympic Games on the last day of voting at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) meeting in Singapore in 2005. In fact, they were almost the Paris games. The story of how London won the games, basically with their final presentation, is beautifully told in Jon Steele's book The Perfect Pitch (see my previous post , The Perfect Pitch and the You Factor). One of their keys to winning with that final presentation (their final pitch) was that they studied their audience and designed a presentation experience that would resonate… -
Mind the Gap
28 Jun 2012 | 12:36 pmThose first few moments of your presentation are critical. Gaps/delays between speakers, or a gap between your introduction and the start of your presentation can result in the audience’s attention wandering. I was at a conference recently in which there was a delay between the speaker introduction and the beginning of the presentation … for every lecture! Following the introduction, the presenter had to wait for the first slide, or find their own presentation on the computer desktop and open the PowerPoint file. It was like the curtain going up and having no one on stage. One…
-
Think Inc - Motivational Tid-bits
-
Teaching Children to Respect Teachers
4 May 2013 | 10:37 amTeaching is the most noble of all professions. It is a profession which shapes lives and mankind itself. Since the beginning of time, and over generations, mankind owes its learning to self-less teachers who have given all their time, effort, conc ern and knowledge to ensure that students achieve success in life. To return or repay the kindness of the teachers is not easy. We must therefore take the responsibility to teach children to respect teachers. We all do respect our teachers, yet we also do and say things which are in a sense, very contradictory to the respect which we bear in our… -
Be in the present to be happy
4 May 2013 | 10:37 amThe other day in the afternoon I witnessed a mother who had come to accompany her daughter who was about five years old from the school bus stop to their house. When the bus came, the mother was standing but was talking to someone on the mobile phone, and when the daughter got off the bus, took the school bag from the daughter, grabbed her hand and started walking, and while she was walking, she was talking, to what I could gather a friend, for she was smiling and laughing continuously. Soon, I observed that the daughter had an expression of fear on her face. I was expecting her to be smiling… -
When Your Wife Has A Headache? Think And Do It In A Simple Way!
4 May 2013 | 10:37 amShe doesn’t need a tablet or a doctor-all she needs is a flower and a smile. One of my learning’s in life has come out from this funda (Logic). Words like “Thank you”, “Please”, “what is your opinion?” and so on. If these are said from the head and heart, they work very well. All said and done, never give up because managing your wife is an art and not a rocket science! -
Virat Kohli
4 May 2013 | 10:37 amVirat Kohli was noticed when he played for Delhi in a Ranjhi Trophy match against Karnataka. His father had died early that morning, and yet he was at the stadium to play for his team. His 90 run innings were crucial for Delhi’s victory that day. And this was in 2006 when he was 17 years old. Only a person with remarkable passion and love for what he or she is doing can go ahead and do something so…remarkable. It takes great courage and emotional strength to play such a wonderful innings on the morning of your father’s death. At the age of 17 one is still a child, not… -
How naturally do you Communicate?
4 May 2013 | 10:36 amImagine yourself spending a day with a person who is differently able – one who cannot speak, or one who cannot hear. Is it going to be easy for you to connect to the person? Obviously, you would not find it easy or desirable in a general setup. Yet you do agree, that there is a thought in every mind and in every soul, regardless of the fact that they maybe able to externally or explicitly communicate it or not. We bring you a very inspiring example of a very renowned scientist, who revolutionized the way human being connect and communicate. After his invention, technology has been…
-
Presentation Dynamics
-
A Confusion of Aims
15 May 2013 | 6:49 am“A perfection of means and confusion of aims seems to be our main problem.” – Albert Einstein That seems to the main problem with a lot of public speaking training as well. There is no shortage of books, CDs or DVDs on presentation that will show you how to deepen your voice, improve your body language, calm your nerves, increase your eye contact, tighten your structure, sharpen your writing or simplify your PowerPoint. There is advice on what to wear, where to stand, when to pause, how to gesture and who to look at. There are coaches, trainers and gurus of every stripe and persuasion,… -
Be an Expert who Speaks
5 May 2013 | 7:37 pmI know a lot of Toastmasters who would like to be professional speakers. They are skilled and experienced, and may have done very well in the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. Yet many of them struggle to find opportunities to speak professionally, and struggle even more to find something relevant to say when they do get the opportunity. In his great TED Talk on creativity, Sir Ken Robinson points out that universities seem to be designed primarily to create more university professors. Academics teach academic skills, rather than the skills that matter most in the business or… -
Smash your Laser Pointers
30 Apr 2013 | 1:52 amI have many pet peeves, but I reserve a special degree of scorn for one in particular; the laser pointer. I hate them, and not just because a high school student once caused a complete meltdown in my class, while I was writing on the board, by shining the red dot on my backside, nor because they invariably bounce all over the screen as the speaker tries to aim the dot at a specific point on the slide, leaving me more confused than ever about what he was trying to point out. No, I hate them because they tell me that I’m in the hands of a presenter who is lazy, incompetent or unprepared. The… -
The Right and Wrong Ways to Present
21 Apr 2013 | 8:51 am“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” – Pablo Picasso I recently participated in an interesting online discussion about whether there were “right” and “wrong” ways to do business presentations. As with all semantic discussions, it eventually boiled down to how you defined the words. Does “right” mean it is the morally correct way, the way that it is prescribed by those in authority, the generally accepted practice or the way that is most effective in achieving the goal? However you define right and wrong, to me it begged a more interesting… -
Pay Attention to your Attention
10 Apr 2013 | 8:22 pm“Distraction is the death of comedy” – Keenan Ivory Wayans, on ”Inside Comedy.” As a big fan of potential public humiliation, I have recently been dipping my toe in the stand-up comedy world at amateur open mikes in Tokyo. I have no aspirations of being the next Robin Williams or Louie C. K., but I’m fascinated by humor. I’ve always been good at finding the comedy in a speech. I can reliably trigger a few chuckles from any audience, even the occasional belly laugh, but what I find so fascinating about it is its seeming unpredictability. Of course calling something…
-
Communication Studies
-
Five of the Best Online Colleges for a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication
2 May 2013 | 7:34 amThe success of businesses, government agencies and non-profit organizations are dependent on those who are skilled in oral and written communication. There is a wide range of career options available for communication graduates and with the uprising of social networks, web sites and mobile applications the demand for communication specialists is growing. An increase in the amount of available online colleges and universities has made it easier than ever to earn your Bachelor’s degree in communication. To help you get started, here are five of the best online programs offering a Bachelor’s… -
3 Linguistic Tricks That Build Trust
12 Feb 2013 | 5:46 amIf I asked you to tell me three immediate ways in which you could improve your trustworthiness — and these couldn’t be things that take a period of time like following through on what you say — you would probably list nonverbal concepts like speaking confidently and mirroring body language to develop rapport. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But, what you may not know is that there are also several linguistic techniques you can use within the actual language you are speaking and even writing. And unlike nonverbal cues, where a bad actor can be easily caught, these tricks are… -
5 Minors That Compliment a Communication Major
24 Jan 2013 | 7:22 amWith a communication degree from an accredited, respected university, you’ll have access to a tremendous number of job opportunities and internships. However, minors can also play a significant role in your career options (or lack thereof). While minors are optional, they’re well worth your consideration. Here are five minors that work well with a communication major. Spanish Bilingualism is a major asset in many careers. As Spanish is the second most common language in the United States — 37 million Americans speak Spanish as a primary language according to the United States… -
Get $20,000 for Student Debt by Writing a Creative Tweet. Seriously, We’re Not Kidding.
