On Friday I had an appointment with a new client. It was a long drive to get there, and a long drive to get back, especially on the Friday of a holiday weekend. I was probably in the car a total of seven hours. But I had such a great experience while I was there, I wasn't nearly as crabby as I could have been when I got home! I walked into the lobby, approached the receptionists and told them who I was there to meet. They said, "Are you Lisa? We've been expecting you!" Instantly, the drive faded away. They were expecting me! Do you know how often this happens when I visit a client? NEVER.
Speaking
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Most Topular Stories
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Does your audience feel welcome?
Speak Schmeak21 Feb 2012 | 1:12 pm -
Pass the Milk: Is That a Question or an Order?
Communication Studies22 Feb 2012 | 1:16 pmA new study from the University of Portsmouth in Great Britain provides insight into the differences between the ways in which native English speakers and native Polish speakers use language during day-to-day interactions with family. The researchers hope their findings will lead to a greater understanding between members of the two groups and reduce misunderstandings based on cultural differences. The researchers’ findings demonstrated how common exchanges between Polish family members lead to an enhanced sense of family and attachment within the Polish community, but sound offensive when… -
What Makes a Rock Star Business Speaker?
Great Speaking Coach13 Feb 2012 | 9:08 amWhat makes a singer a rock star? Out of the hundreds of thousands of people who sing and make music, only a handful achieve the status of Rock Star. What do they do and can you, a business speaker, learn from them? Rock Stars surprise and delight their audiences. They bring something unique, even if they are in a crowded genre. Is it the words, the music, the musicianship? More likely it is charisma, which is hard to define but is recognizable when we see it. They definitely do not try to be like anyone and everyone else. Rock stars perform their well-known songs in every concert. Their fans… -
Outstanding Content First and Foremost
Great Speaking Coach8 Feb 2012 | 10:54 amWhen was the last time you stood up and cheered a speaker because of his posture, her gestures or whether he or she stood to the left of the screen? Without amazing content, your perfect delivery style will be worthless. When your content is great the audience will paint your delivery style with the same enthusiastic brush. I worked with a team who had to present an proposal orally to the customer. The competition was fierce and this company had the added disadvantage of not being known by the customer through past work. They were adamant about standing to the left of the screen, the… -
How to Tell If Someone Is Lying On Their Online Dating Profile
Communication Studies21 Feb 2012 | 11:02 amHow do you know they're being honest? People who seek mates online are notorious for blurring the lines between truth and fantasy. Stories about perfect online dates who bear no resemblance to their online profiles have become fodder for television sitcom plots, late-night punch lines and, unfortunately, crime headlines. Whether these examples reflect the reality of the online dating world or simply the public’s anxieties and fears regarding online matchmaking, the truth remains that online daters can easily get away with lying about themselves for at least as long as it takes to get a foot…
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Presentation Zen
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Hans Rosling: The Jedi Master of data visualization
27 Jan 2012 | 1:31 amDr. Hans Rosling is one of my presentation heroes; he's been featured or mentioned in all my books and several times on presentationzen.com over the years. If there is a Jedi Master of presenting data clearly, visually, and simply, then it is Hans. He proves time and time again, that data are not dull—and when you are trying to change the world, there is no excuse for boring presentations. Most people are aware of Dr. Rosling through his popular TED Talks, but just in case you've never seen him present, below is a nice 5-minute piece he did on CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS. At TED.com you'll… -
New: Presentation Zen (2nd Edition)
19 Jan 2012 | 12:36 amFour years ago my first book Presentation Zen was published by Peachpit Press. Since then I wrote two other presentation books and a sketchbook/storyboard book and a DVD (plus an additional DVD/Book just for Japan). Although a lot of time had passed, I was still happy with the original Presentation Zen. And yet, the original Presentation Zen book could benefit from a little freshening up in the form of a 2nd edition for 2012. This 2nd edition of Presentation Zen has the same look and feel as the original book and I still did all the design and layout myself. The biggest difference is the book… -
10 great books to help you think, create, & communicate better in 2012
10 Jan 2012 | 6:54 amIn the spirit of personal kaizen, I have listed below a few books that I read (or reread) over the past year that you may want to read as part of your own continuous improvement journey. (Clicking on the book's icon takes you to Amazon.com.) (1) Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long. Over the last 10-20 years scientists have made many remarkable discoveries concerning the brain and how it works. David Rock is not a neuroscientist but he is a good "neurotranslator" of the scientific evidence and does a good job of… -
Progress and the intentional selection of less
30 Dec 2011 | 7:26 pmMany people today talk about presentation technology as if it were a panacea for boring lectures and ineffective presentations. Technologies such as our laptops, iPads, and cool software packages are wonderful tools that can, when used well, increase the quality of communication and engagement. This is especially true when we need to engage with people live on the other side of the planet via tools like video conferencing, webinars, Skype, and so on. However, while technology has evolved in dramatic ways over the last generation, our deep human need for visceral connections, and personal… -
Steve Jobs: "People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint"
20 Dec 2011 | 7:12 amOne thing we need to constantly remind ourselves is that slides and other forms of projected visualization—no matter how "cool" they may be—are not appropriate for every context. Multimedia is great for presentations before large groups such as keynote addresses or conference presentations, but in meetings where you want to actively discuss issues or go over details in depth, slides—especially the snooze-inducing bulletpoint variety, which are never a good idea—are almost always counter productive. I stressed early on in the first version of Presentation Zen four years ago—and ad…
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Decker Blog
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Need change? Add emotion.
21 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amMy emotion yesterday? Guilt. From a trash can. And it completely altered my course of action. Throwing anything away is painfully confusing in San Francisco. So much so that many people (tourists especially) will stand paralyzed with their lunch refuse in front of an intimidating wall of bins. The trash, compost, and multiple recycling bins appear so ominous that each will come to life and attack you if you dare put the wrong item into it. The rules, in fact, are so specific, that you have to deconstruct all serving containers to get them into the right spot. In a hurry, I didn’t see the… -
Video Blog: What is customer loyalty?
17 Feb 2012 | 2:27 pmWhat does the commonly used buzzword customer loyalty mean to you? Think about a company or organization to which you are a frequent and loyal customer. What makes you return? What makes you talk about it to other people? Please answer in the comments! In this week’s video blog, I bring some clarity to the idea of customer loyalty, and challenge you to come up with your own examples. So often, it’s the experience a business creates for us that make us come back. So start creating an image in your own mind of what makes you a repeat customer to some of your favorites, and make a… -
Insights from a Speaking Immersion…
15 Feb 2012 | 12:31 amFor three days last week I heard (and experienced) over 100 leaders speaking to an audience of 11,000 – including a couple dozen Senators and Representatives, Presidential candidates, authors, celebrities, and news anchors. (Most of the videos are available here.) It was an amazing experience at CPAC. This post is purely about the insights from this total speaking immersion – not the politics. What can we learn from the experience each person created for the audience? How did these folks handle the pressure? And what is the penalty when using the teleprompter as a crutch? (I sat in… -
Change your habit in 21 days
9 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amWe’re over a week in to February — perilous territory for we New Year’s resolution-setters. How are your goals for the new year holding up? When we make promises to do something differently, start something new, or stick with a plan, what we’re really attempting is behavior change. It takes 21 days to change a habit, according to Dr. Maxwell Maltz and his book Psycho-Cybernetics. I’ve certainly seen this to be true when coaching and changing communication behavior (give or take a week or two!). By the way, that’s 21 consecutive days, not a couple days… -
Video Blog: Tell a story to land your point
6 Feb 2012 | 12:31 pmRecently, I coached an executive who shared a great example of business storytelling, as an alternative to getting bogged down in data speak. I now share it so you keep using SHARPs (Stories, Humor, Analogies, References & Quotes, Pictures & Visuals) to drive your points and lead others to action. Enjoy! Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and share your own stories.
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Ethos3 - A Presentation Design Agency
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Ogilvy on Advertising for Presentations
22 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pmDavid Ogilvy has been called the Father of Advertising. In 1962, Time named him “the most sought-after wizard in the advertising business.” He was revolutionary in the industry and created some of the most recognizable campaigns of his time. He wrote his all-encompassing book Ogilvy on Advertising in 1983 detailing his thoughts and reflections on advertising. While not every presentation is a direct advertisement for a product, most are attempting to sell an idea to the audience. Much of Ogilvy’s commentary on how to produce advertising that sells can be applied to giving an effective… -
How to Effectively Use Visuals
21 Feb 2012 | 4:02 pmHumans are a visual species. We like watching the sunset. We like watching the sunrise. We like looking at the stars and we like spotting a bright rainbow. We like how the leaves of trees change to bright reds, oranges and yellows in the fall. In short, we like beautiful things. We appreciate beauty. And there are few things uglier than a presentation full of bullet points and text. Use visuals. Use them often and use them well. The world will be a more beautiful place because of it. Simplicity is key. Remember Einstein’s words: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it… -
Chimamanda Adichie on the Single Story
17 Feb 2012 | 5:40 pmChimamanda Adichie addresses the danger of telling a single story in her TEDGlobal talk filmed in July 2009. She does a masterful job presenting her argument by using poignant storytelling, repetition and secondary references. Her talk is nuanced and sensitive, offering a powerful example of how to give a great presentation. Adichie begins by telling us about her childhood growing up in Nigeria when she would read books by British and American authors. As she got older, she began to write her own stories, which were full of characters who were light skinned and drank lots of ginger beer. Her… -
Presentation Lessons from Whitney Houston
16 Feb 2012 | 3:31 pmPeople across the world were shocked and saddened last Saturday night by the news of Whitney Houston’s death. The powerhouse singer was only 48 at the time of her death, and though the last years of her life were drug-fueled and full of turmoil, she was one of the most successful female musicians of all time. She won 415 awards throughout her career, including 2 Emmys, 6 Grammys, 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards, making her the most awarded female act of all time. Her masterful, goosebump-inducing version of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You is the best selling… -
Know Your Audience
15 Feb 2012 | 11:58 am“When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They’re moved by a desire to touch the audience,” writes Robert McKee in his definitive screenwriting book Story. A great presentation should always include a compelling story that speaks to the audience. But it’s possible to create an exceptional presentation that fails to resonate with the audience because the story didn’t captivate them. So before you begin crafting your presentation’s narrative, be sure that you know your audience. If you were presenting at a Republican Party convention and you opened your…
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Duarte Blog
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Want your data to go viral? Make it visual.
15 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pmHow do you turn an academic report into a viral video? The Rauch Foundation challenged Duarte to solve this puzzle as they re-launched the Long Island Index in January. The Long Island Index aims to reveal the challenges and opportunities facing Long Island through the collection of unbiased data. Like many academic documents, the reports are dense with information and aren’t intended to reach a broad audience. When they launched their last two reports, the Rauch Foundation sought Duarte’s help creating a video to introduce their report at an event filled with academics, foundation… -
The Visual Thinking Revolution is Here!
9 Feb 2012 | 5:39 pmWe are in the midst of a “Visual Thinking Revolution” and leaders in all types of organizations are embracing visual thinking as a literacy of the future. Source: MBA Career Service Professionals (click to enlarge) This revolution’s “tipping point” came earlier this year at the International Forum for Visual Practitioners annual conference, which drew 100 visual practitioners from across the globe. The panel I moderated with Business Models Inc. CEO Patrick van der Pijl and Doodle Revolution’s Sunni Brown kicked off the conference with an expansive discussion on the future of… -
Creative Like a Fox! Dan Roam and I Compare Notes on Creative Process
3 Feb 2012 | 8:15 amDan Roam schools me on creative process. His new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH, offers awesome tips on how to utilize visual and verbal concepts to refine ideas to their most pure state. -
Are You a Fox or a Hummingbird? Dan Roam Explains Your Brain
2 Feb 2012 | 8:27 amDan Roam uses an animalistic metaphor to explain how your brain processes information, and reveals how to help facilitate communication between our verbal and visual minds. That and more in his new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH. -
Grammar Ain’t Just for Words Anymore
1 Feb 2012 | 10:58 amDan Roam used the rules of verbal grammar to build a Visual Grammar Graph that bridges the gap between verbal and visual concepts. Vivid Grammar is featured in his new book, BLAH BLAH BLAH.
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Dave Paradi's PowerPoint Blog
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Presentation Tip: Ten years of the newsletter
21 Feb 2012 | 1:10 pmTen years ago, on February 26th 2002, I sent out my first newsletter. Today, I am sending you issue 255. What a journey it has been these last ten years. According to my records, over 13,500 people have been part of the newsletter list at one time or another (over 8,200 are on the list currently). Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. Today I want to reflect on what I have learned and experienced writing this newsletter for you, my subscribers. In the first issue I covered shortcut keys when using Slide Show mode in PowerPoint, keeping cables organized with Velcro straps,… -
PowerPoint Tip: Don’t start your presentation with credits
7 Feb 2012 | 9:08 amLast week in a coaching session a client asked, “What is the best way to start my presentation?” She said that she had tried different methods and didn’t feel that they were working as well as she wanted. This question reminded me of what Nick Morgan said in his keynote presentation at the Presentation Summit last fall. In this article I want to talk about how to start your presentation, building off of what Nick suggested in his talk. How do most movies and TV shows start today? As Nick pointed out, it is much different than 15 years ago. In the past, a movie started out with the… -
PowerPoint Tip: Boring presentations are not the problem
24 Jan 2012 | 12:48 pmHow many times have you heard that the problem with many PowerPoint presentations is that they are boring? This is a common refrain from the media and it used to justify why presentations should not use PowerPoint, or use some other hot presentation tool instead of PowerPoint. I heartily disagree that most business presentations are boring. The problem with most presentations is not that they are boring, it is that they are confusing. In today’s article I want to explain the difference and what we can do about the problem. A boring presentation is one that has no useful information for the… -
PowerPoint Tip: Effective dashboard slides
10 Jan 2012 | 6:55 amAt the start of the year many organizations are looking back to see how they did last year. They will use many different measures, and they may decide that they want to start tracking certain statistics that will make a difference in improving performance going forward. A common approach is to create one or more dashboard slides that give executives a quick snapshot of how the organization is performing. In this article I want to share some tips on creating effective dashboard slides. The term dashboard comes from vehicle dashboards that use indicators to show the status of such metrics as… -
Apply John Bohannon’s proposal to your organization
3 Jan 2012 | 8:50 pmRecently, John Bohannon presented a TED talk in Brussels that proposed replacing PowerPoint with dancers. The video has had over 330,000 views in less than two months and the idea has once again started people talking about how to improve presentations. In his presentation, John quotes a calculation from an article I published a few years ago to illustrate how much poor PowerPoint presentations are costing organizations. He compares the enormous amount wasted by poor presentations with the cost of funding arts programs in the US, and suggests that cutting arts programs would not help the…
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Speak Schmeak
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Does your audience feel welcome?
21 Feb 2012 | 1:12 pmOn Friday I had an appointment with a new client. It was a long drive to get there, and a long drive to get back, especially on the Friday of a holiday weekend. I was probably in the car a total of seven hours. But I had such a great experience while I was there, I wasn't nearly as crabby as I could have been when I got home! I walked into the lobby, approached the receptionists and told them who I was there to meet. They said, "Are you Lisa? We've been expecting you!" Instantly, the drive faded away. They were expecting me! Do you know how often this happens when I visit a client? NEVER. -
Never can say goodbye
16 Feb 2012 | 6:46 pmDo you ever go to a party or family gathering and find it hard to leave? You start saying goodbye to people, and it's inevitable that there's someone you didn't talk to enough. So now you're getting caught up, and the clock keeps ticking. You try to say goodbye to everyone you know, here you are, 30 minutes later, still trying to leave. Presentation closings are a little bit like saying goodbye at a party. Speakers have an incredibly difficult time saying goodbye to the audience. Here are some examples of presentation closings I see all the time. 1. The Fade The speaker gets to the end of her… -
What's the relationship between confidence and nervousness?
15 Feb 2012 | 1:53 pmLast week, I gave a 10-minute presentation based on some of the challenges in my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 program. The topic was on building your confidence muscles, and the message was that these particular challenges can be done at any time -- no audience necessary -- to help build overall confidence, which leads to confidence as a speaker. One of my points was that you don't have to feel confident to look confident. There are both mental and physical aspects to confidence, and oftentimes if you work on the outer appearance of confidence, you will also build your inner confidence. At… -
Why your audience isn't participating
10 Feb 2012 | 4:12 pmOne of the quickest ways to lose your audience is to pretend to want participation, but not really invite it. How do you do this? Ask the wrong kinds of questions. I love asking my audience questions. I love to know how they respond to my topic and my ideas, and I'm constantly asking for their experiences and their thoughts. I attended a presentation recently where the speaker seemed to be doing this, but was actually just reinforcing her own experiences and her own thoughts, through the use of both rhetorical questions (questions asked for the purpose of making a point, not for the purpose… -
Are you giving the audience tools they can use?