15 Jan 2013 | 8:05 amHey Communication Majors, it’s time to put all those communication skills you’ve learned to work. In an effort to help students pay off their average $26,000 debt, MassMutual is awarding $20,000 to the person who writes the most creative tweet about how they plan to reduce their debt. The contest is simple. You’ll just need to like MassMutual’s “Down With Debt” Facebook page and write your 140 characters before February 14th. “MassMutual recognizes that new graduates and young professionals in today’s world face big financial challenges,” said Tara Reynolds,… -
Has Advertising Lost Its Credibility? [Infographic]
10 Jan 2013 | 12:13 pmIf you believe every claim on every advertisement that you see, you’re in the minority. A new survey shows that consumers distrust advertisements, with only 3 percent describing ad claims as “very accurate.” 57 percent of respondents said that ads are somewhat exaggerated and 19 percent described advertising claims as very exaggerated. The survey also asked consumers about the use of Photoshop in advertisements, with somewhat startling results. 96 percent of respondents said that half or more of weight loss ads were Photoshopped, while 87 percent said that half or more of…
-
Janice Tomich | Presentation Collaboration and Coaching
-
The Importance of Human Connection
30 Apr 2013 | 8:55 pmBy Corrie Miller When I first met my friend Taya, I was almost overwhelmed by her warmth, her ability to draw me in, to want to get to know her. I was so comfortable that I was almost uncomfortable with it! Instantly. To this day she remains one of my favorite people on this planet. The reason? That connection is rare and is so awesome when you find it. In my 13 odd years on the media side of business I have always been intrigued by those people who can elicit an instant connection, and by the situations in which I find myself able to elicit that connection with others. I have always… -
Create Memorable, “Sticky” Slidedecks For Your Presentations
18 Apr 2013 | 3:20 pmBy Corrie Miller In our last blog post we talked about why your presentation might fail to meet its objective (connect with your audience, convert the sale). One of the biggies: Bad slidedecks. If your visuals don’t add anything to your talk, you’re wasting your time and your audience is tuning out. Let’s address this and show you some examples of what works. According to the Media Education Centre, research at 3M Corporation has shown that: The brain processes images a whopping 60,000 times faster than words. It’s called the Image Superiority Effect. … -
80% of Presentations Fail – Do yours?
11 Apr 2013 | 11:05 pmBy Corrie Miller Being able to present well is essential. If people listen, if you can achieve audience buy-in and engage when you speak, you have the ability to persuade. You can change minds. You can get the sale. According to Phillip Khan-Panni, UK champion business speaker and author, 80% of presentations fail to deliver their objective. If there is any truth to this (and we think it’s pretty close), that means that 80% are boring tune-outs that the audience forgets as soon as they leave the room. A lot of wasted hours on both sides of the stage, and a shame really when you… -
Always Presenting – Women Build Communities and Inspire Change
29 Mar 2013 | 12:12 pmby Corrie Miller Women are doing amazing things. They are building their communities, they are striving to better themselves and they are inspiring global change. It’s no secret that every day of our lives we are presenting, putting ourselves “out there” and making impressions on others. And it struck me recently just how many amazing, dynamic women have crossed my path of late. Calculated Presentations will begin to feature women that are making a difference here on this blog on a regular basis. We help women on the way up with their presentation skills (click to find… -
Three Powerful Public Speaking Techniques used by TED speaker Ron Finley
19 Mar 2013 | 8:32 pmDid you catch Ron Finley’s presentation at TED 2013? He was a powerhouse who captivated his audience and received a resounding standing O. If you haven’t watched him you should: Ron beautifully demonstrates what separates presenters who have their audience enthralled from those who don’t. But a little aside…understand that it didn’t come easy nor was it a quick process for Ron to get to the TED stage. When I was introduced to Ron he had a solid draft for his 12 minute presentation. This was about two months before he was scheduled to speak. His TED…
-
American Speaker
-
Convey your message at a glance
20 May 2013 | 9:48 amCreate slides that enrich your presentation rather than cause distractions. As a rule of thumb, audience members should garner the message of each slide in about three seconds. Use minimum text so readers can easily skim. Simplify the visual appearance of your slide set by choosing only one typeface and the same color palette throughout. Make slides cohesive by using the same style for all photographs and illustrations. Arrange the elements on each slide by following these design principles: Hierarchy. Properly size and arrange elements so people can quickly determine their importance. -
6 quotes on public speaking
17 May 2013 | 9:20 amI found this great list of 25 public-speaking quotes over at BigFishPresentations.com and thought I’d share some of my favorites with you. You can see the full list here. Enjoy your weekend! “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” -John Ford “If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.” -Dianna Booher “There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” -Dale Carnegie “A good orator is pointed and… -
8 ways to be memorable at events
13 May 2013 | 9:00 amThis is a guest post by Patricia Fripp, executive speech coach. It never ceases to amaze me how many talented and well-educated people attend networking events yet overlook their big chance to be memorable by developing a mini-presentation for audiences of one to five. Here are some strategies that let you walk into a room with quiet self-assurance, confident that people will enjoy meeting you and will recall you afterward: Arrive looking your best. If you have a hectic day before going to a business meeting, keep a change of clothes in your office or car so you can arrive unwrinkled. Wear… -
Prevent surprises on stage
10 May 2013 | 9:00 amRemove possible problems with the location where you will be delivering a speech. Well before you are scheduled to talk, examine the venue. Look for these elements: Room to set up your notes, laptop and props. A clear view from the audience. When you take the time to tour the room in advance, you can request a change in the seating or stage. Where the controls are. If you need to change the lighting or adjust the sound system, how will that happen? Amenities. If your host won’t be providing water at the lectern, carry a bottle with you. — Adapted from “Supercompetent Speaking:… -
Learning opportunity! PowerPoint training
6 May 2013 | 9:17 amPowerPoint Power Tips: How to Make Sure Your Presentations Don’t Suck May 16 1:00-2:00 p.m. (EST) Let’s face it—most PowerPoint presentations stink! How can you make your point faster, better, and more convincingly with just a few simple tweaks to your PowerPoint presentation? Join professional speaker and trainer Norman Wei, as he teaches you how to achieve your goals without putting your audience to sleep. Give a better presentation—get better results. Sign up today to find out how! Learning Objectives: •Why are the first 5 slides the most important? •How to structure your…
-
Succeed Speaking
-
WATCH: How to Find Superstars to Grow Your Business
20 May 2013 | 8:46 amAs you grow your business, it begins to occur to you that there are things you can be doing in your business to produce even more value than you’re producing now – which will translate into increased sales, growth and profit. New opportunities turn up, new ways to create value emerge, and new ways to get customers manifest. And then you realize that there’s just one “little problem” with these new opportunities: Your schedule is already full, and you don’t have time to pursue them. The only way to “graduate” to the next level in your business is to delegate some of the… -
Why Marketing Like Starbucks Will Destroy Your Business
13 May 2013 | 8:09 am“Do NOT do what big companies do with their marketing, but instead do what those companies did when they were small and wanted to grow rapidly.” That’s some brilliant, powerful advice from Eben Pagan’s new marketing report which you can download free here (affiliate link). Us little guys are often told to look Starbucks, Google, Apple and other giants because “you should do what they’re doing and you’ll be the #1 brand in your market, too” Eben is right, though. Those companies are already established and if we do what they’re doing now,… -
Write Your Book in 90 Days – Free Training Event
1 May 2013 | 9:10 amIs it taking you longer to write your book than you ever expected? (Maybe a lot longer?) I was just notified of a free webinar (or teleseminar, if you choose) being hosted by Steve Harrison, publicity guru (clients include Jack Canfield, Robert Kiyosaki and others) and publisher of Radio-TV Interview Report. Steve is going to be interviewing a woman who’s developed a unique system for writing a quality non-fiction book in 90 days! (This woman happens to be the former creative assistant to famous author/speaker Tony Robbins, and at least 268 authors have used her system to get their… -
Four Tips to Crush Your Fear of Public Speaking
7 Jan 2013 | 8:54 amA Guest Post from Catherine Joyner You’re standing on a podium behind a lectern giving a speech to a packed house and you’re hands start shaking ever so slightly. You start to notice beads of sweat trickling down your face and you become self-conscious and nervous that people will notice. You’re voice starts quivering and you feel nauseous. This scenario might be a bit dramatic, but public speaking is a common fear among people; statistics have shown that people are more afraid of public speaking than rattlesnakes and death. How can you demolish your fear of public speaking… -
Do you embed YouTube videos on your website? If so, you need this (in my opinion)
3 Dec 2012 | 2:09 pmYou’ve got video on your website, right? The overwhelming majority of clients and prospects have told me that’s the first thing they’re looking for when they come to a speaker’s profile. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to get video on your site these days — especially with YouTube. Post it. Embed it. Done. And what’s not to love about YouTube? Here are three of my favorite things: They get over 800 million unique visitors a day! YouTube videos perform well — or can be optimized to perform well — in the search engines. It’s free! There…
-
m62
-
Maths Template
21 May 2013 | 7:16 amThis Maths PowerPoint Template is designed to look like a whiteboard with a graph-lined background. The template includes pre-programmed animated title bars, and features whiteboard pens at the bottom of the slide for added detail. The template would be useful for presentations on mathematics or graphic design, due to the graph background. The maths template could be used in schools, colleges or universities, or even in business presentations. Download the maths template for free for use in your own presentations. This template is in a widescreen format. Download Maths PowerPoint Template All… -
Sunrise Template
14 May 2013 | 6:00 amThis Sunrise PowerPoint Template has a title slide depicting a landscape view, which animates to show the sun rising through the clouds. The main body slide features a light grey overlay with subtle sun rays in the background, and a dark grey animated title bar. The Sunrise Template would be useful for a range of presentations, from topics on the outdoors to presentations with a more abstract theme. Download for free for use in your own presentations. Download Sunrise PowerPoint Template All our PowerPoint templates are free. If you use one, please say thanks by sharing via Google+1,… -
Presentation Anxiety
9 May 2013 | 6:04 amPresentation anxiety – five tips to help you combat it You’ve been working with your team for weeks to prepare the perfect bid. It’s less than three days to the presentation and you’ve done as much as you can to get ready for the big day – your talk track is perfect, the slides work well and the whole team is confident that the content covers every aspect that needs to be addressed. You have a presentation to be proud of and yet you still can’t get rid of the butterflies you feel when you get up to present it. Worry not – presentation anxiety is a problem we regularly… -
Science Template
7 May 2013 | 4:09 amThis Science PowerPoint Template features a blackboard background with text written in chalk and a microscope icon. The template features details including a stick of chalk and a blackboard eraser, and comes with a fully programmed title bar. The Science Template would be suitable for class presentations on chemistry, biology, physics, or science in general. The template is designed for use in a school or college setting. Download for free for use in your own presentations. This template is in widescreen format. Download Science PowerPoint Template All our PowerPoint templates are free. If… -
Haiku Deck: Review
3 May 2013 | 6:14 amHaiku Deck is a free iOS-based application that can create simple yet attractive slides. Haiku Deck is purely iPad-based for production, but completed Haikus can be shared online and viewed from desktop computers and other devices. What does it do? Haiku Deck is an app that allows you to create presentations on an iPad or iPhone by adding text and image backgrounds. The app allows you to quickly and easily create a presentation from scratch, incorporating text from a small selection of ready-made layouts, and an image, graph, or colour-based background. Haiku Deck allows you to set a…
-
Tudor Girba's blog
-
A free font collection for Pharo
10 May 2013 | 5:12 pmThe transition to Athens, the new vectorial canvas in Pharo, requires also a transition from bitmap fonts to free type fonts. There are quite a number of free fonts available these days, but they are distributed as files and this is less convenient for a Pharo image.To fix the problem, I created a little project:Gofer new smalltalkhubUser: 'girba' project: 'FreeFonts' package: 'FontInstaller' loadThe project contains the FontInstaller class (did I mention it was small?) that imports TTF fonts from the file system and installs them in dedicated classes in the image.Let’s take a look at… -
BIG idea vs big IDEA
20 Mar 2013 | 2:39 pmWhat is your big idea? You do not have one? I do not believe that.When most people think of the term "big ideas", they think of ideas that made it big. These are the BIG ideas.But, I am more interested in those ideas that appear with big letters in your head. They make your eyes blink. These are the big IDEAS.While BIG ideas capture the headlines, it is big IDEAS that capture the imagination. Just because you might not see right from start how an IDEA can become BIG, it does not make it less interesting. At least for you. And that is what matters.So, what is your big idea? -
Moose 4.8 on Jenkins
17 Mar 2013 | 2:59 pmWe have ported Moose to Pharo 2.0. One of the nice additions in Pharo is the command line infrastructure that brings the opportunity to have a smooth integration with a continuous integration server like Jenkins.Here is what we did for Moose. First, let’s start with the requirements:We wanted to use the latest Pharo 2.0 image and VM so that we can provide instant feedbackWe wanted to load the code that comes with ConfigurationOfMooseWe wanted to run all the tests that come with our configurationWe wanted to setup the image with Moose-specific settings and toolsThe first requirement is… -
Demo-driven innovation at Scrum Breakfast Luzern (March 21)
12 Mar 2013 | 2:38 pmOn March 21 I will give a talk on Demo-driven innovation at Scrum Breakfast Luzern.The abstract goes as follows:Meeting real deadlines is a hard and stressful job. It’s a job that typically eats all resources available, because when we know exactly what the best way is, we want to go full steam ahead. After all, we want to utilize our productivity to the maximum. Except that we typically do not know the best way. We know just a way and we get comfortable with it.While the status quo can be comfortable, it is certainly not perfect. There always is something to improve. However, when… -
Moose 4.7
3 Mar 2013 | 12:49 pmThe Moose Suite version 4.7 is out: http://moosetechnology.org/downloadWhat is new: Integration of the Roassal visualization engine New PetitParser browser with integrated refactorings Improved Glamorous Toolkit for Pharo including the Glamorous Inspector and Debugger Several features in Glamour including Watcher support (similar to OS X preview) Significant improvements in FAMIX Improved external VerveineJ parser for Java Based on Pharo 1.4A list of issues addressed in this release can be found at: http://code.google.com/p/moose-technology/issues/list?can=1&q=status=Fixed%20milestone=4.7
-
Jim Harvey's Presentation Skills Advice
-
How to Structure a Speech or Presentation