7 Feb 2012 | 3:28 pmOne of the things I find lacking in many presentations is the useful take-home tool. Sure, I hear lots of good ideas from speakers, but I don't often go home with action steps rather than concepts. I don't often go home with concrete things I can DO to improve my business, my presentations or my life. That's why I enjoyed Jason Womack's presentation so much last week, based on his book Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More. First, I'll share my thoughts on why Jason's presentation was effective from a public speaking perspective. I can be a bit jaded when I watch…
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Janice Tomich | Presentation Collaboration and Coaching
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Backstage Pass ~ Learn How Presenters Prepare
19 Feb 2012 | 8:47 pmBehind the scenes at TED 2010 Behind the TEDTalk 2010 from m ss ng p eces on Vimeo. This clip shares a wonderful vantage point that we don’t often have the opportunity to see. You can feel the energy and excitement building pre-presentation. Watch how one sage and one new presenter prepares to take the stage. They also give you insight into their post-presentation debrief. Fun and exhilarating! Janice -
The Three Risks You Take By Giving A Boring Presentation
16 Feb 2012 | 9:12 pmWhile reading my mind Jeffrey Gittomer states, “If I had a dollar for every boring presentation I have been to I would be rich”. We both attend presentations more than most people. I agree with Jeffrey the bar is set too low. Why then is it that the most important platform for showcasing ourselves can be so pedestrian and boring? Because it’s human nature to follow in the footsteps of others thinking it is the “right” way. Status quo is boring and lazy. Have you noticed the number of people who are often plugged into their iPhone or Blackberry during a… -
Bubbling, Crazy, Exciting News
4 Feb 2012 | 4:51 pmNever in my wildest thoughts would I have a plane ticket loving stored on my hard drive for Doha, Qatar. Because of the graciousness of our beautiful team at TEDxKids@BC and the generous invitation of TEDxSummit I will be travelling for the first time to the Middle East for a leadership summit like no other. The Doha Film Institute is hosting us with action packed days of speakers, workshops, and the opportunity to build connections with other TEDxers. I hear there will be some wild jeep rides in the desert and some Arab style beach time fit into our days too. The exhilarating thing about… -
Q & A Highjackers ~ Fascilitator Headache Makers
29 Jan 2012 | 11:20 amHow To Stop Q & A Grandstanding A recent event I attended allowed for 15 minutes of questions following a panel discussion. The panelists are well respected and have accumulated a wealth of industry knowledge. I was anticipating a stream of brilliant questions from the attendees – what an opportunity to delve into the minds of talented people. Disappointingly, it wasn’t to be. Two high-jackings took over the Q & A period. You know the type – the people who broadcast their own agenda while brilliant questions from savvy people are left unasked. Out of misaligned… -
The Best Public Speakers Are Good Listeners
22 Jan 2012 | 5:47 pmDo you want to be an excellent public speaker? Then you must be a good listener as well as a powerful and articulate speaker. Not only before and after your presentation but during as well. You must be a human antenna attuned to your audience at every stage of your presentation from content development, while presenting, and post speaking. Julian explains the elements of a good listener: How can you put Julian’s insight into practice as a public speaker? During the content development stage you must know your audience or you will be a lecturer not a public speaker. Know your audience…
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The Daily Figure
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Death to the War Metaphor!
16 Feb 2012 | 2:56 pmWhat happens when you declare war? You get militarization. America declares war on drugs, and the little burg of Keene, New Hampshire, gets offered a Homeland Security grant for an armored vehicle. (The sensible cheapskate citizens are saying “Tanks but no tanks.”) Figaro opposes the use of war as a metaphor because it’s silly (war on Christmas, class warfare, war on the middle class, the “moral equivalent of warfare”), expensive (war on poverty) or dangerous (war on drugs). War is a popular word these days, perhaps because most of us haven’t had to… -
Word Crushes
15 Feb 2012 | 11:17 amFigaro’s friend Heidi Stevens included us in a Valentine’s piece on word crushes: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/tribu/ct-tribu-words-work-crush-20120215,0,1758115.story What was your word crush? -
Whitney's Great Oration
13 Feb 2012 | 5:17 pmThis astonishing performance by the late Whitney Houston at the 1994 Grammies shows the emotional power of a classical oration: exhortation, narration, division, and killer peroration. This Ciceronian outline works emotionally in a song as well as it does logically in a speech. RIP, Ms. Houston. -
Club That Comma!
8 Feb 2012 | 10:52 amThis is a bit outside of our beat, but we can’t resist this illustration of that trickiest of punctuation marks, the comma. The Greeks came up with the name komma to refer to a phrase or clause. (A period in that verbal culture was a stretch of words about the equivalent of a breath.) Club that, comma! -
Looks Great, Less Filling
8 Feb 2012 | 9:44 amCongratulations to Rick Santorum, who became the Not-Romney du jour by sweeping three states on Tuesday. Yes, he garnered few delegates; but we’re talking politics, not reality. Santorum came up with our favorite Romney label: “Obama Lite.” Rhetoric lovers around the globe pondered: What figure of speech is that, exactly? We’re here to help. The ancients were unfamiliar with lite beer, and they failed to come up with a technical term for an analogy that includes differences. Analogy is Greek for “proportional thought” or, in modern-speak,…
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'No Sweat' Public Speaking!
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The Fear of Public Speaking! – The What Ifs?
23 Feb 2012 | 12:01 amWhat The Fear of Public Speaking holds many people back, personally and professionally. My last Post discussed the Whys? of the Fear of Public Speaking. The other big reason we have that Fear is because of the What Ifs? What If? What If The audience doesn’t like me? What If I was talking too quickly? What If I was talking too slowly? What If I forgot something? What If their last speaker was outstanding and compared to them, I suck! The Biggest What If is: What If I’ve got nothing to say that anyone would ever have an interest in hearing? Lots of people have that What If? -
The Fear of Public Speaking! – WHY?
16 Feb 2012 | 12:01 amf Why Not? Think about it for a moment. Most of our conversations are one-on-one. Many of those are on the phone where we don’t even have a face to look at while we’re talking. Much of our communication these days is via email and texting. It’s natural then to feel Uncomfortable when standing in front of a group with ten, twenty, or fifty sets of eyeballs staring at you. You feel naked, all alone, and with nowhere to hide! In that situation, we’re out of our comfort zone. YIKES! Who wants to be Uncomfortable – not me! We naturally avoid getting out… -
Speakers: A Great Tool for Presenting is. . .
9 Feb 2012 | 12:01 amP Keynote’s Presenter Display View! If slides are included in your presentations, (there are good reasons to use them!) definitely familiarize yourself with Keynote’s Presenter Display View. (Presenter Tools in PowerPoint.) The features it offers can help make you a better presenter. You’re probably familiar with the “Mirror Displays” function that allows the presenter to see what the projector is showing the audience. This is good because the speaker doesn’t have to turn their back to the audience to check the image on the screen. The slide the… -
Speakers: Instructions For Your Audience Are. . .
2 Feb 2012 | 12:01 amW Wouldn’t It Be Nice If. . . Before your presentation, your Audience had specific instructions and training on how to be a Good Audience? An audience can make or break a presentation. A good, enthusiastic group gives the speaker responses and energy that lead to a better presentation. Audiences with individuals who have their own agendas and don’t respect the speaker’s efforts, can disrupt an otherwise, good presentation. This can lead to, frustration for the presenter, a less than stellar performance, and the audience not GETTING the speaker’s message. If the speaker has… -
The “F” Word – Speakers Should. . .
26 Jan 2012 | 12:01 amTEmbrace It! I’m going to use the “F” Word today. I know I’ve already made some of you uncomfortable. You don’t like that word directed at you. If you direct it to others, it’s not well received. The Truth: Failure Gets a Bad Rap! We learn far more from our failures than things we do correctly the first time. This certainly applies to Public Speaking and Presenting. One of my mantras is: “Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities.” No one has everchallenged me on it. Many agree they should take and make as…
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PowerPoint and Presenting Blog
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Learn PowerPoint 2010: Opening WRM Protected Files
22 Feb 2012 | 9:45 pmIn previous tutorials you have learned to sign up for Windows Rights Management (WRM), use WRM to set permissions for other users, and how you can set advanced WRM permissions. However, these scenarios only work for those who create and distribute WRM protected files -- how you use WRM if you are a recipient of a protected file is something that we will explore in this tutorial. You will learn how to open a WRM protected file as a permitted user.Learn how to open Windows Rights Management protected files in PowerPoint 2010.Categories: powerpoint_2010, security, tutorials -
Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?
21 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pmA picture is worth a thousand words -- we've all heard that a thousand times and more. Frankly speaking, that observation may not be true all the time! So what are those scenarios when this is not true? Actually, there are so many scenarios that I had to share an entire list with you!Speak your picture's story: A picture on a slide can certainly tell a story, but that story needs to be retold by the presenter. Many presenters and slide designers take the analogy of a picture being equal to a thousand words quite literally -- and while they believe a message or story has been provided to the… -
Learn PowerPoint 2011 for Mac: Formatting Connectors
21 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmAfter you explore connectors, you may believe that they are indeed different from mere lines in certain ways because they are linked to the shapes or slide objects they connect with. Move the object linked to any connector, and the connector itself repositions itself to adjust to the new position of the object. However, when you explore formatting options for connectors, you will discover that they work just like conventional PowerPoint lines. You can add arrowheads to your connectors (or remove them), make your connector a dashed line rather than an undashed one, and also change the… -
Indezine News Released
20 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pmThis month we will talk about pictures and how you can effectively use them in your slides. With a camera on every phone, it's easier than ever before to click pictures that you can add to your PowerPoint and Keynote slides. And the presentation pundits have been saying it for years now that you should use more visuals and less text. Finally, it's easy to heed to their advice since pictures are aplenty -- and when you cannot find the perfect picture, chances are you can go ahead and click one! Or two, three or many more. If you end up with 5 pictures that are suitable for a slide, how do you… -
Learn PowerPoint 2010: Advanced WRM Permissions
20 Feb 2012 | 9:45 pmYou have learned to sign up for Windows Rights Management (WRM) in a previous tutorial. Once you are signed up, you can provide permissions using WRM from within PowerPoint 2010. In this tutorial you will learn how to revoke permissions, add new permissions, and also create custom permission levels. For any of the permissions to work, users need to be connected online so that the WRM servers can be accessed for authentication. So, make sure you are connected online, and thereafter follow these steps.Learn about advanced Windows Rights Management permissions in PowerPoint 2010.Categories:…
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Business Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen Shapiro
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The Three-Step Formula for Innovation Success
22 Feb 2012 | 3:12 pmBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroA lot of theories circulate on how organizations make innovation a reality. Over the past 20 years, I have found a very simple formula that helps a company transform the way it innovates. Here’s the key: Ask the right question, the right way, of the right people. Let’s break that down into the three core components. [...] -
Innovative Advertising
20 Feb 2012 | 9:49 pmBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroToday I received an email from the owner of a furniture store who read my “Best Practices Are Stupid” book. He asked (paraphrased)… In all my years of furniture advertising, I have been showing pictures of nice living room, bedroom, mattress, and dinette furniture on sale. In your book you suggest advertising pain. Should I change the [...] -
Be Your Own Fan
6 Feb 2012 | 5:15 pmBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroIt is the Monday after the Superbowl. While scanning the TV stations and flipping through the radio channels this morning, it seemed as though everyone was discussing and analyzing (and analyzing and analyzing…) the football game. Everyone is a Monday morning quarterback. Come on, get a life! Stop living your life through someone else. Tom [...] -
Strategic Partnership with Linkage
2 Feb 2012 | 6:12 pmBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroPress Release… Stephen M. Shapiro Joins Linkage in Elite Partnership Business Consultant to Bring Methodology on Innovative Culture to Linkage’s Clients Burlington, MA (PRWEB) February 02, 2012 Linkage, a global leadership development company, announced its partnership with innovation guru Stephen M. Shapiro. Mr. Shapiro has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years on [...] -
Goals Are Stupid
1 Feb 2012 | 10:16 amBusiness Innovation Speaker and Consultant Stephen ShapiroNOTE: This article is on the American Express OPEN Forum with the title “How to Make Goal-Setting Work for You.” But the title I really wanted was “Goals Are Stupid.” I’ll let you decide if they are or not. We are a society obsessed with goals. Nearly everyone sets them. In fact, we just finished [...]
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The Extreme Presentation(tm) Method
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Teaching Presentation Design in College
2 Feb 2012 | 8:06 amI have heard from a number of faculty members recently that they are adopting Advanced Presentations by Design for use in college level presentation courses. Dr. Carolyn Bailey Lewis, of the Scripps College of Communication's School of Communication Studies, has kindly shared the syllabus for her COMS 403 Advanced Presentations course, which you can download here. If anyone else has syllabi to share, please forward them to me and I'd be happy to post them. -
What Guy Kawasaki learned from Steve Jobs
11 Nov 2011 | 11:35 amThis is not really about presentation, but it's so good that I had to include it here: http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2011/10/what-i-learned-from-steve-jobs.html#axzz1dPyAznnF -
Corporate Researchers Conference Prezi
22 Sep 2011 | 2:20 pmThis afternoon I'm giving a presentation on How to Present Complex Insights and Findings so that they are Acted on Immediately. You can find the presentation on the Prezi site. -
Advanced Presentations by Design in Korean
3 Aug 2011 | 3:57 pm디자인으로 고급 프레 젠 테이션 Advanced Presentations by Design is now available in Korean, from Communication Books. -
Corporate Researchers' Conference - September 21-23, 2011
18 Jul 2011 | 7:00 amOn Thursday, September 22 at 1:20 p.m. I will be speaking at the Corporate Researchers' Conference in Chicago. My topic is "How to Present Complex Insights and Findings So They Are Acted On Immediately."
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Great Public Speaking
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Desiree Peeples' Testimonial for the "Ultimate Guide To Professional Speaking"
21 Feb 2012 | 8:59 amhttp://www.antion.com/ulitmateguideDesiree Peeples tells how Tom Antion's Ultimate Guide has helped her speaking career. -
Tom Antion's Stage Fright Strategies
20 Feb 2012 | 8:14 amSymptoms of Stage fright Dry mouth. Tight throat. Sweaty hands. Cold hands. Shaky hands. Give me a hand (Oops, I couldn't resist). Nausea. Fast pulse. Shaky knees. Trembling lips. Any out-of-the-ordinary outward or inward feeling or manifestation of a feeling occurring before, or during, the beginning of a presentation (Wow! What a dry mouthful!). Here are some easy to implement strategies for reducing your stage fright. Not everyone reacts the same and there is no universal fix. Don't try to use all these fixes at once. Pick out items from this list and try them out until you find the right… -
Why Humor in a Presentation Works
17 Feb 2012 | 11:02 amYOU WILL BE ASKED BACK. If you succeed in your original purpose for making your presentation, you may be asked back. If you also make the audience feel really good by entertaining them at the same time, your chances of being asked back will be much higher.YOU WILL GET HIGHER EVALUATIONS OR MORE SALES. If you make the audience feel good, they will like you better and reflect that in your evaluation scores or buy more and more often from you.YOU WILL MAKE MORE MONEY. If you are a professional presenter, you will be booked more and your fees will rise. If you present as part of your job, then… -
Public Speaking: Room Blackouts
15 Feb 2012 | 8:24 amIf you want to make a spectacular impression on a low budget, room blackouts are a great technique.I use them in two ways.1. If I want the audience to concentrate on a recorded audio tape and2. when I want an awesome closing.Let's say I wanted the audience to listen to a recording of the speech where John Fitzgerald Kennedy said "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." Or maybe the "I have a dream" speech by Martin Luther King would be appropriate. I would gradually bring the lights down as I was introducing the audio clips. I would either project a… -
Great Presentations - Movement and Appearance
13 Feb 2012 | 8:40 amEdward T. Hall, the noted social anthropologist, claims 60 percent of all communication is nonverbal. Communication analyst Albert Mehrabian says we are perceived in three ways: 7 percent verbally, 38 percent vocally, and a full 55 percent visually, including gestures, posture, stride, facial expressions, movement, dress, and eye contact. These guys undoubtedly know more about it than I do. What I want you to learn is that gestures and body language can be used to help tell your story without using additional words, they can make you feel better, and they can make your audience like you…
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Max Atkinson's Blog
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Great speakers aren't always great singers: the case of President Obama
22 Feb 2012 | 4:24 amNews that President Obama has taken to singing in public reminds me that it can be a seriously damaging pastime for political leaders - as James Callaghan found out in the aftermath of his rendition of Marie Lloyd's Waiting at the Church before the 1979 general election (HERE)My impression from the above is that the president would be well-advised to concentrate on his public speaking and to avoid any more temptations to sing in public. It may show what a jolly good sport he is to join in the fun. But even as dubious a character as President-to-be Putin can do that - and, on this evidence,… -
A new Manhattan in the sand?
20 Feb 2012 | 5:10 amFeudal though the government of countries like Dubai may be (for more on which HERE), you can't help but gasp at how much can be done so quickly with access to plenty of capital and a huge reservoir of ex-pat cheap labour. When I was last in the UAE about ten years ago, Dubai Marina (viewed above through an iPhone from my hotel room) didn't exist and was still part of the desert. But dig out out a canal, let in sea-water from the Persian Gulf and you can create a 21st century version of Manhattan, complete with its own 3 miles of waterfront.In 2009, construction work temporarily stalled in… -
Gaping models and open-mouthed actors: which came first?
18 Feb 2012 | 12:33 pmToday's Daily Telegraph magazine (above and below) reminded me of earlier posts on open-mouthed acting (HERE & HERE).What on earth is going on? Do they have adenoidal problems that make it difficult for them to breathe through their noses? Are they about to say something or are they just gaping into thin air? Surely it's time for a body-language explain it all for us.... -
How long-winded is Arabic and how much do its native speakers gesticulate?