21 May 2013 | 3:00 amWhether they’re Shakespeare or Andrew Lloyd Webber, anyone who has a story to tell follows the same natural structure to tell it: Introduction/Prologue – to silence the crowd and get permission to tell your story: grabs the audience’s attention, and gives them a reason to keep reading, listening or watching. You introduce the one sentence message or call to action which your speech is based around, and attach it to a hook which makes everybody want to know more. Act 1: Context, characters & challenges – sets the scene and defines the questions that the story will… -
Speech Structure – The Strategy Recommendation Presentation
21 May 2013 | 12:30 amFirst read How to Structure a Speech or Presentation for an understanding of how to approach your speech or presentation structure. Introduction – Define the objective Your introduction is a quick-fire journey through the three acts to follow. There’s no need for detail, you just need to explain what you’re going to talk about. Sentence 1: explain why you’re looking at new strategies Sentence 2: summarise the strategy you’re recommending Sentence 3: explain what you hope to achieve with this strategy. Concentrate on two or three benefits which you know your audience care… -
Speech Structure – The Training or Teaching Presentation
21 May 2013 | 12:30 amFirst read How to Structure a Speech or Presentation for an understanding of how to approach your speech or presentation structure. Introduction – Frame the skill in terms of its importance to the audience Summarise the main skill you’re going to provide them with, and add a hook by identifying the relevant value that skill will provide. Take time to find two or three benefits which your audience values. Act 1 – Explain the skill or procedural steps involved Briefly provide context – explain how the skill works and provide some evidence and justification for… -
Speech Structure – The Product Sales Presentation
21 May 2013 | 12:30 amFirst read How to Structure a Speech or Presentation for an understanding of how to approach your speech or presentation structure. Introduction – Frame the customer ‘need’ that the product, service, or idea addresses If you’ve been charged with giving a sales presentation, chances are you already know what to do here. Your introduction needs to create a gap for your product to fill. Show your audience that they need the product – that’s your hook. Then promise to solve the problem you’ve described with your product, idea or service. Act 1 – Describe the need in more… -
Speech Structure – The Bad News Presentation
21 May 2013 | 12:30 amFirst read How to Structure a Speech or Presentation for an understanding of how to approach your speech or presentation structure. Introduction – Show what happened and clarify the damage/costs People probably already know the bad news. That shouldn’t be the focus of the presentation, so summarise it in the introduction and make sure everyone understands both why and how it’s bad. Concentrate on the facts of the case. Facts and evidence. Costs, casualties, corollary damage. Act 1 – Explain how & why it happened – legal advice needed Provide context…
-
Communication Skills Tips
-
Free 136 page eBook Reveals Public Speaking Secrets of World Champions
22 May 2013 | 1:32 amMy book, “Speak Like a Winner” (which has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5) is free on Amazon for a limited time only. I guarantee that this 136 page book contains more ideas than many 200+ page books on the art of public speaking. The book is free for 5 days only, from 22 May – 26 May 2013. You can download the book here: Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Like-Winner-Speaking-ebook/dp/B00B7HC8M8/ Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speak-Like-Winner-Speaking-ebook/dp/B00B7HC8M8/ If Amazon says that the free download is “not available in your country”,… -
Want to Write a Bestselling Book with Me?
10 May 2013 | 4:51 amA couple of months ago, I sent out an announcement to my blog subscribers asking them for contributions for my new book, “Public Speaking Tips from the Pros”. I’m thrilled to announce that the book is now nearing completion! Thank you! I’ll be giving out FREE review copies of the book to all the readers on the blog, so if you haven’t already, be sure to sign up for my mailing list. I’m now in the process of creating a second book called, “How Successful People Work”. I’d like to invite you to co-author the book with me. My previous…
-
Communication Skills Power Blog
-
What is in the Way of Developing Great Conversation Skills? (Part 2)
14 May 2013 | 5:00 amThis is the second and concluding part of the blog post about how to overcome obstacles to developing great conversation skills. You can read part one at http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog/what-is-in-the-way-of-developing-great-conversation-skills-part-1/ In part one we looked at four keys to getting results with the material in this post and we also looked at the first four negative habits that stop people from developing great conversation skills. Let’s look now at the final six negative habits we need to be aware of so we can deal with them. 5. Feeling Unresourceful When it… -
What is in the Way of Developing Great Conversation Skills? (Part 1)
9 May 2013 | 5:24 amIn this post we will take a look at what is in the way of your ability to develop good conversation skills. We’ll acknowledge where you are right now and simply pay attention to the negative habits that are keeping you stuck and resistant to change. To get the most out of this section you’ll need to read it, think about what you’ve read and then make some new choices for the future. Even if you are a quiet person or you tend to be quiet when meeting new people this material can help you to become more comfortable and more expressive regardless of who you are talking to. There are four… -
How To Control Any Conversation – Simple Strategies You Can Use Today
29 Apr 2013 | 3:01 amStrategies For Taking Control Of Any Conversation When it comes to taking control in a conversation there are many effective strategies you can use to gain the upper hand even if in the past you found yourself at the mercy of others in more powerful positions. This post will put you back in control by showing you how to access your own power to communicate with impact while still maintaining rapport. Control ultimately begins in the mind. How you look at a situation can either empower you or detract from your sense of control over unfolding events. For many people conversations are random… -
Love-Driven Communication – Wanting to Be Liked
14 Dec 2012 | 1:55 amThis post is an extract from my book Love-Driven Communication – How to Create Deep Connections that Last which is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. The Craving for Approval It’s no secret that deep down inside, everyone wants to be liked, befriended, beloved, appreciated, popular – whatever you want to call it. Everyone enjoys having friends and acquaintances who genuinely care about you. That’s a perfectly normal desire, but it’s truly amazing how many folks set out to obtain that goal by “looking for friends in all the wrong places” or by putting into action plans… -
Love-Driven Communication – How to Get Things Done and Resolve Problems with Love
13 Dec 2012 | 3:05 amThis post is an extract from my book Love-Driven Communication – How to Create Deep Connections that Last which is available at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Successful Solution Oriented Cooperation There are many times in life when a joint or group effort will prove to be your most prudent choice in effectively getting things done. Therefore it’s crucial to develop excellent communication skills that work well when you find yourself in a time of need. For example, a natural disaster might take part of the roof off of your house, or your car might die in the middle of nowhere. Of…
-
publicspeakinginternational.com
-
Body Language for Public Speaking: How to Gesture Naturally
19 May 2013 | 3:52 pmFew things are more nerve-wracking in public speaking than the thought, "What do I do with my hands?" (Want to boost your physical presence and charisma? Learn how by downloading my free cheat sheet "Body Language: 6 Skills Building Exercises.") Too many speakers and presenters seem at a loss when it comes to using successful body languageespecially where their limbs are concerned. It's as though they just acquired those appendages before going on stage and they don't quite know how to use them. Don't Get on a Gym Ball! Fergus McClelland, a friend of mine and fellow speech coach, uses a… -
Successful Business Speakers Know This Secret—Do You?
16 May 2013 | 2:50 pmYou have an advantage over everyone else every time you give a speech or presentation: nobody else can be you! (Do you know how to speak for leadership? Discover key techniques in my free cheat sheet, "Leadership Skills: The 5 Essential Speaking Techniques.") Sound obvious? It should be—but it's amazing how often speakers don't accept this fact that can and should be an asset to their public speaking. A Tale of Two Speakers I thought of this recently when I coached two executives, one of whom had extensive speaking experience and one who didn't. In our day-long session together, the… -
Move and Inspire Listeners with these Key Communication Skills
12 May 2013 | 9:48 amLooking for an inspiring talk? Watch Jill Bolte Taylor's "Stroke of Insight" speech on TED. This second most viewed TED talk of all time is a remarkable pairing of expertise and personal experience. Deep knowledge and an affecting story combine for a powerful reminder of what moves, educates, and inspires audiences. (To speak with true influence and impact, download my free cheat sheet, "4 Characteristics of an Influential Speaker.") Dr. Taylor, a neuroanatomist, suffered a severe brain hemorrhage on the morning of December 10, 1996. Her left hemisphere stroke left her unable to "walk, talk,… -
How to Use Positive Self-Talk for Successful Public Speaking
8 May 2013 | 5:01 pmIn Shakespeare's most famous play, Hamlet tells the character Rosencrantz: “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” It’s a statement that’s absolutely true concerning your own thoughts about your fear of public speaking. (To become a dynamic rather than a nervous speaker, download our free cheat sheet "How to Calm Your Nerves Before Speaking.") In one sense, you create your own fearful response to public speaking. That’s because, almost universally, there is never as much danger or risk as you think there is concerning a speech or presentation. But your… -
PowerPoint 'Gold': How to Create Powerful and Persuasive Slides
5 May 2013 | 4:08 pmHere's a paradox of PowerPoint that you may not have thought about: PowerPoint is a primarily visual tool, but most presenters fill their slides with verbal content. (Discover the art of effective PowerPoint performance with my free cheat sheet, "5 Rules for Succeeding with PowerPoint"). Doesn't make much sense, does it? A side-by-side comparison I saw recently showed two screen grabs: One was of Bill Gates using PowerPoint, and the slide behind him had four or five bullet points. The companion screen grab was Steve Jobs, standing in front of a screen showing . . . an image. No nouns, verbs,…
-
Creating Communication
-
The Science of Persuasion
18 May 2013 | 6:23 pmSource “The Science of Persuasion” is a terrific look at advertising, marketing, and persuasion in the 21st century… I love the Influence at Work YouTube video, and there are so many things I want to teach my students about persuasion based upon this angle. While I have been using Chip and Dan Heath’s Made to Stick as a vehicle to explain persuasion, I think this could be another version of a strong persuasive lesson… How do you teach “persuasion” to your business students? What resources work best as opposed to the standard Aristotle… -
Infographic: The Multiple Personalities of Coffee
17 May 2013 | 11:07 amSource I love this infographic’s use of shapes. With lots of empty space and a clean, elegant style, the reader can easily understand the meaning of the data visualization. -
Angela Lee Duckworth: The key to success? Grit
15 May 2013 | 9:00 pmAngela Lee Duckworth’s “The key to success? Grit” reinforces the theories of my favorite superteacher mentor: Carol Dweck. Duckworth explains that learning is based not on natural intelligence but on hard work. She references Dweck’s work around the 5:00 mark: Source Duckworth defines “grit” as “passion and perseverance for very long term goals; having stamina; sticking with your future day in and day out FOR YEARS; working really hard to make that future a reality; living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint” (Source). The best… -
Why You Need A Visual Resume: Part Two
15 May 2013 | 12:51 pmFor the past six months, I’ve been writing articles for the Full Sail University blog and student/instructor platform: Connect. ”Why You Need A Visual Resume: Part One” ran last week, and I’d love to share the follow up with you today: To read “Why You Need A Visual Resume: Part Two” here. -
Creating Color Palettes
15 May 2013 | 12:47 pmA strong visual presentation displays unity through the repetition of multiple elements such as text, images, shapes. A color palette is also important to the unity of a Keynote or PowerPoint because the color palette shows a cohesive relationship between slides. Sometimes, slide designers feel creatively challenged when it comes to color. How can I create an effective color palette? What colors go well together? Do these colors go well with my content? A few important websites can help us answer these questions. Design Seeds is my favorite color palette website. An image is the…
-
The Reluctant Speakers Club » Blog
-
Does a Fear of Speaking Hold You Back?
16 May 2013 | 11:00 amIt’s irritating. Fear wins far too often.“I’ve got the perfect strategy for dealing with the panic attacks I get when anyone asks me to make a speech”, she said, laughing. “I run away. Avoidance is my answer every time.”These were words from a fellow delegate, who I’ll call Mary in the interests of discretion, at a recent event about content marketing.Mary wasn’t being funny and she certainly isn’t unique. In fact, she just follows a path taken by so many of the 75% of adults who admit that speaking in front of others is a major source of anxiety.When asked about the… -
What Speakers Can Learn from David Ogilvy
8 May 2013 | 5:52 amThere are more parallels between the world of advertising and speech-making than many realise……And to prove the point, here are 3 short ideas from the late advertising guru David Ogilvy that’ll help you create more engaging talksTip #1 – Favour Substance Over Style“What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content in your advertising, not its form.”Speaking is not about dazzling your audience with craft. It’s not about being a gifted entertainer and nor is about the number of plaudits you receive after your talking is done.While each of these may be a… -
Don’t Waste Great Jokes on Your Audience
30 Apr 2013 | 8:54 am“So a funny thing happened when…”Do you have to get your audiences to laugh to win them over?Many say ‘yes’; And with good reason. After all – it’s a fact – the effective use of humour can boost a speaker’s capacity to connect with an audience.It offers a great way to help your audience to enjoy the experience of hearing a talk, to feel more relaxed and receptive, and even to defuse tension or anxiety when tackling potentially difficult topics.But does this mean you need to be a teller of jokes or a bit of a comedian to maximize audience… -
How to Avoid Making Forgettable Speeches
26 Mar 2013 | 6:49 amExpectations can be weighty. Many who are called upon to make presentations believe it’s important to be seen as someone who’s thorough – showing all and sundry a mastery of the topics at hand.“I simply have to cover every possibility”, exclaimed one participant at a recent seminar. “In my job, I deal with so many things…and they’ll expect to speak about them all.”Was he right? Does that sound reasonable to you?Maybe?It’s certainly easy to see why one might hold this view. And yet the answer has to be a decided ‘noDon’t set your audience up to miss the pointIf you… -
Is Your Big Idea Ready to Win the Investment You Crave?