15 Feb 2012 | 2:21 amIn previous posts, I've suggested that the long-winded nature of Latin-based languages like Italian and French are more long-winded than Nordic and Germanic ones and that this may have an impact on how much speakers of such languages use gestures when speaking HERE & HERE).I don't read a word of Arabic, nor do I know what an 'IDF Room' is. But I was intrigued enough by this notice on a wall in my hotel in Dubai to get my camera out:On the face of it, it looks like a serious competitor to one from an Italian notice posted last year (HERE):But, whereas three syllables of English were enough… -
UK Business Communicator of the year, 2012: Gillian Tett
7 Feb 2012 | 4:20 amBrian Jenner of the UK Speechwriters' Guild recently announced that the title of UK Business Communicator of 2012 has been awarded to Gillian Tett of the Financial Times. For me, as a former sociologist, it is particularly pleasing to see someone with a PhD in social anthropology, another allegedly 'useless' subject, making a mark with much wider audiences than those in academia.The full citation is reproduced below between the two clips of her in action.CitationThe world economy is choked with thorns. Few commentators seem to be able to tell us how or why it’s happened. The financial…
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Professionally Speaking
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People Make A Difference: Danny Brassell interview
13 Feb 2012 | 7:07 pmI was interviewed earlier today on the “People Make a Difference” show hosted by Danny Brassell from California State University, Dominguez Hills that showcases the positive contributions of people in various communities . I met Danny in late 2011 at a National Speakers Northern California Chapter event and he invited me to be a guest [...] -
Interview: Timothy Tosta – transformative listener
3 Feb 2012 | 7:30 pmTimothy Tosta is a cancer survivor, a seasoned hospice volunteer and a widely acclaimed speaker and lecturer. He is the author of two books and a featured columnist of the Daily Journal, California’s leading daily legal newspaper. Tim is an executive coach to legal and business communities. He also is recognized as one of California’s [...] -
Urban Life in Modern China: rush-rush to crush-crush
30 Jan 2012 | 8:33 amIn 1985, controversial French sociologist Michel Maffesoli created the term “urban tribe” to describe groups of people who share common interests. The current issue of The Economist has a fascinating article about the subdivisions of urban China into various improbably named tribes (or zu in Mandarin). These include: Yi zu, or ant tribe—recent graduates from [...] -
Relevant Resources: Books to Kick Off 2012
27 Jan 2012 | 5:16 pmI help edit SPEAKER Magazine for the National Speakers Association (NSA). Each month I curate the Relevant Resources column – a list of time-saving tools and technologies. The January/February edition lists books recommended by NSA members as inspiration for the New Year. Go Ahead and Laugh: A Serious Guide to Speaking with Humor, by Rich [...] -
Manufacturing Industry: China will win, hands down
16 Jan 2012 | 8:11 amI download podcasts and listen to them on my drive to work. Today, driving my 16-year-old car which has any number of replacement auto parts keeping it on the road, listening to a 3-year-old Apple iPod, I heard two stories which described how electronics and auto parts are manufactured in China and America. Apart a [...]
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Sticky Slides
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Getting the most out of a designer
22 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmDesigners can do good work, or can do great work. How can you get them to do great stuff? Give them plenty of time. Introduce your pitch way before the deadline, build a relationship, start the actual work with enough head room for creativity and iterations. Good presentations are born under deadline stress Give them a broad briefing. Tell the story you want to tell in double the time you have. Give background about the story, the audience, the occasion. What goes in the design process, will come out. Give them freedom. Very strict instructions will return your own presentation with the… -
Presentation first
21 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmPresentation design often comes at the back of other marketing communication (advertising, scripts for brochures, white papers, and web sites). In many cases, marketing can benefit from the opposite approach. Visuals are much better to lay the foundation of a marketing story than text. And it is far easier to involve a CEO or other senior executive in a visual presentation design process, then force her to go through revisions of text. So a good presentation design project does not only give you a nice slide deck, it might well provide the inspiration for an entire marketing campaign. -
Extreme perspective
20 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmImages get more interesting with a dramatic perspective. How to find them? Look for unusual camera angles, and put an object on the foreground to amplify the effect of depth. As it is done in this ad found on Ads of the World. -
1st, 2nd, and 3rd order elements
19 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmMost financial or scientific data slides gave all visual elements equal weight. The big trend in the data (a declining line for example) The amounts are in EUR million The explanation that 2010 includes France The fact that 2011 results are still unaudited The source of the market data All data is to be treated confidential This is not how the novice discovers your data. Make the first order element pop out, so people get the message without the clutter of all the other information. For the 2nd, 3rd order elements you can use smaller fonts, or - what I find most effective - use light… -
You put in that P&L manually?
16 Feb 2012 | 9:30 pmWhen people receive my analyst or investor presentations and they see a few years of P&L data entered manually one-by-one, they always ask me whether after all these years I have not found a more efficient way to do it. I have not. While I punch in the numbers manually (which takes about 15 minutes by the way), I can do a lot of things in parallel: Round up numbers Shorten labels Collapse labels and combine rows Check whether everything adds up A data table is worth that extra attention, instead of an Excel data dump, you get a visual that makes sense.
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Inter-Activ Presenting and Influencing
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How do you know if your presentations are any good?
21 Feb 2012 | 5:25 amLike you, I have sat through thousands of presentations and the majority have been mediocre at best. Reflecting on this the other day I started to wonder how much of our own time, and that of our staff , businesses were wasting due to poor presentations? How often do we assume that our staff or clients understand and are able to act on information just because it has been “presented” to them? Presentations should have a clear purpose and [...]How do you know if your presentations are any good? is a post from: Inter-Activ Presenting and Influencing -
Ikea replaces Powerpoint!
3 Feb 2012 | 8:10 amWhilst I am a fan of the intelligent and sparing use of PowerPoint and other presentation tools I am always on the lookout for great examples of presentations which use props to bring their messages to life. I recently came across this short 10 minute video on TED and I commend it to you. Hans Rosling is an inspiring and creative presenter and I love how he uses a simple and readily available prop to help his audience understand some mind [...]Ikea replaces Powerpoint! is a post from: Inter-Activ Presenting and Influencing -
Conflict and how to manage it
9 Jan 2012 | 8:29 amDoes your business or at least some areas of it suffer from moaning, bitching & complaining? If it does, these are all symptoms of low level conflict and they could be costing your business dearly. Think about it for a moment. What are the consequences of such behaviour – Poor customer service, low productivity, poor quality, and low staff morale to name but a few. So what is the cause of such conflict and what can you do about it? The underlying [...]Conflict and how to manage it is a post from: Inter-Activ Presenting and Influencing -
The secrets of successful seminars
22 Nov 2011 | 3:00 amSeminars are a powerful business building strategy when done right. They are a great way to strengthen relationships with existing clients and showcase your expertise to new ones. If done well you can also create an environment where existing happy customers “sell” your services to prospective customers naturally and unobtrusively. Recently I was privileged to attend such an event run by one of my clients, a large accountancy firm. I had been helping one of the partners put together [...]The secrets of successful seminars is a post from: Inter-Activ Presenting and Influencing -
Storytelling in speeches and presentations
9 Aug 2011 | 10:00 amStories are at the heart of communication. Ever since humans developed language we have used stories as a powerful method transfering knowledge. We teach our children through stories. We build relationships and bonds through sharing stories. We are entertained by stories. I would argue that we spend much of our non-work time storytelling. Socially we understand that the best stories are engaging, entertaining, and memorable. Yet when it comes to business communications we have a tendency to throw all our experience [...]Storytelling in speeches and presentations is a post from:…
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MANIACTIVE
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I can haz mad communication skillz…
10 Feb 2012 | 2:09 pmIf you say you have excellent communication skills, you’re demonstrating that you don’t. Communication skills are self evident, not self described. Yet many hiring managers persistently write “strong communication skills” as a requirement in job descriptions. Sadly, savvy job hunters must include the vile term “excellent communication skills” in their résumés …or risk being rejected by an automated résumé keyword scanner. The automated résumé keyword scanner is a nasty robot that scans your résumé before humans get a chance to review it. If your résumé fails… -
Three vital presentation lessons learned…from a walk in the woods
11 Jan 2012 | 10:43 amFor close to two decades, I take an almost-daily walk near my office. It helps the creative process to get out and clear my head. My office is located in an old forest. A creek runs through it, creating a sizable gully. I’ve seen deer, coyotes, rabbits, and all sorts of birds on my constitutional. As one of the more civilized creatures, I walk on the sidewalk that cuts through the forest. No sense muddying my shoes on the way to and from work. A few weeks ago, something new caught my eye on my daily walk. Someone had crawled down into the depths of the gully to place a red sign on a… -
Ask yourself: what does your audience really want?
8 Nov 2011 | 2:22 pmGoogle Plus opened its doors for business pages yesterday. Far out, right? Boom! I’m suddenly getting swamped with requests to follow new G+ business pages. So let’s say you’re a business communicator. And you’re posting the exact same content to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus pages today. Oh, uh! You’re being redundant. Think about your audience. Let’s say I’m one of your most rabid brand fans. I follow you EVERYWHERE: Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and now — Google Plus. Now — let’s also say I publicly ask the question: where you would like me to follow… -
What shouldn’t you wear?
8 Sep 2011 | 12:34 pm“What should I wear?” I asked the event organizer. We just agreed that I would speak at her winter event. She glanced up and down at me. “What you’re wearing now is fine. We’re a very casual business.” I was wearing dark jeans, fitted t-shirt, and blazer. So was she. In the olden days, an oft-repeated business maxim was always to dress professionally for a professional engagement. Suit, tie, button-down shirt. Well, you can throw out this rule, pronto. Fellow presenter Rich Hopkins of Speak and Deliver fame wondered in a Facebook comment today if the days of wearing suits are… -
How else will mobile phones ruin your life?
2 Sep 2011 | 1:52 pmI’ve owned a cell phone since 1999. I even had a bag phone circa 1995. Over 80% of American adults now use some kind of mobile phone. In my experience, I see cell phones as a tool that helps us avoid making plans and sticking to them. Cell phones give people an excuse to be late. Today, it’s more popular to say “I’ll just text and say I’m running late,” than it is to actually show up at a previously agreed upon time and place. If I decide to travel without my cell phone, etiquette-wise, I’m the one who’s in the wrong. “Didn’t you get my text 15 minutes ago telling you that…
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Humor Power
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Joke Contest — Being Single
21 Feb 2012 | 11:06 pmIt’s time for the results of our February Joke Contest — Being Single. New Joke Contests are announced on the first of the month (alternating months). New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced on the first of the month (alternating months). The next caption contest is March 1, 2012. Here are this month’s top lines: ** FIRST PLACE ** Being single is like garbage. You start out with value, you get used, you get tossed, and you end up in the dumps. Nancy Lininger, Camarillo, California ** SECOND PLACE ** Being single is like puffing on a cigar. You might enjoy… -
A Joke Set-up From the Past
14 Feb 2012 | 12:14 pmA joke works best if the set-up which prepares the audience for the punchline is fresh in their memory. The ideal situation for an Observational Humor line is when it immediately follows the set-up. For example, if something happens, or something is said, and you follow it up immediately with the funny line. The connection is fresh and the humor link is probably crystal clear. A laugh is almost guaranteed. Humor which is fresh, in the moment, is one of the best ways to get laughs, and usually beats the pre-planned joke. Occasionally an observational joke will be depending on a… -
Humor Teleseminar
8 Feb 2012 | 3:13 pmDon’t miss a great humor teleseminar with Judy Carter on Thursday, February 16 at 7:00 pm EST (4:00 PST). Only $25. Using Comedy Secrets to “Funny Up” Your Presentations. Judy is a great teacher of humor and author of The Comedy Bible. This is a teleseminar designed for speakers. I’ve signed up. Don’t miss it. Sign up now. -
Humor Content Versus Delivery
8 Feb 2012 | 1:58 pmWhen you present a humor line, the trigger which activates your funny line normally involves something your SAY, or something you DO, or a combination of both. Although it varies from person to person, it’s most often what the speaker says, more than what he or she does, that triggers the joke. Most jokes depend on the content, the words, to establish the humorous connection that results in laughter. But occasionally, it’s the physical action or delivery that makes the joke funny. At a recent club meeting, we presented our regular Observational Humor segment at the end of the… -
New Joke Contest — Being Single
1 Feb 2012 | 7:28 amIt’s time for our Joke Contest for the month of February. The contest theme is Being Single. New Joke Contests are announced at the start of the month (alternating months). New Cartoon Caption Contests are announced at the start of the month (alternating months). The next caption contest is March 1, 2012. Your humor challenge is to compare Being Single with other things; objects, activities, institutions, etc. Here are some examples: Being single is like bath water. It’s not enjoyable when it’s not so hot. Being single is like playing basketball. You’ll…
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Pivotal Public Speaking
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Be prepared to say a few words off the cuff
22 Feb 2012 | 7:47 pmMention impromptu speaking and many people shiver with fear and loathing. Given that many would rather die than give a speech, then to do so “of the cuff” is completely beyond the pale. Impromptu speaking certainly is speaking “off the cuff” and we often think of it as speaking without preparation. That, I think, is where we go wrong. A great deal of preparation can be put into impromptu speaking. As Mark Twain said, “It usually takes me about three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Consider everyday conversation – “Hello, beautiful day isn’t it?” If… -
101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience
21 Feb 2012 | 3:06 amThere’s nothing worse than sitting in the audience while an inept speaker stumbles through an ill-conceived business presentation– unless, of course, you’re the one floundering in the spotlight. In 101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience, Sue Gaulke, founder of the Speaker’s Training Camp, strips the mysteries from the process by showing how to prepare and present an effective address that will successfully involve your audience and deliver your message. => http://bit.ly/zBvNQW -
Enlighten with a question
19 Feb 2012 | 1:44 am“It is not the answer that enlightens, but the question.” – Decouvertes -
Developing the Speaker Within You: Capture That Inspiration
15 Feb 2012 | 4:48 amWe are all wired up differently. Our DNA is not the same. Thankfully. We all think just that bit differently, process differently and arrive at conclusions in different ways, and, at different speeds. This is not rocket science, but when dealing with a very subjective thing like inspiration, it becomes very important indeed. For, trying to tell someone how to be inspired, how to come up with ideas, how to be creative is like the classic ‘how long is the piece of string’. We will all arrive at these moments in slightly different ways, and importantly, we will manage those moments… -
How to remember your presentation without using the PowerPoint slides as notes
14 Feb 2012 | 4:18 amHow will you remember your presentation? How will you remember what to say? How will you remember what comes next? “Use the slides.” No way! There are too many reasons why this is not a great idea. What you stand to lose by using slides as notes: You will lose the power to connect with your audience. Looking at the slides and the screen means you are not maintaining eye contact or connection with your audience. You also lose your spontaneous interaction with them by reading the slides and not your audience. You will lose the power of design in your slides. Instead of having the…
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Knockout Presentations Blog
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The Shortest Distance Between Two People Is a Story
14 Feb 2012 | 3:59 pmOnce upon a time…. We all loved those words as children because we knew we were going to hear a story. Last night I attended an excellent program- Harnessing the Power of Story to Lead Change. The speaker, Judy Rosemarin, asked the audience “What is your ‘humaway’ story?” Just like we leave a theater and start humming the theme song, a message tends to stick in the minds of the listeners when they tell stories. The best public speakers are storytellers. And some speakers are known for their signature stories. The audience loves to hear the same story over and… -
How to Give a Video Testimonial
10 Feb 2012 | 11:29 amIn this age of digital marketing, video testimonials are the next hot thing. Why? Because video presentations meet the “know, like, trust” test. Youtube is the second largest search engine after google. Virtual communication will never totally replace the face-to-face encounter. People like high tech but they yearn for high touch. And a video presentation is the next best thing to being there. I tell my audiences that speaking is the new competitive weapon. Still, people resist and tell me that they’re not public speakers. Well, what if somebody asks you for a… -
We’ve Got to Stop Meeting Like This
9 Feb 2012 | 4:30 amMost people would agree that meetings are a waste of time. One frustrated employee showed me her calendar. Seventy per cent of her time was scheduled for meetings. How can any person or organization be productive if they are sitting in meetings all day? But people need to communicate about their projects, goals, customers, etc. So the question is, when does it make sense to have a meeting? First, know why and when to call a meeting-What outcomes are you trying to achieve? When to Have a Meeting To gain buy-in and commitment. To deliver information to several people quickly. To make a time… -
Public Speaking: The Power of 7
2 Feb 2012 | 3:20 pmI just got back from a networking event. Networking is a form of public speaking – it’s your sales presentation. If you’re like me, you experience the speakers as unclear or they’re so long-winded that you tune out. In business, your elevator speech is the most important presentation. Speakers who are unclear are leaving money on the table. So I decided to challenge myself to describe what I do in 7 words or less. There’s a magic to the number 7: Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Seven Seals, Seven Spiritual… -
Confidence Class for Teens: Focus on Image
31 Jan 2012 | 1:36 pmIn 2004, I started a Confidence Class for middle school girls in my community at the request of a mother. Her daughter would get nervous when she stood in class to speak. This year I offered another class . We meet for 8 weeks to learn confident public speaking. Last week we met for public speaking Confidence class number five. It was so much fun. For the first time I decided to bring in an image consultant, Beryl Wing, who is President of The Image Authority. Beryl taught the students about grooming and dressing for the audience. Dressing for the audience was not something they ever…
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Jef Menguin Seminars & Inspirations
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Leadership of a Team Building Facilitator
9 Feb 2012 | 8:50 amA team building facilitator is a leader whose objective is to bring out the best in people. The word facilitation comes from the French word facile, meaning “easy.” This is why I always say that my job is not about the title facilitator but the verb facilitate. My job is to make the learning process easier for the participants. If you are an accidental team building facilitator, allow me to give you few practical tips. Your role is to guide your participants through carefully planned activities, creating metaphors, and understanding the feelings and needs of participants as you strive to… -
The Team Building Process
3 Feb 2012 | 4:21 pmTeam building does not work for many companies because they think that team building is an event. Almost every company conducts team building every year. When something seems wrong with the company, it is easy to think that the easiest solution is team building. I do not only conduct team building programs. I handle my own team. Team building is a daily thing. I requires you to give your attention on the most basic of things like your purpose, the role of each one in the team, how you communicate and decide, and more. Unless a team leader is aware of these things, he will not be able to build…
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Breaking Murphy's Law
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Social Media Fast
21 Feb 2012 | 10:22 pmOn a social media fast so things are going to be even more quiet around here than it has been recently. See you after Easter. Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Housekeeping Tags: -
Overheard on Twitter: Critical event planners
24 Jan 2012 | 10:26 pmHave had technical/av problems today - not good for an audience of critical event planners #tse2012— KathyPhelps (@KathyPhelps) January 24, 2012 Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Problems with Equipment Tags: #tse2012, event planners -
PowerPoint Ninja: “Emergency Preparedness for PowerPoint”
29 Dec 2011 | 7:20 pmBrent Dykes, The PowerPoint Ninja, strikes at the dark heart of a potential presentation disaster with this story of uncooperative hardware and a decidedly nonsupportive support person: What I didn’t anticipate was that the presentation remote would only work with the desktop computer in the auditorium. No problem. I had all of the presentations also loaded on to a USB flash drive so I could transfer the files on to the desktop. However, in its infinite wisdom, the university’s IT group blocked any files from being installed on the desktop including a font file that one of the teams… -
Overheard on Twitter: Never trust the venue!