20 Feb 2013 | 4:46 amIt’s tragic. Many investment pitches are over almost before they start.Worse still, those who have floundered may not twig their case is lost until after the ship they want to come in has sailed away.What goes wrong?If your big idea isn’t clear or compelling, nothing is going to happen.Never mind all the other homework you’ve done, the PowerPoint Deck that’s awash with detail and your conviction that investors would be mad not to back you……Should you fail at this hurdle, you simply won’t get to pass GO and will leave with empty pockets. Here’s why.Seasoned…
-
How To Click With People
-
Dealing With Passive Agressive Gossip
20 May 2013 | 1:50 amDid you hear about….? Some gossip is just talk, but gossip can also be the weapon of choice for a passive-aggressive attack. Which is which? Sometimes the person attacking you doesn’t know, but you should. Passive aggression, at least the most troublesome kind, is by definition, unconscious. The worst offenders often see themselves as nice people being helpful. They get to say all sorts of nasty things about people and nobody gets mad at them, because they didn’t say it, somebody else did. Well, they did say it, but they were just sharing some information with you as a… -
Dealing With Bosses and Coworkers Who Drain You Dry
13 May 2013 | 1:01 amHello Dr. K’s Blog readers! I’m Al Bernstein, and today I begin posting while Dr. K takes a much needed break after 5 years of posting every single week. One of his favorite topics is difficult people, and it’s an interest we share. Here’s what I think: Most of the difficult people you have to work with do not qualify for a psychiatric diagnosis, but when people are at their most difficult, they are often acting like people who do. For this reason, I have found it helpful to teach people how to understand and deal effectively with the worst of the worst. If… -
Dr. K takes a Sabbatical! Meet Our Guest Blogger, Author Al Bernstein, Ph.D.
6 May 2013 | 1:01 amGreetings one and all. I’ve got spring fever, and I’m going to do something about it. I’m going to let someone sit in for me for a few weeks while I goof off work on a project. That means that for the next few weeks, Dr. K’s ‘How To Click With People’ blog will have a guest blogger to feed you useful information in my absence! YAY! (Drumroll) Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I introduce to you Dr. Al Bernstein, a Ph.D. clinical psychologist, speaker and author of a wonderful new book titled Emotional Vampires At Work! Vampires… -
Keep Your Wits About You!
29 Apr 2013 | 1:01 amDid you know that people would rather be around someone with a smile in their heart than someone with heartburn in their heart? While too much clowning is disruptive and distracting, a little humor can make someone’s day. Just look at the success of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and the Colbert Report with Steven Colbert. They are delivering remarkably bad news with a spoonfull of sugar, and it definitely makes it easier to know what’s going on than if the full horror of it was focused on (the way the other channels do). I learned this lesson first by… -
Relationships Are Not About Reality, They Are About Perception!
15 Apr 2013 | 1:01 amEver had the experience of someone telling you, “You’re not listening to me!” and you heard them say it? Obviously, you were listening, yet somehow, they failed to perceive it. It wasn’t about reality. It wasn’t about facts. It was about the very subjective experience of being heard, and how that person comes to know that it is happening. Rather than reacting to it by defending yourself (I was so listening!) explaining (I’m distracted because I have a lot going on) excusing (if you were me, you would find it hard to concentrate too) and justifying (I…
-
Dr. Michelle Mazur
-
How to Get the Creative Presentation Juices Flowing
22 May 2013 | 7:00 amDespite of all the presentation tips, tricks and templates I could give you. The art of creating a great presentation is a creative process. Storytelling, compelling introductions and memorable conclusions all take a HUGE amount of creative energy. Sometimes, the muse is just not speaking to you. You get stuck. I get stuck writing my own speeches. It’s far easier for me to write great turns-of phrase for my clients than for myself. When that happens to you, how do you get the muse to end her silence and start speaking to you? I loved this infographic about 29 ways to stay creative… -
The Biggest Stumbling Block in Presentations
19 May 2013 | 6:00 pmPolish or perish! You’re on a roll. You’ve entered the presentation zone. The words flow, your audience glows and then all of the sudden your presentation blows. Your mind goes blank, the stammering starts, you scramble for your notes and you know – you’ve entered into the transition zone. Much like the Twilight Zone – the Transition Zone is that other dimension between the point you’re currently making and the next idea. You’ve got your big idea, sexy sizzling hot speech organization, an introduction that wins and a powerful conclusion - but now… -
3 Keys to Creating a Speech Audiences Love
15 May 2013 | 7:00 amBe a P.I.G. to give an audience what they want in your next speech What makes a presentation sizzle while another fizzles? The difference between speaking success and presentation mess is understanding what your audience wants. What does an audience want – what do they really, really want? I’ll tell you what they want, what they really, really want (Is the Spice Girls stuck in your head yet?) Audiences are NOT a huge mystery. In fact, research shows that audiences consistently want 3 things from a speaker. Want to know what are those 3 keys you need to create a presentation your… -
How to Ruin a Presentation in the Last 30 Seconds
12 May 2013 | 6:45 pmYour speech is going great! You’re engaging, the audience asks great questions, they are loving your every word and then in the last 30-seconds you blow it. By doing one (or more) of these: Ending a presentation with Q&A Saying, “Well, that’s it.” Saying, “Thank you for your time.” Running off the stage with no real conclusion. Concluding with a sales pitch. I’ve done all of these at one point in my speaking career. I blew it with my audience. I’m most guilty of ending with Q&A. Do you want your audience to remember some wing-nut… -
Does Your Audience Want to Break Up With You?