14 Dec 2011 | 10:06 pm#presentations tip: never trust the venue! :)Take your own kit as far as poss. That way you know it works AND how to work it— Simon Raybould (@presentations) November 22, 2011 Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Overheard on Twitter, Problems with Venue Tags: -
Playing keep away…
28 Nov 2011 | 7:31 amKeep the cup of coffee away from the equipment. Keep the welcome reception away from the speaker’s slide review session. Keep the speaker’s flight time away from the meeting’s start time. Keep the USB drive with your presentation on it away from the washing machine. Keep the social media apps with potentially indiscreet popups away from your show laptop. Sharing: del.icio.us Twitter Categories: Uncategorized Tags:
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TEDTalks (video)
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TED: Shilo Shiv Suleman: Using tech to enable dreaming - Shilo Shiv Suleman (2011)
22 Feb 2012 | 10:59 amHas our technology -- our cell phones and iPods and cameras -- stopped us from dreaming? Young artist Shilo Shiv Suleman says no, as she demos "Khoya," her new storybook for iPad, which floats us through a magical world in 7 minutes of pure creativity. -
TED: Chris Bliss: Comedy is translation - Chris Bliss (2011)
21 Feb 2012 | 10:54 amEvery act of communication is, in some way, an act of translation. Onstage at TEDxRainier, writer Chris Bliss thinks hard about the way that great comedy can translate deep truths for a mass audience. -
TED: Neil MacGregor: 2600 years of history in one object - Neil MacGregor (2011)
20 Feb 2012 | 10:37 amA clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script, damaged and broken, the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism. In this enthralling talk Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, traces 2600 years of Middle Eastern history through this single object. -
TED: Paul Conneally: Digital humanitarianism - Paul Conneally (2011)
17 Feb 2012 | 10:08 amThe disastrous earthquake in Haiti taught humanitarian groups an unexpected lesson: the power of mobile devices to coordinate, inform, and guide relief efforts. At TEDxRC2, Paul Conneally shows extraordinary examples of social media and other new technologies becoming central to humanitarian aid. -
TED: Simon Berrow: How do you save a shark you know nothing about? - Simon Berrow (2010)
16 Feb 2012 | 9:52 amThey're the second largest fish in the world, they're almost extinct, and we know almost nothing about them. At TEDxDublin, Simon Berrow describes the fascinating basking shark ("Great Fish of the Sun" in Irish), and the exceptional -- and wonderfully low-tech -- ways he's learning enough to save them.
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Why I Love This Job
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The Loss of Jeffrey Zaslow, and the Art of Storytelling
15 Feb 2012 | 7:09 pmThis past week saw the sudden and unexpected loss of author, speaker, and journalist Jeffrey Zaslow. I never met Jeffrey in person, but I would have had the opportunity in April 2012. I had just gotten mutual agreement to book him for an event which I personally would be attending, and I was looking forward to hearing him on stage. Such fascinating stories, such high-profile lives he's touched, such a gift for description, emotion, and most of all, storytelling. One of the real roots of this industry of guest speakers, public speakers, professional speakers - however you… -
There's Nothing Old-Fashioned About Having Good Manners
19 Jan 2012 | 7:16 pmSometimes I'm amazed at what people will say in an email. Things that they'd never say if they were standing in front of me. Sometimes it's a poorly worded joke, but often it's just someone being a little quick on the draw when deciding whether to write down some angry, insulting, or critical words. I suppose after all these years of increasingly text-based communications, I shouldn't be surprised anymore. Shameless optimist that I am. So I continue to be amazed that some folks find it so easy to be rude, mean, angry, or disrespectful,… -
More, More, More!
28 Jun 2011 | 5:44 pmWow, it's been a while since I had a second to post something! We are on fire over here at Keynote, and are currently interviewing for at least three open positions. Yay, I love opportunities for new ideas, fresh faces, and a chance to grow in a positive direction! Between needing more qualified personnel, and lots and lots of bookings, the annual IASB Convention (congrats to myself, I was just elected a Governor of IASB, the International Association of Speakers Bureaus!) held in San Diego this year, the phenomenal popularity of some of Keynote's speakers (Guy Kawasaki… -
To Book Great Speakers
23 Mar 2011 | 7:33 pmWhy do I work here? And how do I succeed? Important questions indeed. For me, as it turns out, the answers are simple. Hard to execute, but simple to understand. The reason for today's particular rant is the result of the latest newletter "Perspectives", from the Northern California Chapter of MPI. By way of introduction, the Northern California chapter of Meeting Professionals International is the largest chapter in the country. And as you'd suspect, the high quality of the companies located here in San Francisco Bay Area means the… -
What's New These Days: Part One
3 Dec 2010 | 6:00 pmCouple of quick updates for you today, regarding some speakers with a lot going on right now. Please forgive the random sizing of the book cover images; I was having trouble making the images all the same size. I'll get better at it next time, I promise. So here we go: Mark Thompson and Brian Tracy: New book "Now...Build a Great Business!" Dick Hardwick: Received an honorary degree from Westfield University.
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speakfearlessly.net
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Ballast: A Tool for Finding Work-Life Balance
8 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amEditor's Note: This is a guest post by Sabina Nawaz and John P. Williamson An endeavor that goes belly-up after a big launch is a failure, a disaster. That's exactly what happened to the Vasa, envisioned to be the grandest ship in Sweden's fleet, because it lacked the proper balance. In August 1628, the Vasa began her maiden voyage in a calm harbor. But as soon as the ship emerged from the city's lee, a gust of wind filled its sails. The ship heeled sharply. With the next gust, open gun ports took in water. The Vasa sank only 400 feet from shore. Today's leaders often… -
Change How You Are, Not Who You Are
28 Jan 2012 | 4:18 amEditor's Note: This is a guest post by BrillianceInc. Change for Good As an Executive Coach, my job is to help people change for good. Not everyone is ready for such a project. Some people just want everyone around them to change instead. And others worry that if they change their behaviors, they’ll come off as inauthentic—a fake. Truth is, if you’re unable to adapt your approach to people and situations, your relationships will suffer and your career will hit a wall. Authenticity Misunderstood Authenticity is about being real…not rigid. That is, it’s not about stubbornly… -
Is it finally time to ditch PowerPoint?
28 Jan 2012 | 3:54 amI came across this post at Presentation Zen – Garr Reynold's awesome blog. The post is from 2007 and the article was suggesting that the disappearance of PowerPoint might be upon us but here on the dawn of 2012, it's still going strong. Last week an article appearing in The Sydney Morning Herald entitled Researcher points finger at PowerPoint generated quite a stir. The article highlighted findings by researchers from the University of New South Wales, including John Sweller who developed the Cognitive Load Theory back in the '80s. One of the findings mentioned in the… -
Flex Your Do-Gooder Muscles
7 Dec 2011 | 7:00 amEditor's Note: This is a guest post by our partners, BrillianceInc Dr. Jekyll Most of us like to think we’re good people and that, if put in an unethical or dangerous situation, we’d do the right, noble thing. We claim assuredly that if given power, we’d wield it fairly; or that we’d call the police if we saw someone getting abused. Perhaps. But study after troubling study shows that the majority of us, when put in certain difficult circumstances, would act in ways we’d later be ashamed of. The truth is, while on the fringes of society we can talk about saints and sociopaths,… -
Public Speaking: Two Lesbians Raised A Baby
5 Dec 2011 | 2:35 pmI usually stay away from politics in this blog. However, I was immediately impressed with the presentation skills of Zach Wahls speaking about his family. Zach Wahls, a 19-year-old University of Iowa student spoke about the strength of his family during a public forum on House Joint Resolution 6 in the Iowa House of Representatives. Wahls has two mothers, and came to oppose House Joint Resolution 6 which would end civil unions in Iowa.
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Rhett's Laubach Authenticity Rules Blog
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Leadership Activities Series
22 Feb 2012 | 8:57 amIf you aren't a subscriber or reader of our leadership blog, you will want to jump over there ASAP. We have a new series running on some of our top leadership activities you can use for your next event, class or training. Check it out! http://plileadership.blogspot.com Thanks! Twitter: @yns1 @pli_leadershipPlease visit www.YourNextSpeaker.com to learn more about our leadership keynotes and workshops and our Presentation Coaching services. -
Preparation IQ: Part 4
16 Jan 2012 | 7:51 pmMany presentation coaching sessions this month. A big part of preparing for these moments is identifying the possible reasons why my clients wouldn't apply the lessons. Here is a short list I keep front of mind: - Don't understand fully enough to apply - Don't believe it - Don't see the value of it - Goes too much against the grain - Failure - Sticking out - Have to get approval - Don't know where to apply it - Have too many questions - Too vested in current way - Have to get others up to speed - Too difficult - Enjoys the current way - Unsure of outcome - Uncertain of application - Not paid… -
Preparation IQ: Part 3
7 Jan 2012 | 12:32 pmPart three of the Preparation IQ Series will examine our upcoming Oklahoma FFA Stand and Deliver speech training conferences. Details 3-hours, 50-150 high school FFA members, purpose is to train them on how to write, research, practice, deliver and answer questions for competitive FFA speech contests. Prep Techniques - This is our 11th year to run these conferences, so we have the basic content, flow and techniques well developed. We start by reviewing the detailed notes we have gathered over the past few years. However, we sharpen the material every year by adding in new lessons we've… -
Preparation IQ: Part 2
5 Jan 2012 | 10:31 pmPart two in our Presentation IQ Series focuses on a banquet speech I delivered tonight. Details 30 adults, kick-off banquet for community leadership program, second time I have presented for group, most audience members hadn't heard me before, purpose was to be light-hearted and provide leadership inspiration. Prep Techniques - The most important element for banquet talks is to provide a simple formula or outline for the audience to follow. Keep it light. Nobody wants to "work" thoughtfully at a meal event. Therefore, I chose my Impact Model as the outline: Influence, Spirit, Class, Legacy. -
Preparation IQ: Part 1
3 Jan 2012 | 10:52 pmMy goal for this blog for 2012 is to provide insight into how I prepare for my programs with a new series titled Preparation IQ. Over the past 20 years, I have delivered thousands of keynotes, workshops and coaching sessions. This experience has provided me a wealth of secrets, strategies and formulas for preparing for presentation success. This year on this blog the secrets will be revealed. Each time I will briefly overview the program details (audience members, content expectations, length, etc.) and then provide a few preparation techniques. I won't blog on each presentation (I have seven…
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Public Speaking Library
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Bookishly funny
22 Feb 2012 | 12:11 pmFellow speaker,Professional Ventriloquist Judy Buch recommends these books to develop humor:Don't Let the Funny Stuff Get Away by Jeanne RobertsonHow to be Funny by Steve AllenShow off scripts by Judy BuchCompelling Characters by Judy BuchBooked,Tim -
Books for the audience
21 Feb 2012 | 12:03 pmFellow speaker,Professional Ventriloquist Judy Buch recommends:Games Trainers Play by Ed ScannellPlaying Along by Izzy Gesellto use for getting ideas for audience involvement.Involved,Tim -
I like that
20 Feb 2012 | 12:01 pmFellow speaker,When using people from the audience for your speech, find out in advance who are the "likable ones" in the audience. Then pick those people to be onstage with you.Likeability,Tim -
Distance makes the hear grow fonder
19 Feb 2012 | 11:56 amFellow speaker,When telling your stories, put the harshest most difficult parts in the past. Distancing the difficult parts by putting them in the past will help the audience come along with you in your story. If it's a true story, distance will also help you tell the story.In the distance,Tim -
Untense
18 Feb 2012 | 11:51 amFellow speaker,When creating tension in your speech, also figure out how to untense your speech afterwards. Exaggerating the untension creates a release of that tension. For example, if the tension is about a troubled marriage, the release of tension could be about the many marriages which happened afterwards which went well.Untensing,Tim
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Overnight Sensation - Public Speaking, Communication and Personal Development
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How to Talk Politics Online
16 Feb 2012 | 4:10 amWith this year being a Presidential election year here in the United States, more and more people are following the issues and the political process which I think is a good thing. But as a result of this, many people are sharing their thoughts and opinions on particular issues which is within their right as far as I’m concerned. The big question is whether or not it’s the smart thing to do. At least over here, the political climate is what I describe as “toxic.” Twenty years ago, senators and representatives would fight it out with each other on the floor of the… -
How to Make Money as a Speaker
9 Feb 2012 | 9:52 pmOne of the benefits of improving your speaking skills is that you can actually uses these skills to make money, even a living. It’s a great way to put your speaking skills to use and can be rewarding in more ways than just monetarily. If you feel comfortable speaking to groups, becoming a professional speaker can be quite lucrative provided that there are people willing to pay to hear what you have to say. Professional speakers can make money a number of different ways. We’ll talk about some of them, both the obvious and not so obvious. Speaker Fees: This is the most obvious way… -
Seven Ways to Live Life to Its Fullest
8 Feb 2012 | 3:15 pmI see a lot of motivational quotes from my friends on the various social media services that are related to living life to its fullest or making the most out of your day. Thinking like this is a great attitude to have but it is one of those things that are easier said than done. After all, we often get caught up with our day to day tasks and by the time we get around to making the most out of our day, it’s practically time for bed. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately because I definitely haven’t been living life to its fullest. I’ve been living in more of a… -
Are Speech Contests Really Worth Your Time?
7 Feb 2012 | 4:23 amSpeech contests are a huge part of Toastmasters and can be interesting to watch. While I’ve never competed, I’ve had the pleasure of acting as contest master and chief judge (on separate occasions, of course) and have really enjoyed being a part of them. But the big question about speech contests is whether or not it’s worth all the time and effort. Like anything, it really depends on your goals. I know people that make thousands of dollars for each speaking engagement they do, yet have never participated in a speaking contest. I also know of people who have won the…
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Speak to Lead
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Presidential tweets exposed: What @JFK, @GroverTweets & @HonestAbe would have written
20 Feb 2012 | 3:34 pmIt's Presidents' Day in the U.S. In practical terms that means if you work for the government or many large corporations, you have the day off. If you are employed by a small firm (or retailer), you're working. But as... -
Humor techniques of 22 prominent U.S. politicians
8 Jan 2012 | 9:26 pmAs the 2012 U.S. presidential primaries begin, humorist John Kinde has analyzed the key humor techniques of 22 current and former candidates. Here, with his permission, are his findings: With the caucus and primary events coming soon, let’s reflect on... -
Go behind-the-scenes with award-winning TV reporter
12 Dec 2011 | 8:23 amSee how good you are at counting the number of segments needed for this 2-minute story. Then go behind-the-scenes with the reporter to see how many takes were required to get the final piece. Michelle Michael is an award-winning "one-man-band"... -
Persuasive Messages: How 4 words opened the door to the Presidency
7 Sep 2011 | 1:53 pmAs I was searching my hard drive for a manuscript, I came across the following description of how 4 words helped transform Dwight D. Eisenhower from an outsider to the presidential nominee at the Republican Convention in 1952. It may... -
Public Speaking: Audience research lesson from Speaker Hall of Fame Herb True CPAE
17 Aug 2011 | 12:28 pmEarly in my speaking career, I had the privilege of appearing on the same program as Herb True, a member of the National Speakers Association's Hall of Fame. Since most of you reading this post may never have heard of...
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Nick Morgan, Public Words
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Storytelling-III. 5 Ideas. 5 Blogs. 5 Days.
22 Feb 2012 | 10:36 amThis is the third blog in a series about storytelling – 5 in 5 days. Everyone seems to get it that storytelling is important, because we’re awash in data and information and can’t remember it all. But we do remember stories. That’s because they are how our brains work. For example, they are why we all feel that it’s safer to drive than fly, even though the statistics prove the opposite. We remember the horrifying stories of plane crashes, and forget the stats. Our brains are constructed that way. Conflict Is at the Heart of Good Storytelling.Without conflict, you… -
Storytelling-II. 5 Ideas. 5 Blogs. 5 Days.
21 Feb 2012 | 7:36 amThis is the second blog in a series about storytelling – 5 in 5 days. Everyone seems to get it that storytelling is important, because we’re awash in data and information and can’t remember it all. But we do remember stories. That’s because they are how our brains work. For example, they are why we all feel that it’s safer to drive than fly, even though the statistics prove the opposite. We remember the horrifying stories of plane crashes, and forget the stats. Our brains are constructed that way. Great Stories Begin with a Meeting or a Journey.Great stories are all… -
Storytelling-I. 5 Ideas. 5 Blogs. 5 Days.
20 Feb 2012 | 10:53 amI’m going to do a series of quick blogs about storytelling – 5 in 5 days. Everyone seems to get these days that storytelling is important, because we’re awash in data and information and can’t remember it all. But we do remember stories. They’re even more important than that. They are how our brains work. For example, they are why we all feel that it’s safer to drive than fly, even though the statistics prove the opposite. We remember the horrifying stories of plane crashes, and forget the stats. Our brains are constructed that way. So storytelling is essential if… -
5 Stupid Speaker Tricks
17 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pmSpeakers do stupid things, like any other group of people. The problem is that they subject whole audiences to boredom and, yes, pain as a result. So it’s not only the speakers themselves who suffer. In an effort to mitigate the suffering, here are 5 of the most egregious stupid speaker moves. If you know someone who perpetrates these, tell them! Stop them! You’ll be doing the windowless meeting room world a huge favor. 1. You Can’t Read This, But…..As regular readers of this blog will know, one of my particular pet peeves is badly done Power Point. Well, the worst… -
The Body Language of Love
14 Feb 2012 | 11:57 amThere are many ways to say the words “I love you,” but the way that counts is said without words. The body language of love begins, of course, with flirting: fleeting eye contact, longer eye contact, smiling, grooming, drawing nearer to each other, accidental touching, and finally close one-to-one communion that shuts out the rest of the world. Once two people are acknowledged lovers, something quite wonderful happens. Watch their body language in a restaurant, or strolling down the street, or at a party, and you’ll see something the non-verbal experts call synchronicity. …
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Craig Strachan - Keep Talking!
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Guest post: 5 Tips for Conquering Q&A
14 Feb 2012 | 12:17 pm“What Questions do you have for my answers?” – Henry Kissinger When roles are reversed, and audience members are handed the microphone, many public speakers turn a brighter shade of purple. But this article will outline 5 practical steps for beating Question & Answer Sessions, and help you leave the stage as victor. But first, the preliminaries: Questions and Answer sessions have become routine with many forms of public speaking and will often be expected by a host. It entails giving the audience members opportunity to reply to the material you’ve been presenting by having them… -
Syndicating your blog – Word Camp Cape Town
7 Oct 2011 | 2:18 amSome of you have asked for a copy of my recent presentation at WordCamp Cape Town. The organisers have loaded all of the sessions onto YouTube, so if you would like to watch my session (or any of the others, look below). If you are at all interested in WordPress and missed WordCamp , I highly recommend that you look out for WordCamp Cape Town 2012, it is going to be a fantastic conference. Here is the YouTube video. And here are the slides Craig strachan (WordPress Cape Town Syndication Handouts) View more presentations from WordCamp Cape Town -
Community building
23 Sep 2011 | 6:13 amMy friends at Symphonia are running a community building sessions based on the methodology and work of Peter Block. I have been to his workshops and they are great. “Most sustainable improvements in community occur when citizens discover their own power to act… when they stop waiting for the professionals or elected leadership to do something, and decide they can reclaim what they have delegated to others.” Peter Block Workshops will be held in Cape Town on 20,21 October, chat to Johleen on 021 913 3507 or email johleen@symphonia.net to book your place. Contact Johleen on 021 913 3507… -
7 lessons from wordcamp
17 Sep 2011 | 9:48 amLast week I spoke at WordCamp, Cape Town (the WordPress conference), and I watched many of the other sessions as well. Here are a few lessons I learned from my and the other sessions: Keep the sessions short and sharp. If forces the speakers to be concise in their message, and the delegates can focus on a short message. This is something that TED do very well (max 30 minutes sessions) Keep words on the slides large; you simply cannot shot a screenshot of 50 lines of source code (in a technical session) and expect the delegates to be able to read or understand the code. If you need to show… -
A clear message
26 Aug 2011 | 8:08 amI saw this sign on one of the movie cameras at the recent Toastmasters Convention. A short and simple way to get your message across. How do you get your message across?
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The Eloquent Woman
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Comfort zones for the nervous speaker: 5 places to go
21 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amDo you get that "nowhere to run, nowhere to hide" feeling before you start a speech or presentation? If you're stressed or nervous about that speaking gig, you might want to factor in your speaker personality type, since the introverts among us, especially, will need to be by themselves before and after a speech or presentation. But any speaker who's nervous about speaking might need to find a comfort zone right on the spot at the meeting venue. Here are five comfort zones that any speaker should be able to access to help you regroup, calm your nerves and face that audience: The stall or the… -
Famous Speech Friday: Rep. Maureen Walsh's speech on gay marriage
17 Feb 2012 | 4:45 am"I don't wax as eloquently as most of the people on the floor here, but I have allowed my heart and my mind to guide me on a lot of issues that have been before us in the legislature, and I think that sometimes that's what we have to do," she said by way of introduction. And with that, Washington State Representative Maureen Walsh began a speech that went viral, fast, in support of the state's pending legislation permitting gay marriage--a measure that was being debated at the time, and has now been passed into law. This was a speech full of contrasts and surprises. In supporting the… -
5 ways speakers can steer clear of overstatements
16 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amAre all your programs major? All your research extensive? All your senior officials probing and sought-after? Does "everyone know" about your issue? Those are overstatements. Now, get over it--by making sure you edit overstatements out of your speech or presentation, or stop yourself mid-delivery, if need be. As a listener, I'm more likely to find you credible as a speaker if overstatements don't pepper your talk. Here are 5 ways to steer clear of them: Monitor those adjectives and adverbs: Overstatements ride the coattails of adjectives and adverbs. If the conference is… -
Does she or doesn't she have trouble getting asked to speak at conferences?
14 Feb 2012 | 4:45 am"Speaking Opportunities Abound for Women Business Leaders, Finds Annual Weber Shandwick Study on Top Executive Conferences," said the press release headline. Color me surprised, since I see a continual drumbeat of reactions disclosing the opposite, namely, that women in all professions--including those dominated by women--continue to have trouble achieving coveted spots on the podium as speakers at professional conferences. A deeper dig past the headline, however, told me this news story wasn't really out of sync with reality--just describing a very narrow slice of it. From the Weber… -
Famous Speech Friday: Gabrielle Giffords's resignation from Congress
10 Feb 2012 | 4:45 amWhen you're a public official who's already captured the nation's attention, and you decide to resign, a speech is called for. But what if speaking isn't really all that possible for you, physically? That was the challenge for U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head and spent a year recovering before she decided to resign from Congress to focus on her recovery. Until that point, she had been demonstrating that her ability to speak, among other skills, was returning. And in resigning, she spoke about speaking on behalf of her constituents, one of an elected…
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Executive Speech Coach - Business Presentations
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Public Speaking Blunders
22 Feb 2012 | 5:57 amYou will be a more successfull public speaker if you avoid these presentation blunders. Most of the time, it's not about delivering a perfect presentation. Instead it's about making less mistakes than your competition.• Talking too quickly• Speaking in a monotone• Using too high a vocal pitch• Not smiling enough while talking• Talking and not saying much • Presenting without appropriate emotion or passion• Using too many “big” words• Using abstractions without giving concrete examples• Not explaining the meaning of words and expressions • Using unfamiliar… -
Power Presentations Tip 56: Speak Slower
20 Feb 2012 | 10:22 amSpeaking Fundamental: Speak SlowerThis is an important public speaking fundamental yet I was reluctant to bring it to your attention. Why? Because it is so fundamental. But I've noticed that many of us need to be reminded of the fundamentals from time to time.I watched an experienced and capable speaker at a conference. I stopped listening early in his presentation because it was too difficult to keep up with his rapid patter. I tuned out and missed most of his speech. Naturally I was impressed that he asked me for constructive feedback after his presentation. He didn't say, "How was I?"… -
Select Better Words for Your Presentation
19 Feb 2012 | 3:54 pmUse Shorter Words and PhrasesThe most powerful words in our language tend to be short. For example: love, war, sex, food, hate, fun, money, power. If a sentence is so lengthy that you have to stop to take a breath, it will be too long to be understood. Break long sentences and phrases into shorter ones. What words can you eliminate to clean up your speech? Do they cloud or clarify the message you are trying to convey? Work on this in your daily business correspondence and it will automatically rub off in your speech.Action VerbsIn most cases verbs are better than nouns and action verbs are… -
How to deliver superior presentations - public seminar notice
17 Feb 2012 | 4:40 pmDiscover how you can deliver a superior presentation – every timeNext Public Seminar in Toronto - March 28, 2012. More Details here.When you speak:You are competing with all the other thoughts, questions, and concerns in the minds of your audience.Your message is competing with all the other presenters that have spoken before you and those who will speak after you.Your intended message is competing with all the unintended messages that you might be sending.In this intensive one-day seminar you will learn how to:• Project more confidence• Open with more pizzazz• Close with finality•… -
Six Words to Summarize Your Presentation
15 Feb 2012 | 7:38 amCan you summarize your presentation in six words? If you know your message, you can state it in a few words. If you need 30 minutes to explain it, then you really don’t know it. What would you do if the decision maker said, “You have six words – go.”Enjoy these six word presentation summaries:Buy low, sell high, discover howStop wasting money on expensive advertisingJoin us for weekly breakfast networking Think about it before you speakNever, never give up. Call usDon’t drink and drive. Arrive aliveFind the right mate for youYou can fight cancer. Donate todaySuccess is simple but…
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Jane Atkinson, Speaker Launcher Blog, Speaker Coach, Presentation Skills, Speakers Bureaus
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[video] 2012 Goals
2 Feb 2012 | 10:52 amWe’re already in month two of 2012, how’d that happen? Here are 3 quick tips that will help ensure that you’re going to reach your goals this year! Feel free to comment below! -
My Biggest Blunders of 2011
19 Jan 2012 | 10:29 amI think it’s healthy to learn from your mistakes, don’t you? And in this situation, by sharing, I might help you avoid some of my biggies. So let’s get right to it: FIRE, BEFORE READY AND AIM You know I have people coming to me every day who want to book more speeches (Fire) when they aren’t really clear on what they are selling (Ready). So it surprised me when I did the same thing! Mid way through the year, I decided I wanted to put on The Wealthy Speaker Masters event. I would bring in some smart people for a weekend and we’d have a great time. I got all the… -
What’s Your Game Changer?
9 Jan 2012 | 11:41 amMovies, stand up comedy and even pizza are seeing evolutions in their business models that are game changers. Here in Canada (home of the overpriced pizza) Little Caesars developed the $5 hot and ready pizza. Total game changer. Why pay $20 when you can pick one up for $5? Comedian Louie CK offered up his latest live video on his website without any restrictions for a $5 immediate download. Unheard of since pirates could have a field day, but he did it fearlessly and created a game changer. He also made a bundle. http://ow.ly/8m4fu In his latest movie, Newlyweds, Indy film producer Ed Burns… -
Two Quick Tips to Minimize Distractions
21 Dec 2011 | 1:05 pmEven for people who don’t celebrate, the holidays are a busy time of the year. I thought this would be a good time to re-visit my strategy around moving through distractions. Here’s Video Blog (vlog) #2 Happy holidays to all and I look forward to helping you grow your business in 2012. PS: In 2012, what will you do to ensure that you are moving your business forward every single month? If you need help with this, you might consider The Wealthy Speaker University. Our Masters program is full, but there are still spots left in the Bachelors. http://wealthyspeakeru.com/ -
Move Your Business Forward in 2012
19 Dec 2011 | 2:43 pmIn the year 2012, how many times do you intend to stop working “in” your business, long enough to work “on” your business, i.e: move your strategy forward? What if you could have an expert in your corner to help you avoid time consuming and costly mistakes? The Wealthy Speaker University was created to offer you a systemized approach to moving your business forward every single month. http://wealthyspeakeru.com/ There are 3 separate programs to choose from: Self Study: For the individual who wants a low cost option and can work through the program on their own.
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Excellence in Presentations
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How you say it is IMPORTANT
3 Feb 2012 | 7:51 amI came upon a blog this morning and it is so good that I need to share some of its ideas with you. The blog was talking about how you can change the meaning of what you want to convey by changing the tone of your delivery. Here is an example: Take this six word sentence: I didn’t give them those documents. Say it out loud six times with emphasis on each of the six words in bold: I didn’t give them those documents. I didn’t give them those documents. I didn’t give them those documents. I didn’t give them those documents. I didn’t give them those… -
Hilarious video on PowerPoint melt down
1 Feb 2012 | 8:55 pmOne of the comments on YouTube was this: “I don’t get it. Perfectly executed presentation if you ask me, he said exactly what was shown on the screen.” The point is that you are NOT supposed to share your talking points with your audience. What’s on the screen should NEVER be the exact words you say to the audience. If you are going to mouth the same words, why not just sit down and let the audience read them? -
Presentations that Work
26 Jan 2012 | 2:17 pmMy book “Presentations that Work” is now available in paper form. You can purchase it here for $12.95 (free shipment). The electronic version in PDF is available for $7.95. The paper version will soon be available in Amazon.com as well. Join me on January 31, 2012 at 1 pm (EST) for a FREE one-hour webinar on how to make GREAT PowerPoint presentations. -
Bad stage ettiquette
15 Jan 2012 | 6:33 amAt the same conference that I was in, one of the keynote speakers was an executive from London. Someone must have told him it was good practice to speak amongst the audience (about 200 persons) by walking around. And it is a good practice. Much better than standing behind a lectern. But his chap took it to the extreme. He was darting around the room like a headless chicken and getting right into the person space of the audience. He made the audience very uncomfortable by getting very close to some people’s faces. And then he made the fatal mistake. He went over his allotted one-hour… -
A really bad slide
10 Jan 2012 | 7:25 amI was at a conference yesterday and a speaker presented this slide and he immediately said:”I know you can’t read this….”. So why would anyone in this right mind show the audience a slide that he KNOW to be unreadable? The funny part was that half of the audience was straining to read the tiny little numbers on the slides and paid absolutely no attention to the speaker.
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Ethos3 - A Presentation Design Agency
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Ogilvy on Advertising for Presentations
22 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pmDavid Ogilvy has been called the Father of Advertising. In 1962, Time named him “the most sought-after wizard in the advertising business.” He was revolutionary in the industry and created some of the most recognizable campaigns of his time. He wrote his all-encompassing book Ogilvy on Advertising in 1983 detailing his thoughts and reflections on advertising. While not every presentation is a direct advertisement for a product, most are attempting to sell an idea to the audience. Much of Ogilvy’s commentary on how to produce advertising that sells can be applied to giving an effective… -
How to Effectively Use Visuals
21 Feb 2012 | 4:02 pmHumans are a visual species. We like watching the sunset. We like watching the sunrise. We like looking at the stars and we like spotting a bright rainbow. We like how the leaves of trees change to bright reds, oranges and yellows in the fall. In short, we like beautiful things. We appreciate beauty. And there are few things uglier than a presentation full of bullet points and text. Use visuals. Use them often and use them well. The world will be a more beautiful place because of it. Simplicity is key. Remember Einstein’s words: If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it… -
Chimamanda Adichie on the Single Story
17 Feb 2012 | 5:40 pmChimamanda Adichie addresses the danger of telling a single story in her TEDGlobal talk filmed in July 2009. She does a masterful job presenting her argument by using poignant storytelling, repetition and secondary references. Her talk is nuanced and sensitive, offering a powerful example of how to give a great presentation. Adichie begins by telling us about her childhood growing up in Nigeria when she would read books by British and American authors. As she got older, she began to write her own stories, which were full of characters who were light skinned and drank lots of ginger beer. Her… -
Presentation Lessons from Whitney Houston
16 Feb 2012 | 3:31 pmPeople across the world were shocked and saddened last Saturday night by the news of Whitney Houston’s death. The powerhouse singer was only 48 at the time of her death, and though the last years of her life were drug-fueled and full of turmoil, she was one of the most successful female musicians of all time. She won 415 awards throughout her career, including 2 Emmys, 6 Grammys, 30 Billboard Music Awards and 22 American Music Awards, making her the most awarded female act of all time. Her masterful, goosebump-inducing version of Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You is the best selling… -
Know Your Audience
15 Feb 2012 | 11:58 am“When talented people write well, it is generally for this reason: They’re moved by a desire to touch the audience,” writes Robert McKee in his definitive screenwriting book Story. A great presentation should always include a compelling story that speaks to the audience. But it’s possible to create an exceptional presentation that fails to resonate with the audience because the story didn’t captivate them. So before you begin crafting your presentation’s narrative, be sure that you know your audience. If you were presenting at a Republican Party convention and you opened your…
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Great Speaking Coach
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What Makes a Rock Star Business Speaker?
13 Feb 2012 | 9:08 amWhat makes a singer a rock star? Out of the hundreds of thousands of people who sing and make music, only a handful achieve the status of Rock Star. What do they do and can you, a business speaker, learn from them? Rock Stars surprise and delight their audiences. They bring something unique, even if they are in a crowded genre. Is it the words, the music, the musicianship? More likely it is charisma, which is hard to define but is recognizable when we see it. They definitely do not try to be like anyone and everyone else. Rock stars perform their well-known songs in every concert. Their fans… -
Outstanding Content First and Foremost
8 Feb 2012 | 10:54 amWhen was the last time you stood up and cheered a speaker because of his posture, her gestures or whether he or she stood to the left of the screen? Without amazing content, your perfect delivery style will be worthless. When your content is great the audience will paint your delivery style with the same enthusiastic brush. I worked with a team who had to present an proposal orally to the customer. The competition was fierce and this company had the added disadvantage of not being known by the customer through past work. They were adamant about standing to the left of the screen, the… -
Little Speeches are What Get You to the Big Speeches
6 Feb 2012 | 12:24 pmWhat business speakers do you admire? Steve Jobs always comes to mind. And who else? Think about your industry--who is prominent and often speaks at industry events, is a sought after keynoter and may have appeared on TED? Whose videos have you watched and forwarded to your social network? These business luminaries began back some time ago giving short presentations to small groups. Maybe in conference rooms, perhaps for company meetings, or they were breakout session speakers at conferences. Most likely all of these. They got better and better by taking every small speaking opportunity… -
Why Speeches Should Be Like Football Games
26 Jan 2012 | 9:34 amFootball grabs and keeps us, week after week, season after season. Why is that? 1) Teams play for the crowd. Every player thinks about the fans and plays hard to please them. 2) It is exciting and unpredictable. Teams with strong or weak records can upset other teams from time to time--and you never know until the game is over! 3) No matter how many drills or practices the teams hold during the week, they really never know how their opponent, the weather and the crowd are going to affect them. Each game requires unique applications of well-honed skills and we get to watch. -
Get Connected to Your Customers
18 Jan 2012 | 2:14 pmSpeaking and presenting are known success-builders for everyone who has customers and clients. You invest in and deliver a presentation that improves their performance and they respond by trusting you to help them further. Time is always in short supply and confusion, lack of confidence and an avalanche of "rules' make people shy away from investing in presentations. However successful people always make time for what is important, so I'm going to help you overcome the confusion, lack of confidence and the avalanche of 'rules'. How? By showing you in under 3 minutes…
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TJWALKER INTERACTIVE
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22 Feb 2012 | 9:52 pm
22 Feb 2012 | 9:52 pmThe Arizona Republican debate proved to be a showdown between Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum. With campaign momentum and the eyes of the media and voters on him, Santorum was able to hold his own with Romney and at times came across as quite presidential. Romney had his usual steady performance but the expectations were [...] -
Why It Takes More than PR to Rehab a Reputation: Inside Communications with Mike Bako
22 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmIn a radio interview with Inside Communications with Mike Bako, Barb Jones, Senior Director of Communications at Ground Floor Media joined the program. She discussed the role of Public relations and its importance during a communication crisis or media scandal. She elaborated in her interview and article about the importance of going farther than strong [...] -
Jeremy Lin Winning Beyond The Box Score: Mike Bako on America Radio News Network
21 Feb 2012 | 2:53 pmThis is one of the great storylines the NBA has ever seen. The guy is exceeding the freight train of hype surrounding him, as he led the Knicks with 28 points and 14 assists Sunday in a comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks. Mike Bako offers his analysis on America’s News Radio Network. -
Komen’s Reversal Of Fortune Goes Beyond Reputation Damage: Inside Communications Radio With Mike Bako
21 Feb 2012 | 12:34 pmMr. Kamer, Principal, Kamer Consulting Group recently called into Inside Communications Radio with host Mike Bako to discuss crisis communications and his enlightening article on Bulldog Reporter entitled: “Komen’s Reversal of Fortune Goes Beyond Reputation Damage.” Kamer discusses the fallout from the Susan G. Komen controversy as well as other companies in need of major [...] -
Should You Use an Agency or Go In-House? Inside Communications Radio with Mike Bako
20 Feb 2012 | 12:45 pmIn the latest installment of Inside Communications Radio with Mike Bako, the featured guest was Rodger Roeser, President, The Eisen Agency. Mr. Roeser’s feature discusses an issue he has raised on whether a firm or corporation is better served by going to an agency or in-house for public relations need. Roeser expanded on the firms [...]
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Persuasions Blog Public Speaking, Persuasive Speech Tips, Word Illustrations, Latest Public Speaking News and Speechmastery Updates
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Feb 16, Become a Professional Speaker, Learn How to Put Speechmastery to Work
16 Feb 2012 | 11:41 amGeneral guide of the basic requirements to become a professional speaker, paid motivational and persuasive speaker. -
Feb 16, What is Communication? An in depth view of verbal and nonverbal communication
16 Feb 2012 | 11:24 amWhat is communication? What are the various aspects? A comprehensive list. -
Feb 16, Job Interview Speechmastery: How to get a Job with Public Speaking Skills.
16 Feb 2012 | 11:22 amJob interview speechmastery: What is the benefit to getting a job? -
Dec 3, Public Speaking to Inspire: How?
3 Dec 2011 | 9:30 amHow do you inspire in a speech? Learn some simple inspriational techniques. -
Dec 3, Reach the Mind Body Spirit to Inspire
3 Dec 2011 | 9:26 amHow to speak on the mind body spirit topic.
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Public Speaking
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Getting to Know Your Audience
20 Feb 2012 | 5:36 amYour Audience: An essential part of crafting your message is taking the time to understand your audience and what they want and need. There are some important areas to consider about your audience; however, be careful not to overanalyze. If you are speaking locally, you probably know your audience well. When you begin to travel, it becomes more important to try to understand your audience in more detail. Among the things you want to try to find out about your audience, if possible, are some basic demographics, for example age, sex, economic status, educational level, ethnicity, religion,… -
5 Ways to Choose Your Topic
20 Feb 2012 | 5:35 amFive Ways To Choose Your Topic 1: The Call To Speak This is the majority of beginning speakers. You’ve been told that you’re going to speak. The boss says you’re the one, so you are on deck. Maybe your service club, church, or other organization wants you to give a talk at a meeting. The tough thing about being told to speak is that it often comes with a generic subject: “Just get up and share a little bit.” This can be intimidating, but it’s actually a wonderful opportunity. The invitation comes to you because those asking believe that you have something beneficial to share. So… -
“The Reason I’ve Called You Here”
20 Feb 2012 | 5:34 amNo matter whom you are speaking to or for, you must have purpose. There must be a distinct reason for you to stand before a crowd. Your purpose is the ONE concept you want to communicate—one phrase, one sentence—that sums up the talk. Decide what is the one idea that you want the audience to remember even if they forget all else. Remember that your audience wants to Know that they will be changed for the better for having listened to you; they want something that will alter their lives. Gain information that will enable them to make it through the next day with success. Know that they are… -
Public Speaking Myths
20 Feb 2012 | 5:33 am“Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.” - Dorothy Sarnoff Public Speaking Myths Myth #1: “I’ve got to be the best.” I used to live by this myth. My mind would tell me to forget about speaking. If I couldn’t be the best, there was no use stepping on stage. But that changed. I decided to take a slightly different approach. Instead of being the best, I wanted to focus on improvement. I knew that every event, every speaking engagement, offered me the opportunity to improve over my last attempt. When I stopped competing against an ideal and… -
Creating Unforgettable Messages
20 Feb 2012 | 5:32 amSteps to Crafting Unforgettable Messages You should start with three simple goals: 1. Communicate with Purpose: You never want to step in front of any group without a clearly carved purpose. Each effective talk has one. It is the narrowed subject. It is the one sentence you want every person to walk away with. It is the phrase that relates to every point, illustration or story. Every speech needs to be able to be distilled into a single sentence that you can tell anyone at any time. It is the backbone of your talk and it will allow you to make every phrase count in your talk. Knowing this one…
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Visual, Verbal and Nonverbal Communication
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Nice Ladies Can Be Incompetent Communicators
9 Feb 2012 | 2:45 pmCity Sticker Design Decision Gone Wrong Because this is a blog dedicated to good communication and not good sense, let’s ignore the merits of Chicago City Clerk Susan Mendoza’s decision to dump the city sticker winner design due to the alleged similarity to gang symbols being present in the design. Let’s go straight to the manner in which she communicated the controversial decision to the public - which by anyone’s measure was a disaster. I do not know Ms. Mendoza and I will take Herbert Pulgar’s word for it that she is a “nice lady”. Yet, nice ladies can be incompetent… -
Does A Fresh Coat of Paint Really Matter? What is the Motive Behind the Message?
1 Sep 2011 | 2:09 pmOn October 12th, United Airlines President & CEO, Jeff Smisek, will present to the Executives Club of Chicago. Regretfully, I will be unable to attend. I am baffled by his generally well crafted and delivered video presentation currently playing on United/Continental flights. Will someone please ask him, in a polite and respectful manner, what caused/prompted Mr. Smisek to believe that his message to his passengers (clients) should tout the “painting of airplanes” as progress in the coupling of the two airlines? Other than the time I boarded a United Airline flight to Des Moines that… -
Laugh at Yourself – It Makes You More Likeable
10 Aug 2011 | 3:54 pmIt seems everyone (here and here to show you just a few) is talking about the upcoming issue of Newsweek featuring Presidential contender Michele Bachmann on the cover. An “unflattering” photo is not a method for discriminating against gender. That it is Bachmann’s photo is not stereotyping a characteristic of the female gender. In fact, declaring that a woman candidate must look pretty on the cover of a magazine could be considered the gender biased position. Since I do not pay much attention to Ms. Bachmann and could not pick her out of a crowd, it was not readily apparent that this… -
Eavesdropping – People are Listening
15 Feb 2011 | 9:38 amGuest post: Bill Grimes Frequently we find ourselves in situations such as sitting on a train, plane or standing in line where stranger’s cell phone conversations or what should be a personal chat between two friends becomes more of a public broadcasting event.It’s annoying because it’s not your conversation. You’re forced to listen to someone else, like listening to someone else’s music – it just doesn’t do it for you. But don’t you find yourself just a little curious? It can be like an Oprah Show materializing before your ears. There’s melodrama and angst to the point of… -
The Effect of Visual Imagery on Smokers
18 Jan 2011 | 9:05 amGuest Post By Jason SchwartzThe headline on msnbc.com was “These cigarette packs could scare you into quitting.” A new law signed in June by President Obama requires cigarette companies to post large, visual warnings on every pack. The FDA intends to use curt verbiage alongside the new images of corpses, cancer patients, and diseased lungs and teeth as part of their repertoire to scare potential smokers from starting as well as encourage established smokers to think twice.The new visual warnings are a step in the right direction. Visual learning is a cornerstone of the education system in…
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The Accidental Communicator
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5 Ways For Public Speakers To Not Say “I’m Sorry”
20 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amImage Credit We All Know When We've Done Something Wrong Oh, oh – now you’ve done it. Somehow, in some way, you screwed up. You made a mistake and did something (or in many cases you said something) that was wrong. What are you going to do now? The best thing to do would be to apologize and hope that your audience is using their listening skills. However, it turns out that this is just a bit more difficult than it seems… The Problem With Saying “I’m Sorry” So why do we even bother with saying “I’m sorry” in the first place? When we do… -
Public Speaking: How To Make The Teleprompter Your Best Friend
14 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amImage Credit If you know how to use it, a teleprompter can be your best friend As public speakers, because we know the importance of public speaking, we try very hard to be as comfortable as we can be on a stage in front of an audience. If we try hard enough and get enough chances to speak to an audience (whom we hope have good listening skills), then we have an opportunity to get good at doing this. However, this can all fly out the door if we find ourselves in a TV studio someday staring at a teleprompter. What is this thing and how do we use it? What Is A Teleprompter? Before we spend any… -
Is The Telephone Really A Stage For A Speaker?
7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 amImage Credit How Can You Make The Phone Work For You, Not Against You? When we are on the stage giving a speech, even if this is not easy for us to do, at least we know what we need to do. We can learn how to keep the audience’s attention, we know how to communicate information effectively, and basically we understand the importance of public speaking. We also understand how to interpret all of the signals that the audience is sending our way. All of this knowledge may be contributing to why so many speakers do such a poor job of communicating with groups when a telephone is involved…… -
Dr. Jim Anderson To Speak At 16th Annual Pink Conference
3 Feb 2012 | 4:01 pmDr. Jim Anderson has been asked to deliver two speeches at the 16th Annual Pink Conference. The role that Blue Elephant Consulting plays in the IT industry has been recognized as being a thought leader and the organizers of the Pink Conference have asked Dr. Anderson to share some of his insights with the conference attendees. Dr. Anderson will be delivering two speeches at the conference in Las Vegas on Monday, February 20th. The first speech that Dr. Anderson will be giving will be giving is titled “The Secret To Knowing Where You Are Going“. In this speech Dr. Anderson… -
How To Give A Great Speech Even When You Aren’t There
31 Jan 2012 | 3:00 amImage Credit Who Ever Said That You Had To Show Up To Give A Good Speech? Hey speaker, how good of a speaker are you when you don’t get a chance to show up? I’m not talking about blowing off a speaking gig, rather I’m talking about that virtual stage that all of us find ourselves occupying all too often: the teleconference. You might not view this as an opportunity to give a speech, but it is! Why Nobody Likes Teleconferences We all seem to spend a lot of our time in teleconferences, why does nobody seem to like them? It is my personal belief that despite the fact that most…
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The Campaign Spot
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Santorum, the National Frontrunner With 3 Delegates
22 Feb 2012 | 8:48 amA reminder of the official delegate count, as seen by the RNC: Mitt Romney 73, Newt Gingrich 29, Ron Paul 8, Perceived Frontrunner Rick Santorum 3, Jon Huntsman 2. Some of the caucuses so far have begun the process of selecting delegates to the national convention — the local caucuses select delegates to the county conventions, who select delegates to the state convention, who select the delegates who go to the GOP convention in Tampa. Some media organizations have projected the likely allocation of the delegates based upon the first round of the caucus.Keep reading this post . . . -
Romney Slightly Ahead in Winner-Take-All Arizona
22 Feb 2012 | 6:42 amMeanwhile, in Arizona, the other big state making its primary decision on Tuesday . . . According to a CNN/Time/ORC International poll released Tuesday, 36% of people likely to vote in Arizona’s February 28th GOP presidential primary say they’re backing Romney as their party’s nominee, with 32% supporting Santorum. The former Massachusetts governor’s four point margin over the former senator from Pennsylvania is within the survey’s sampling error, meaning they are basically tied for the top spot.Keep reading this post . . . -
Quinnipiac: Obama Barely Ahead of Romney, Santorum
22 Feb 2012 | 6:02 amA new NBC/Marist poll of Michigan puts Romney at 37 percent, Santorum at 35 percent, Ron Paul at 13 percent, and Newt Gingrich at 8 percent. Meanwhile, this morning Quinnipiac unveils a new national poll:Keep reading this post . . . -
In Case You Needed a 'Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha!' Today
22 Feb 2012 | 5:56 amThe midweek edition of the Morning Jolt examines Rick Santorum’s thoughts on the devil, Sheldon Adelson’s spending spree to create a President Gingrich, and then these two concluding thoughts . . . Put Not Your Faith in Always-Entertaining PunditsKeep reading this post . . . -
In Obama's America, Dreams Have to Be Modest
21 Feb 2012 | 11:58 amAs noted on Twitter, the Associated Press offers a headline that perhaps summarizes the entire Obama presidency: “Obama promotes modest American dream.” While Americans are being urged to pursue a more modest American dream, how are the Obamas coping with this new era of diminished expectations?Keep reading this post . . .
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George F. Will: Most Recent Articles and Archives
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Santorum and Romney are miscast as candidates
22 Feb 2012 | 6:35 pmThe Midwest begins on the western slopes of the Allegheny Mountains, around Rick Santorum’s Pittsburgh, birthplace of the Ohio River, the original highway into the Midwest. Pittsburgh fueled the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794, an early eruption of Western resentment of the overbearing East, which taxed the whiskey that Westerners made from their grain. Santorum the Midwesterner, after victories in Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, is wagering more of his political capital on the region. Read full article >> -
Eisenhower Memorial misses the man
17 Feb 2012 | 7:26 pmTwo coming developments, one dismal and one excellent, pertain to America’s memory of a great man. One of several oversight panels soon will consider a proposed memorial to Dwight Eisenhower. The proposal is an exhibitionistic triumph of theory over function — more a monument to its creator, Frank Gehry, practitioner of architectural flamboyance, than to the most underrated president. Fortunately, on Tuesday comes Jean Edward Smith’s biography “Eisenhower in War and Peace,” which demonstrates why the man’s achievements merit a memorial better than the proposed one. Read full… -
Supreme Court should take on New York City’s rent control laws
15 Feb 2012 | 6:47 pmJames and Jeanne Harmon reside in and supposedly own a five-story brownstone on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, a building that has been in their family since 1949. But they have, so to speak, houseguests who have overstayed their welcome by, in cumulative years, more than a century. They are the tenants — the same tenants — who have been living in the three of the Harmons’ six apartments that are rent controlled. Read full article >> -
Is it bribery or just politics?