8 May 2013 | 7:25 amIs your audience trying to send you a Dear John letter? Dear Speaker, Hi. It’s me your audience. You may not recognize me since you’ve been staring at your own PowerPoint slides for the last 30-minutes, but here I am. We need to talk. This “relationship” is not really working out for me. Hey, I’m out here gazing at you, wishing you the best, and trying to pay attention. But you won’t even look at me. Instead you are reading your slides to me. I’m not 3-years old. I don’t need a bedtime story. I don’t know if you know this about me, but…
-
Speak Up For Success
-
Public Speaking Tip 18: Your Accent Doesn’t Matter — Speaking Clearly, Does
21 May 2013 | 11:30 amIf You Speak English with an Accent, Here’s a Reality Check Periodically, someone will call to ask me if I do “accent reduction coaching” — in other words, can I make their accents go away? As it happens, I don’t do that kind of coaching; but more importantly, I’ll usually ask why they’re interested. And the caller will generally say, “Well, I have an accent, and I’m concerned that this will diminish my business prospects.” I generally notice, and share, two things with the caller: You speak English more eloquently than I do; and Accent… -
Public Speaking Tip 17: Savor Each Moment of Your Speech
15 May 2013 | 6:17 pmQuick, get me out of this speech! We’ve all experienced the fight, flight or freeze response. It’s an automatic (and autonomic!) reaction to perceived danger that can flood our systems with adrenaline for fighting, send us running for the hills, or make us freeze up and stop breathing. It’s obvious that not breathing could make it difficult to deliver a presentation; but the flight part of this reaction can also be an issue for public speakers. Public Speaking Can Make You Want to Run!! The pull to run from something scary can feel almost overwhelming. And when… -
Public Speaking Tip 16: You Can’t Control an Audience’s Reaction
12 May 2013 | 2:18 pmCommunication is really important. (Well, obviously I think so, or I wouldn’t have devoted the last 20 years of my life to it.) But it does have its limits. For instance, You Can’t Make People Think Anything Lots of my clients show up saying things like, I want them to think I’m intelligent, I have to impress people, They need to understand my point. This is asking for the moon, because you can’t control someone else’s thought process. You can do your best to sound intelligent, to deliver an impressive presentation, or to get your point across — but… -
Public Speaking Tip 15: Know When to Lose Your Script
30 Apr 2013 | 3:15 pmThis month’s Speak Up for Success newsletter, and its companion blog post, What Mudbugging in a Chevy Taught Me About Public Speaking both discuss the predictable ways a public speaking situation can veer “off road,” such as: Having your time cut at the last minute Finding out your easy audience is actually a tough crowd Listening as the person who speaks just before you makes make all the points you’d planned to make (and now what are you going to talk about??). You might think that more experienced speakers avoid these twists and turns; but sometimes we don’t — and… -
What Mudbugging in a Chevy Taught Me about Public Speaking
30 Apr 2013 | 11:19 amThis month’s Speak Up for Success newsletter is about the public speaking lesson I learned while marooned in the Savannah National Wildlife Preserve. Here’s the actual story, told as it happened. And if you’re not already receiving the newsletter, sign up here. Don’t Trust Your GPS in Georgia As I write this, I am hiking — perhaps trudging is a better word — out of the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. Just to set the stage: I recently decided I needed a break. (Boy, did I need a break!) So I flew down to Charleston SC, rented a car, and drove to Georgia to stay with an…
-
SpeakingSherpa
-
Interview: Simon Sinek’s Public Speaking Advice
29 Apr 2013 | 7:56 amI interviewed Simon Sinek on April 24th, 2013 to capture his advice on public speaking. In case you have been living under a rock, Simon is the best-selling author of Start With Why and his TED Talk has been viewed over 12 million times on TED.com and YouTube. After you read this, I encourage you to check out Simon’s 11 free tips and ideas on how to help you speak more effectively so you can inspire action. (For more insight on Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, check out my blog post: How Simon Sinek Delivered His TED Talk) How did you select your topic? To begin with, I never… -
10 Most Popular TED Talks From TED2013
23 Mar 2013 | 3:56 pmIt is pretty easy to determine the most popular TED Talks of all time. To see the ranking on TED.com, click here. You can also see a mostly overlapping list on YouTube by clicking here. However, I was curious which were the most popular talks to emerge from TED2013. That took a bit more work. Without further commentary, here is the list as of March 23, 2013 ranked by number of views. #1 Amanda Palmer – The Art of Asking #2 Shane Koyczan – ‘To this day”… for the bullied and beautiful #3 Allan Savory – How to Green the… -
How Marco Tempest Delivered His “Magic Tale” TED Talk
16 Mar 2013 | 3:15 pm(The following is a guest post by inspirational speaker and magician Nana Danso. He is performing live at the Omni Hotel in New Haven, CT at 7pm on Thursday May 2, 2013. Click here for tickets and information.) Tip #1: Share an idea worth spreading Marco Tempest’s idea worth spreading is: “To willingly suspend your disbelief so that you can live a more optimistic life.” Tip #2: Encapsulate your message in a catchphrase of 10 or fewer words If you cannot describe your message in ten or fewer words, then your message is not clear. A simple example of a catchphrase is… -
How Charlie Todd Delivered His TED Talk
13 Mar 2013 | 5:52 amCharlie Todd currently holds the record for the largest number of views on TED.com for a speech by a comedian. In this post, I deconstruct the factors that make his talk so popular. Tip #1: Share an idea worth spreading Charlie Todd’s idea worth spreading is: ‘To accept that there is no right or wrong way to play so that you can have more joy in your life.’ Tip #2: Be purposeful about when to reveal your ‘ah-hah’ moment I help out a number of TED and TEDx speakers and one of them asked me yesterday: “Should I share my ah-hah insight at the… -
How Simon Sinek Delivered His TED Talk
8 Mar 2013 | 6:31 pmBusiness guru Simon Sinek became a TED super-star by combining a simple yet compelling message – “start with why” – with an artful narrative. In this post, I deconstruct the factors that make his TED Talk so powerful and viral. Tip #1: Share an idea worth spreading Simon’s idea worth spreading is: ‘To encourage leaders to start with why (then share how and finally reveal what), so that they can inspire others.” Tip #2: Hook your audience immediately Simon hooked his audience immediately in two ways. The first is that he started…
-
make a powerful point
-
Anatomy of a Pitch
3 May 2013 | 2:03 pmPitching is to business as it is to baseball. You can’t play without it, and it has to be good to win. Not just the premise of start-ups and salesman, marketers and entrepreneurs, the pitch is something we all need to master. The art of framing the way people see the world and then moving […] -
Sketchnotes from Food for Thought 2013
26 Apr 2013 | 11:53 amFood for Thought, I imagine, is like TED before it became TED, with really great food. It’s a unique conference hosted every year by Erwin Penland in the charming city of Greenville SC, and brings together innovators, entrepreneurs, marketers and business leaders. This is the second year I have had the privilege of going. For those that went, […] -
What to do with Charts
22 Apr 2013 | 7:25 amCharts are a problem. We’re always trying to display numbers and data, but it’s not easy to avoid a deluge of data. Thinking in terms of Evidence is good. If you believe this chart Visual Evidence is even better. If you’re a disciple of Edward Tufte, then you know that Beautiful Evidence is the way to […] -
Over the rainbow: How to really communicate your vision statement
8 Apr 2013 | 1:21 pmA senior executive recently shared his company’s growth plan. The highlight was “Journey’s End*” — a vision of the company some 18 months in the future. He was very excited. “Here’s what it’s really all about though…” and flipped the page in the deck to financial metrics. Growth targets, gross revenue, churn, profit. He then spent […] -
Why MESSAGE DISCIPLINE wins
25 Mar 2013 | 5:21 amI’m not a big beer drinker, but like everyone else on the planet, I have seen my fair share of beer commercials. So it was with interest that I noted Coors light has surpassed Miller lite in beer sales and market share for the first time in the U.S. making it number 2 behind Bud […]
-
Business School Presenting
-
A Great Business Presenter . . . the Best of All Time?