10 Feb 2012 | 6:56 pmAll elected officials, and those who help finance elections in the expectation that certain promises will be kept — and everyone who cares about the rule of law — should hope the Supreme Court agrees to hear Don Siegelman’s appeal of his conviction. Until the court clarifies what constitutes quid pro quo political corruption, Americans engage in politics at their peril because prosecutors have dangerous discretion to criminalize politics. Read full article >> -
Republicans need more than rhetoric on defense
8 Feb 2012 | 6:57 pmThrough 11 presidential elections, beginning with the Democrats’ nomination of George McGovern in 1972, Republicans have enjoyed a presumption of superiority regarding national security. This year, however, events and their rhetoric are dissipating their advantage. Read full article >>
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Speakers Bureau for Motivational Keynote Speakers - The Speakers Group » Blog
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“…the first time we filled every seat…” – A Client’s Experience with Chip Eichelberger
26 Jan 2012 | 12:08 pmThe TSG blog has been quiet lately, but that will soon change (been hard at work behind the scenes!)… For now, I wanted to share an email we received from a client this week, following their engagement with Chip Eichelberger last week: “Just wanted to drop you a note to say what a great job [...] -
Want Engaged, Motivated Employees? Create Destination: Work! – by Harry Paul, a.k.a. The FISH Guy
30 Aug 2011 | 5:11 pmA Guest Post by Harry Paul, aka Harry the Fish Guy Coauthor of FISH! A Proven Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results and Instant Turnaround! Getting People Excited About Coming to Work and Working Hard It’s scary out there. Every time I think about it, it sends chills up and down my spine. Everyday we [...] -
The Power of an Outside Voice – by Jon Gordon
22 Aug 2011 | 10:00 amWhy do you bring speakers to your events? You have smart people on your team. Wise people. Why not feature them as your keynote speakers? Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus, Training Camp, and several other books — most recently, The Seed — has the answer in today’s guest post. “Jon, never underestimate the power [...] -
Little Bets Yield Big Ideas – Interview with Peter Sims
12 Apr 2011 | 11:42 amAre great ideas created or discovered? That’s the theme of my recent interview with Peter Sims, author of the new book, Little Bets: How Breakthrough Ideas Emerge from Small Discoveries, and you can listen here: If you’d like a hint about the answer to the opening question, consider how how Google began: The founders didn’t set out [...] -
Don’t Let Your Awards Banquet Bomb
1 Mar 2011 | 2:03 pmA guest post from corporate comedy speaker Judy Carter Last night, as I watched the 2011 Academy Awards hosted by James Franco and Anne Hathaway, it became clear that actors can’t do what comics do best: be funny. The show was a lackluster, boring bomb! Last week I sat through a similar event: a corporate awards [...]
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The Public Speaker's Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills
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009 TPS Um, Like, How to Sound Ditzy?
16 Feb 2012 | 5:05 pmLearn to eliminate your distracting ums and ahs and other disfluencies. -
144 TPS How to Boost Your Brand At Work
9 Feb 2012 | 5:05 pm3 steps to develop and fine-tune your personal brand. -
143 TPS How to Be a Better Leader
2 Feb 2012 | 5:05 pm3 tips on developing your leadership skills. -
142 TPS How to Hire the Right Employee Every Time (Part 2)
26 Jan 2012 | 5:05 pm4 more tips to improve your hiring process. -
032 TPS Mr. Monotone or Mr. Vibrato?
19 Jan 2012 | 5:05 pmQuestions go to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com or 206-350-7970. Like what you hear? Help us out by writing a review at iTunes!
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Professionally Speaking...
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Presentation Tip: The Audience's Gift to You
1 Feb 2012 | 12:29 pmWhen someone gives us a gift we generally feel: happy grateful excited humbled honored touched But this is not how we generally feel when we are standing in front of an audience and delivering a presentation. In this situation we're more likely to feel anxious, resigned, bored or detached. Perhaps we need to look through a different lens. In fact, our audiences are giving us one of the most precious gifts of all -- their time. This is thirty minutes, an hour, a half-day of their lives they can never get back. When you think about your audience from this perspective, a number of things happen:… -
C-Level Presentation Tip #3: Expect and Be Happy About Interruptions
18 Jan 2012 | 8:00 amQuestion: What's the relationship between sky diving and making executive presentations? Answer: Apart from the metaphorical comparisons of being at high altitudes, both activities routinely strike fear into the hearts of the people daring to attempt them. Soaring through your presentations in the C-Suite is certainly possible, but not without focus on some key strategies. This series of tips will help you avoid any nose dives. TIP #3: EXPECT AND BE HAPPY ABOUT INTERRUPTIONS When you get interrupted during your presetation it means either you’ve sparked an idea that the audience wants to… -
C-Level Presentation Tip #2: Link to Business Issues
5 Jan 2012 | 3:03 pmExecutive level presentations can seem like swimming in shark-infested seas, even for the intrepid business presenter. Stakes and visibility are both high. This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you can successfully navigate any C-Suite waters. TIP #2: LINK TO BUSINESS ISSUES Do some homework before the presentation and explore the over-arching business issues and challenges facing the executives you'll be speaking to. Every audience, no matter how senior, asks themselves the WIIFM (“What’s in it for me?”) questions. Why should I listen? -
Twelve Presentation Gifts For You
19 Dec 2011 | 11:01 am[Sing along to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas, if you must!] On the first day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…A clear and succinct messageOn the second day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…No bullet pointsOn the third day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…Powerful wordsOn the fourth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…Strong eye contactOn the fifth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…Crisp PowerPoint slidesOn the sixth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…Engaging storiesOn the seventh day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…Rhetorical… -
C-Level Presentation Tip #1: Start with Conclusions
18 Nov 2011 | 2:38 pmExecutive level presentations can strike fear into the hearts of even the most courageous business presenters. Both stakes and visibility are 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 #1: START WITH CONCLUSIONS C-Level audiences are results focused. So play to this by starting your presentation with the conclusion. Don't keep them in suspense or you'll lose them. Tell them up front what the problem is, what you recommend or what you're asking for. And then support that conclusion with the…
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Speak Without Interruption
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WHERE’S THE REST OF ME?
18 Feb 2012 | 4:15 amLike the character played by Ronald Reagan (after having his legs amputated in the 1942 film KINGS ROW), contributors to SWI may be awakening this morning to the loss of all posts/comments made since 4/1/11 and asking “Where’s the rest of me?” Hopefully, the cause of this mysterious disappearance will soon be found and our missing parts restored. Meanwhile, I decided late last night to use my own dormant blog to re-type my last SWI piece (posted yesterday) while it was still fresh in my mind. The post is titled DIET OF WORMS; my blog is called THE OBSERVATION POST. If… -
The Man Who Would Be King
17 Feb 2012 | 5:54 pmIn 114 BC, Rome was a democratic Republic. Representatives elected by popular vote filled the Senate, and the Senate ran Rome. The Empire was conquered in the name of the Senate and the People of Rome, symbolized by the ever present SPQR seen on every Roman standard in every gladiator movie you have ever watched. At the beginning of the first century BC sovereignty in Rome resided in the People, which may have inspired the most famous attribution of sovereignty in American History, “We the People” as the proclaimed authors of the Constitution. The power in republican Rome resided in the… -
ExpediaBooks & Book-E-Leaks
1 Apr 2011 | 4:54 pmI doubt I will ever attempt to write a book. Through this site – as definitely Unintended Consequences – I certainly have grown to carry a tremendous respect for those who have been dedicated enough to put their thoughts/stories into book form. If I were a writer – in this day of differing forms of publishing and publicity – I would certainly be grateful to have the advice provided by a long time SWI contributor, Robert Walker. I offer the link to his site, below, with my wholehearted support and recommendation. Bob Grant, Editor SpeakWithoutInterruption.com… -
SWI Host moving
31 Mar 2011 | 8:19 pmSWI is switching hosting companies as Bob has mentioned on the site and through emails. We moved the underlying data today and switched the address of the host this evening (3/31/11). What does this mean to you? If you are reading this message that means your computer / internet connection is still coming to the old host and any post / comment you make will not be transferred to the new host (because we already moved the data). What can I do? 1. Restart your computer (this should have the effect of clearing out your internet browser’s cache, but might not) 2. Hit Refresh (this… -
Naked Trees by Opal Palmer Adisa
31 Mar 2011 | 11:18 amI am a tropical child. I was born in the islands and although I have lived on the East Cost of the USA, and lived in The Bay Area, (that despite the depiction on TV is more cold than it is warm), I do not like nor do I thrive in the cold. The sun is my lover and whenever he is separated from me through sheets of cold, I pine, my body gets ashy, my spirit flutters and I am not at my best – I am vulnerable in a way that is not endearing. Ever so often, I go willing into the cold to visit friends or relatives or to share my work and expertise. I have never just taken a trip because I desired…
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Presentation Advisors
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Ditching PowerPoint for the iPad
16 Feb 2012 | 10:11 pmI’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You don’t need PowerPoint to create an effective presentation. It’s what I use, but it’s not your only option. In this brief TED Audition talk, Joe Sabia discusses how the art of storytelling has remained unchanged, but the way we tell stories (and the way we present) continues to evolve. However, it’s his use of the iPad acting as his visual backdrop that grabs a hold of the audience like a vice. It’s presentation style is unique, fluid, and most importantly, memorable. All hail Lothar Meggendorfer!! (image) -
A PowerPoint Riddle
16 Feb 2012 | 4:32 pmI’ve got a riddle for you. Which is heavier: a 10-pound bag of rocks, or a 10-pound bag of feathers? The answer, of course, is neither. They weigh the same amount (I noticed this riddle works better when it’s said, not written, but oh well). This riddle came to mind when I was thinking about presentation lengths. Often I get a lot of pushback from clients when they hand over a 10-slide presentation and get back what’s now a 30-slide presentation. So I just ask them the same riddle. What takes longer: A 10-slide presentation when you remain on each slide for one minute, or a… -
10 Lessons Learned from “Every Presentation Ever”
25 Jan 2012 | 8:07 amI came across a fantastic video recently entitled, Every Presentation Ever. This parody, brought to you by Growing Leaders Inc. and Habitudes for Communicators, includes nearly every blunder and annoyance that creeps its way into 99% of presentations (just my educated guess). I posted it on the Presentation Advisors Facebook page a few days ago. Watching it made me cringe, knowing that these mistakes aren’t a product of PowerPoint or the content, but because the presenter doesn’t know the very basics of effective presentation design and delivery. However, I didn’t want… -
20 Best PowerPoint Presentation Design Posts for 2012
1 Jan 2012 | 7:31 pmIn order to create an amazing PowerPoint presentation, you have to learn the process of effective presentation design. After four years of blogging, I’ve written a number of posts designed to help you create better, visually engaging and effective PowerPoint presentations. As all blogs posts do, some resonated better than others and often provided great discussion in the comments. Instead of forcing you to sift through my site, page after page, or trying to search my site with keywords just to find the best posts, I have aggregated 20 of my best blog posts, including the 5 most viewed… -
Dance vs. PowerPoint as a Visual Aid
12 Dec 2011 | 8:50 amThanks to a tweet from fellow presentation designer and visual communicator Tony Ramos, I came across this impressive TEDx talk by John Bohannon, biologist and journalist, entitled, “Dance vs PowerPoint: A Modest Proposal.” Just hearing the title, I was intrigued. I’m no stranger to the numerous arguments against PowerPoint, but I’d never heard of dance as an alternative. Take 11 minutes out of your day to watch this video and I’ll give you my thoughts after the jump. I’m not sure how you saw it, but it seemed his presentation was divided into two distinct…
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Speaking Pro Central
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Good Penmanship for Public Speakers
22 Feb 2012 | 3:24 pmThe pen is mightier than the sword; but when it comes to public speaking, an empty hand is mightier than the pen. Sometimes, a speaker will take the stage holding a pen and deliver the entire speech or presentation without ever writing a single word. And if the speaker begins to fiddle with the pen, things can go from bad to worse.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
Moving in Together
22 Feb 2012 | 1:38 pm[link]. Here's an interesting list of suggestions for moving in together. This fits in well with our text discussions of relationship development but it's something none of the textbooks touch on. link]. relationship development moving in togetherBrought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
New blog – Motivate to Create – worth visiting
22 Feb 2012 | 1:28 pmMotivation is the strange life-force that compels people to achieve or do things, be it row across an ocean, build the world’s tallest tower or write a book. Freelance Writing - General motivate motivate to create motivation nate hendleyBrought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
Why It Takes More than PR to Rehab a Reputation: Inside Communications with Mike Bako
22 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmIn a radio interview with Inside Communications with Mike Bako, Barb Jones, Senior Director of Communications at Ground Floor Media joined the program. She discussed the role of Public relations and its importance during a communication crisis or media scandal.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central -
14 Tips Before You Go (to China) - A Book Review, and More
22 Feb 2012 | 11:34 amLast week I received Mike Meier's book "A Focused Pursuit in China: 14 Business Tips to Know Before You Go" , (non-affiliate link) which my fellow Toastmaster, Speaker & Author sent specifically for me to review. At the same time, two thoughts popped into my head. First, speakers travel all the time, and China is a ginormous emerging market.Brought to you by: Speaking Pro Central
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Twitter / JohnCMaxwell
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JohnCMaxwell: Today's Minute with Maxwell is on Humor: http://t.co/jrkHk9KD
22 Feb 2012 | 10:01 amJohnCMaxwell: Today's Minute with Maxwell is on Humor: http://t.co/jrkHk9KD -
JohnCMaxwell: I'm teaching today on leadership for youth at the @JohnMaxwellTeam coaches' certification event.
22 Feb 2012 | 8:59 amJohnCMaxwell: I'm teaching today on leadership for youth at the @JohnMaxwellTeam coaches' certification event. -
JohnCMaxwell: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank
22 Feb 2012 | 7:01 amJohnCMaxwell: How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single minute before starting to improve the world. -Anne Frank -
JohnCMaxwell: New blog post: Level Up, Week 7: The Pinnacle http://t.co/WmsM6FYC
21 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmJohnCMaxwell: New blog post: Level Up, Week 7: The Pinnacle http://t.co/WmsM6FYC -
JohnCMaxwell: Today's Minute with Maxwell, in which you get to meet my dad, is on Family: http://t.co/62dc8lMC
21 Feb 2012 | 10:01 amJohnCMaxwell: Today's Minute with Maxwell, in which you get to meet my dad, is on Family: http://t.co/62dc8lMC
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Twitter / MachenMacDonald
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MachenMacDonald: "The goal of life - make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, match your nature with Nature." Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1
18 Feb 2012 | 2:16 pmMachenMacDonald: "The goal of life - make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, match your nature with Nature." Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1 -
MachenMacDonald: "Follow your bliss & the universe opens doors 4 U where there were none." Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1
18 Feb 2012 | 2:15 pmMachenMacDonald: "Follow your bliss & the universe opens doors 4 U where there were none." Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1 -
MachenMacDonald: "Love is friendship set to music." Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1
18 Feb 2012 | 2:13 pmMachenMacDonald: "Love is friendship set to music." Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1 -
MachenMacDonald: "Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no on e to blame bu yourself." ~Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1
18 Feb 2012 | 2:13 pmMachenMacDonald: "Your life is the fruit of your own doing. You have no on e to blame bu yourself." ~Joe Campbell http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1 -
MachenMacDonald: "I don't believe people R looking for the meaning of life as much as they're looking 4 the experience of being alive." http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1
18 Feb 2012 | 2:12 pmMachenMacDonald: "I don't believe people R looking for the meaning of life as much as they're looking 4 the experience of being alive." http://t.co/Dm5xfOM1
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Twitter / tonyrobbins
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tonyrobbins: A new "Water Planet" was just discovered, first of its type.. http://t.co/JJam5Xvu
22 Feb 2012 | 4:29 pmtonyrobbins: A new "Water Planet" was just discovered, first of its type.. http://t.co/JJam5Xvu -
tonyrobbins: “Love looks through a telescope, envy, through a microscope.” Josh Billings
22 Feb 2012 | 4:29 pmtonyrobbins: “Love looks through a telescope, envy, through a microscope.” Josh Billings -
tonyrobbins: RT @DrStrickland: A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. -@TonyRobbins | via @motivatquotes
22 Feb 2012 | 4:27 pmtonyrobbins: RT @DrStrickland: A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. -@TonyRobbins | via @motivatquotes -
tonyrobbins: RT @NatalieTusznio: Wow! Already a few pages into Unlimited Power by @tonyrobbins & I already can't put it down...but I must go outside ...
22 Feb 2012 | 4:26 pmtonyrobbins: RT @NatalieTusznio: Wow! Already a few pages into Unlimited Power by @tonyrobbins & I already can't put it down...but I must go outside ... -
tonyrobbins: Over 12 million tweets come out of our Oprah Show! Wild! Join me & @Oprah at a live taping of #lifeclass in New York http://t.co/5qB4IVaM
22 Feb 2012 | 4:24 pmtonyrobbins: Over 12 million tweets come out of our Oprah Show! Wild! Join me & @Oprah at a live taping of #lifeclass in New York http://t.co/5qB4IVaM
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Twitter / KevinEikenberry
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KevinEikenberry: From my archives : Best of Leadership Blogs Contest 2009 Results http://t.co/VPoHf5fS #leadership
22 Feb 2012 | 9:47 pmKevinEikenberry: From my archives : Best of Leadership Blogs Contest 2009 Results http://t.co/VPoHf5fS #leadership -
KevinEikenberry: @SteveGutzler You are welcome Steve!
22 Feb 2012 | 7:49 pmKevinEikenberry: @SteveGutzler You are welcome Steve! -
KevinEikenberry: From my archives : One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership http://t.co/p80bR2qb #leadership
22 Feb 2012 | 3:35 pmKevinEikenberry: From my archives : One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership http://t.co/p80bR2qb #leadership -
KevinEikenberry: Me 2 RT @CharlieMiller00: "I have been mentored by a lot of famous people I have never met because I have read their books." Steve Stroope
22 Feb 2012 | 10:28 amKevinEikenberry: Me 2 RT @CharlieMiller00: "I have been mentored by a lot of famous people I have never met because I have read their books." Steve Stroope -
KevinEikenberry: @jlin7 Thought you might enjoy this blog post I wrote about how leaders can learn from your success http://t.co/2cQdYCOV
22 Feb 2012 | 10:27 amKevinEikenberry: @jlin7 Thought you might enjoy this blog post I wrote about how leaders can learn from your success http://t.co/2cQdYCOV
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Les Posen's Presentation Magic
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If the expression “Give me the child aged seven….” applies to the iPad and Keynote, I’d start to worry if I ran the Microsoft Office marketing department: Lessons from a Las Vegas school
21 Feb 2012 | 6:56 amMy Google alert for Keynote, which by the way is far more useful for tracking Keynote mentions than the Twitter #keynote tag, this morning shows a story from the Las Vegas Sun newspaper’s online site: (I have purposely blurred the advertisement for a Mac product I am heartily sick of seeing). The story, available at the link here, is a lengthy piece by Paul Takahashi about an elementary school in the eastern Las Vegas Valley called Explore Knowledge Academy (EKA), whose motto is: Creating Leaders: One Project at a Time. The story looks at how the school is employing iPads to live up… -
With the hype over the next iPad growing, there’s going to be a lot of disappointed pundits, Wall Street Analysts and fantasists when they don’t get what they want when they want it.
21 Feb 2012 | 1:49 amA few days ago, my head swirling with rumours and pictures of alleged iPad 3 retinal displays, I posted this on my Twitter account (@lesposen): For those of you with iPad 2s, the iPad 3 may be no big deal at all. Certainly, many of the blog posts and comments I’m seeing in my travels are asking if it will be worthwhile updating, perhaps uncertain of how much their iPad 2 will get on eBay. For another population of iPad owners, those like me who have the original iPad, it’s really a no-brainer. After almost two years of ownership as a first adopter, I for one am truly ready to make… -
OS X Mountain Lion said to deliver full desktop mirroring over Airplay: Excellent news for presenters
16 Feb 2012 | 9:02 amJust a quick note, while I’m working on a longer blog post about my Macworld 2012 adventures, of the news breaking in the Mac environs of Mountain Lion, the next iteration of OS X. I first saw it mentioned in a dramatic blog entry of John Gruber here (http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion). At first I thought he was pulling his readership’s leg by the one on one nature of the preview he received with Phil Schiller and other senior Apple officials. Then I saw the GigaOM blog entry here (http://daringfireball.net/2012/02/mountain_lion) supporting it. What intrigued me was… -
Two thoughts on the Apple’s Education Event in NYC: Its presentation software, Keynote is alive and well and expected to prosper, and Android-based tablets are dead in the water in the K-12 education domain.
20 Jan 2012 | 7:41 amThis morning I woke early early to attend the Channel 7 Melbourne studios for an interview on its morning program, Sunrise. The topic was the virtual site, Second Life, which had apparently been mentioned in the midst of some controversy in a Sydney-based morning radio show. As so often happens, television picked up on it and I was rung by a producer to offer comments as a media psychologist. You can read something about what happened at this link here from the Metaverse Journal website. A video of my interview is below: After that breakfast, a brutal workshop with a personal trainer (2012… -
Was it Steve Jobs’ literally dying wish to upend another lazy industry – science and academic publishing? We’ll know more this Thursday
17 Jan 2012 | 1:08 amWith Macworld just around the corner, I am tweaking my workshop presentation for January 25. By that time, we will know more about Apple’s publishing keynote to be held this Thursday and whether yet another industry – publishing, especially academic and scholarly – will be disrupted by Apple technologies. Some time back I wrote about this possibility here on this blog: Click on the screenshot to go to the blog entry Notice, will you, the date of this entry: January 7, 2010. The iPad 1 keynote was held on January 27, almost three weeks later, so at the time of writing we were…
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PowerPoint Tips Blog
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6 steps to create cool stickout photos in PowerPoint
22 Feb 2012 | 9:46 pmA subscriber turned me on to Before & After Magazine‘s YouTube videos, showing great design tips. I thought I would show you how to create one of their effects in PowerPoint. Read to the end, because there’s a contest with a prize for 3 winners! First, watch their video How to create “stickouts” in PowerPoint How can you create cool stickout photos in PowerPoint? Here are the steps: 1. Insert a photo that is appropriate for this technique. You need a strong object in the foreground, because you’ll remove its background. You also need an object that has a… -
How to resize and crop pictures in PowerPoint
15 Feb 2012 | 3:58 pmI’ve discovered that some people don’t know how to resize images in PowerPoint and also don’t know how (or when) to crop an image. These are basic and important skills and you’ll use them even in other programs, because they are universal. How to resize an image Sometimes you insert an image and it’s the wrong size. You resize an image when it’s the right shape/proportion, but just the wrong size. To resize an image select it so that you see “handles” on the corners and sides. The image to the right has an arrow pointing to one of the handles. -
Insert a live Excel spreadsheet onto a slide
6 Feb 2012 | 8:54 pmYou can insert a live Excel spreadsheet onto a slide so that you can use Excel while in Slide Show view. There are other ways to get Excel data onto a slide, so why would you want an active Excel spreadsheet? Let’s say that you’re presenting some results of your financial analysis and your boss asks, “How did you get those results? Show me the spreadsheet.” You could switch to Excel, but it might be more slick to have it available in your PowerPoint presentation. Slick? What does that mean? It just means that the process is less disruptive and more continuous, so it… -
Why both stories and a storyline are important for your presentations
29 Jan 2012 | 1:43 pmA lot of people are talking about telling stories during a presentation. Why is that? Stories are A powerful way to evoke emotions, which is important because people remember emotionally-charged experiences better and longer An age-old way of making a topic interesting, so the audience pays more attention An alternate way to make your point, helping people to understand better Here’s a related post from Garr Reynolds, “We learn from stories and experiences.” I majored in History in college and one of the few things I remember from all my History courses is a story about Czar… -
Get the best price on technology purchases, clothing — and anything else!
17 Jan 2012 | 1:50 pmDo you buy electronics and more on Amazon, Newegg, or other sites? If so, I’d like to introduce you to a new, free service that will help you get the lowest price. Many people don’t realize that prices fluctuate constantly, particularly on websites like Amazon, which allow third party vendors to continually undercut one another. For example, consider the price variations for a Samsung 59-Inch 1080p 3D Plasma HDTV over three months (Jul 10 to Oct 10, 2011): $1,850, 2,251, 1,920, 2,000, 2,251, 2,145, 2,218, 2,225, 2,145, 2,200 You could have spent as much as $2,251 — or as little as…
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PowerPoint Ninja
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Introducing My New Book
3 Feb 2012 | 9:56 amFor those of you who know me as the PowerPoint Ninja from this blog, you may be surprised (or disappointed) to learn that my recently published book isn’t about PowerPoint or business presentations. In my day job, I work in consulting at Adobe (which acquired Omniture in 2009). Last December, I published my first book, Web Analytics Action Hero, which focuses on how web analysts and digital marketers can leverage analysis to optimize their online business and become action heroes within their organizations (if that sounds exciting — learn more here). While my first published book… -
Emergency Preparedness for PowerPoint
29 Dec 2011 | 10:49 amReady for any PowerPoint emergency. (c) Thinkstock Recently, I was a part of a university event where I needed to present along with a senior executive from my company and several student teams. Rather than switching out the laptops for each different presentation, I decided to load all of the presentations on to my machine beforehand. I hate it when you run into setup problems when one group’s laptop doesn’t work properly with the projector or some other issue — and it throws off the whole schedule. What I didn’t anticipate was that the presentation remote would only… -
Tips for Using Quotes in PowerPoint Presentations
9 Nov 2011 | 8:59 amI love quotes. (c)Thinkstock When you’re trying to add more emphasis or credibility to a key point in your presentation, a quote can come in handy. I’m a fan of a good, well-placed quote. I’ve even assembled a humble collection of PowerPoint-related quotes. However, just like inappropriate or tired images can detract from your content, so can poorly-chosen or over-used quotes. I thought I’d share some thoughts and tips on using quotes in PowerPoint presentations. Two types of quotes I’ve found that good quotes fall into two main categories: Powerful quote because of who uttered… -
PowerPoint 2010 Paste Options – Love at First Sight
20 Jun 2011 | 8:57 amPaste options . . . it was love at first sight. (c) Thinkstock Whether you’re building a PowerPoint presentation from a few other slide decks or creating charts in Excel to add into your slides, you’re constantly copying and pasting things into PowerPoint. One of the most frustrating things is when you copy something – a slide, chart, or table – and paste it into PowerPoint 2007, all of the formatting changes. Grrrrr. More work that you didn’t need. One of my more popular blog posts is actually how to retain the formatting of a slide when it is inserted into another presentation in… -
Localize Your Slides or Risk Losing Your Audience
25 May 2011 | 9:47 amLocalize (localise) your slides! (c) Thinkstock If you present in various locations around the world or even within your own country/province/state/county/city, you might want to consider localizing your slides for your various audiences. The path of least effort is to make one generic version of your slides and just present the same version to all audiences. With the generic slides, you pass up any advantage you would gain from making the slides more relevant and meaningful to a specific local audience. There are some real benefits to localization as local examples can really pique the…
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All About Presentations
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What questions do you have for my answers?
19 Feb 2012 | 2:34 amThis is a guest post by Leon Potgieter. He is an English Teacher, Christian Minister and Public Speaking Enthusiast who’s been living in the Republic of Korea since 2008. His website effective-public-speaking-tips.com is an ever growing online portal for public speaking tips, speechwriting help and presentation techniques. What questions do you have for my answers? The undisputable power of practice and rehearsal for public speaking. The first shot he saw me hit went in the hole. He said, “You got 50 bucks if you knock the next one in.” I holed the next one. Then he… -
David Ogilvy on Presentations
11 Feb 2012 | 4:27 amDavid Ogilvy is considered "The Father of Advertising". His writings on advertising are popular across the world. I came across his short note "10 Tips on Writing by David Ogilvy" today and could not resist sharing it here. His tips on writing can as well be applied to presentations. Just replace the word 'write' with 'present' and 'writing' with 'presenting'. "The better you write, the higher you go in Ogilvy & Mather. People who think well, write well. Woolly minded people write woolly memos, woolly letters and woolly speeches. Good writing is not a natural gift. You have to learn to… -
Back-to-Basics: 1 - What is a Presentation?
10 Feb 2012 | 11:09 amBack-to-Basics is a series of posts where I am going to revisit the basics of making a presentation. The outcome of this series is a step by step guide of making any presentation. What is a Presentation? At first I felt weird asking such a question. Then I realised it was not a bad place to start. When you talk of basics, this a great place to begin. So what is a presentation? Think for a while...A presentation is a person talking to a group of people? A presentation is a bunch of slides? In my view, "a presentation is a communication with an objective." Note the following in my… -
Back-to-Basics: A new series on Presentation Basics
8 Feb 2012 | 4:21 amBack-to-Basics is a series of posts where in I am going to revisit the very basics of what a presentation is, what are the stages of making a presentation and how to excel at making presentations. This post not only includes the lessons I shared in my presentation workshop last week but also takes it forward. It is the crux of my 3 years of blogging. 3 years in which I have written 342 posts. In this series I am going to cover the following: What is a presentation? What are the stages of making a presentation? What are the do's and don'ts at every stage of making a presentation? How to make a… -
Presentation Survey Findings
5 Feb 2012 | 3:17 amThe results of the Presentation Survey are out. 73 people responded to my survey and it is a healthy sample size. Out of 73, 41 were students and the balance were working professionals. Majority of the respondents were from India. Here are the findings: Question: How do you rate OTHERS on presentation skills? (Rate on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being poor) Rating of 5 or less: 40% Rating of 6 & 7: 36% Rating above 8: 24% Most people rate others as average presenters. The weighted average score comes to 6.2. This is pretty poor. Question: How do you rate YOURSELF on presentation…
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Speak & Deliver - A Public Speaking Blog For the Speaking Public
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14 Tips Before You Go (to China) - A Book Review, and More
22 Feb 2012 | 11:34 amLast week I received Mike Meier's book "A Focused Pursuit in China: 14 Business Tips to Know Before You Go", (non-affiliate link) which my fellow Toastmaster, Speaker & Author sent specifically for me to review. Frankly, I wasn't sure at the time, or even after reading it, that it was appropriate to do so - this is, after all, a speaking blog, not a travel guide. At the same time, two thoughts popped into my head. First, speakers travel all the time, and China is a ginormous emerging market. Second, here's a speaker who's written a short, niched book that can provide a great example of… -
Speaking of Distractions
20 Feb 2012 | 1:49 pm"Can I call you back Chief? I'm at a KAOS speaker's convention." Over the last 10 years, the possible distractions for speakers have increased in ways we never imagined. It's one thing to hear a cel phone ringing, it's another to hear Lady Gaga belting her latest rock ballad to alert an audience member they just got another comment on their Facebook account. Speaker distractions go beyond ringtones, of course. People walking in or out, dishes crashing in the background, sirens from passing fire engines - none of these are uncommon. I've also heard of fire drills or evacuations mid-speech,… -
Sometimes Persuasion Takes Awhile
14 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pmHappy Valentine's Day, folks. Today, I share a couple of clips from Notting Hill, starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. They have some great dialogue, with Julia trying to persuade him to love him, in the first clip. In the second, he deliberates, in the third, he takes action. This is a favorite movie for my wife and I to watch this time of year - though I admit tonight we're looking at seeing Mission Impossible IV instead... Below is the conversation he has with his friends, as her words begin to sink in.... Then, like many people will after you speak, though you may never know, he takes… -
Stillness: A Speaker's Place of Power
13 Feb 2012 | 11:32 amWho's Your Favorite Karate Kid? Last week I watched an excellent speech on the benefits of Karate. During the presentation, he gave a few demonstrations of martial arts movements, which added a wonderful physical element to the mostly historical and philosophical content of his speech. Where I saw some irony was in his movements on stage when he wasn't gesturing. He did the shuffle pace - staying forward to the audience, but still going from one side to the other. This isn't as distracting as an all out pace, where a speaker breaks eye contact and briskly moves from side to side while… -
Toastmasters Friday: To Click or Not To Click
10 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pmUm...Where was I? Click! Click! Click! It's a sound that makes the average Toastmaster cringe, and the newest members practically stop in their tracks. Clickers, bells, buzzers, even a triangle - I've seen the Ah Counter use all sorts of methods to let the speaker know they've just uttered an Ah or Um, or in a stricter club, And, So, But, Y'know and others. I would imagine they use hand signals, colored cards, or other visual cues for hearing impaired speakers, but I admit I haven't seen that in action. For those reading who have yet to go to a Toastmasters meeting, the Ah Counter (or Ah…
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Manner of Speaking
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Good Penmanship for Public Speakers
22 Feb 2012 | 3:24 pmThe pen is mightier than the sword; but when it comes to public speaking, an empty hand is mightier than the pen. Sometimes, a speaker will take the stage holding a pen and deliver the entire speech or presentation without ever writing a single word. Yet all the while, the pen is omnipresent, moving up and down and back and forth like a miniature conductor’s baton. And if the speaker begins to fiddle with the pen, things can go from bad to worse. Speaking while holding a pen is something to avoid for several reasons: 1. A pen adds no value. 2. A pen is distracting. 3. A pen limits… -
A Lesson from Lang Lang
20 Feb 2012 | 4:37 pmA couple of weeks ago, my daughter, Kristen and I had the good fortune to attend a concert by Lang Lang at Geneva’s Victoria Hall. His performance was terrific. From the light melodies of Bach, to Schubert’s sombre Piano Sonata No. 21, to the moving and energetic Etudes op. 25 by Chopin, he held the audience transfixed for two hours. There was one moment in particular that caught my attention, and it occurred before Lang Lang had played a single note. When he first came on stage, Lang Lang was greeted with a big round of applause. After acknowledging the audience, he sat down on… -
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 117)
15 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pmConor Neill - Irish Entrepreneur, Author and Teacher at IESE Business School “Start strong with a ‘grabber’. A personal story, a quote from an expert or a shocking statistic — something that takes a hold of your audience and gets them hooked and opens their mind to your message. Give the audience a chance to see your personal connection to the topic.” — Conor Neill Filed under: Quotes for Public Speakers -
Reading a Speech
13 Feb 2012 | 3:11 pmSeth Godin is the author of several books about “marketing, the spread of ideas and managing both customers and employees with respect”. They are bestsellers. His blog is one of my favourites and I highly recommend it. His Squidoo Lens is also worth a look. In the blog post below from 13 January 2012, Seth discusses why, in his opinion, reading a speech is not a good idea. In short, he believes that reading out loud is different from speaking without notes. We are more natural and show more of our humanity if we speak to the audience and not read to them. I agree. If you can… -
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 116)
10 Feb 2012 | 6:40 amWilliam Safire (1929 - 2009) American Author, Journalist and Presidential Speechwriter “Is sloppiness in speech caused by ignorance or apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care.” — William Safire Filed under: Quotes for Public Speakers
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Fast Track Tools by Ken Revenaugh
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Communicate to Win: 016 – 10 Email Tips
21 Feb 2012 | 10:18 amI obviously have a passion for improving all communication. I have worked with so many extremely talented and gifted individuals who made small mistakes in email and voice mail, and really hurt their credibility. You won’t be able to gain respect by creating and delivering amazing presentations if your daily communications don’t match your high-caliber special communications. I want you to be highly respected, so you can launch innovative ideas that create instant impact and immediate results. You earn that respect via all of your interactions. Here are my