20 May 2013 | 5:04 pmWho is a Great Business Presenter? Quintilian was the greatest presentation coach to ever stride the streets of Rome during the reigns of Nero, Vespasian, Titus, Domitian . . . and was a great business presenter. Of course, Rome had many presentation coaches at the time, because public speaking – oratory – was considered an art. But Quintilian was the undisputed master of the 1st Century, and he penned one of the most important presentation works in all of history. It was published in 95 AD and was called . . . The Institutes of Oratory. But like so many literary works in the ancient… -
Presentation Magic . . . YOU Provide it
14 May 2013 | 6:00 pmThere are no presentation magic pills to rescue a lame effort For your presentation, do you ever throw together a half-dozen makeshift slides cut-and-pasted from a written report, larded with bullet points, and then rely on some sort of last-minute presentation magic to save your butt? Wishful thinking that maybe PowerPoint pyrotechnics can save the day? Perhaps the bravado of phony self-confidence to get you through a painful experience? Guilty as charged? Most of us are at one point or another. And the results can be heinous. Software “Presentation Magic” Cannot Save You The results… -
Presentation Practice – How to do it Right
10 May 2013 | 7:19 amThe Right Presentation Practice can Yield Competitive Advantage One of the keys to successful and confident performance is presentation practice. The right kind of practice for your business presentation. This is even more the case with a team presentation with more moving parts and variables in the mix. But you know how to practice your presentation already, right? Practice is easy. You just . . . . . . do it. Right? Powerful Presentation Practice Yields . . . What? First, not everyone practices. Some practice not at all. Those who do practice, usually don’t practice nearly… -
Bad Presentation Tips can Sabotage Your Business Presentation
6 May 2013 | 3:00 pmThe Zombies of Bad Presentation Tips Never Die . . . That’s why they’re called Zombies When Armageddon finally comes, cockroaches and the zombies of bad presentation tips will be the only survivors. I say this because I’ve learned that the zombies of bad presentation tips never die. No, we can’t eradicate bad presentation tips completely. These zombies are impervious to every remedy known to 21st century civilization. But let’s give it a shot anyway. Bad Presentation Tips The process of becoming a great presenter is not so much prompting students to do something the right… -
Hand in Your Pocket is Just Fine
4 May 2013 | 4:18 pm
-
BrightCarbon
-
In Defence of PowerPoint for Sales Conversations
13 May 2013 | 2:01 amPowerPoint gets a bad press. People use it awfully, never take the time to learn it well, refuse to bring in professionals to help, and then get disappointed with the results. So-called experts pass judgement on these pathetic uses of PowerPoint, failing to recognise that when used well, it’s stunningly effective. I’ve seen some awful art, but I’ve nothing against painting per se. Whiteboard Selling by Corey Sommers (now at Corporate Visions) and David Jenkins is the latest example of a book that positions its own content by attacking PowerPoint with a section entitled… -
No Place for Bullet Points in a Presentation
9 May 2013 | 3:52 amIf you are of sound mind and judgement, you will recognise the torture that comes from either having to present with, or being subjected to a presenter that uses bullet points. Warning: this article may include some mild ranting – please excuse it, but it’s good for the soul. In the good old days of presentations being run using blackboards and OHPs (overhead projectors) with acetate sheets, while bullet points were still used, as everything was hand written, it was often quicker and easier to use sketches and diagrams to illustrate the points being made. Not all presentation ‘slides’… -
Presentation and Video, Side by Side – 9Slides Review
2 May 2013 | 2:00 amWe are always on the lookout for new presentation apps and technologies, anything that helps the presenter get their message across or helps the audience understand. So when I stumbled across 9Slides I was intrigued. 9Slides is a presentation platform that lets you share video and slides side by side, the most obvious example seems to be having the presenter in the video and then the accompanying slides alongside. I think the best way to demonstrate is to show you, which means I’ll have to present something! Here goes: 9Slides Sample Presentation on 9SLIDES The first thing you’ll notice… -
Shutterstock vs. iStock for Presentation Photos
29 Apr 2013 | 6:37 amWe just signed up for our first Shutterstock subscription. Previously, we’ve pretty much exclusively been using iStockphoto for our commercial-use presentation photos. iStock has been the ‘default’ commercial site for presentation photos for a few years, perhaps since the publication of Garr Reynold’s Presentation Zen. iStock seemed to get a real boost with the exposure they got from that book, and cemented their position as the site-of-choice among presentation designers. In each of Presentation Zen, Presentation Zen Design, and The Naked Presenter,… -
Lessons in Persuasion from a Tuk-Tuk Driver
18 Apr 2013 | 4:09 amI – like many tourists have been – was recently scammed by a Tuk-Tuk driver in Delhi. The experience wasn’t a happy one – but the guy was incredibly persuasive and made a damn good argument. Making the best of a bad situation, I’ve pulled together the bits of his approach that really worked and explored what they can teach us about creating a persuasive presentation. For those who aren’t aware, it is common practise in Delhi (and other tourist hotspots) for drivers of Tuk-Tuks – small, brightly-coloured, three-wheeled diesel-powered rickshaws – to lie in wait for fresh-faced…
-
Pivotal Public Speaking
-
[Public speaking quotation] Speech versus written language
21 May 2013 | 3:42 amSpeech is human nature itself, with none of the artificiality of written language. Alfred North Whitehead -
Build your career by making strong, positive impressions on your audiences
15 May 2013 | 4:26 amPresentation Skills 201: How to Take it to the Next Level as a Confident, Engaging Presenter William R Steele Included with the tips are scores of real-life examples and stories from the author’s over 16 years of helping highly-accomplished presenters find that one more thing that they can do to take it up notch and build their careers by making strong, positive impressions on their presentation audiences. => http://bit.ly/16hissB -
Inspiration – Learn by doing
13 May 2013 | 4:12 amOne learns by doing a thing; for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. Sophocles -
Quick public speaking tip – Is your audience illiterate?
11 May 2013 | 4:07 amWell, are they? Probably not. If your words are on the screen or sheet of paper, then let the audience read for themselves. This will have enormous impact, especially if your audience is used to presenters slavishly following the test on their visuals. You are presenting your message verbally, and visuals are just that – images or groups or words that support your message. They are not the message itself. If necessary, you may have to explain this, first, because many audiences have been trained by presenters who cover their inadequacies by using their visuals as the message. This may just… -
Pubic Speaking quote – Churchill on courage
9 May 2013 | 3:57 amCourage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill
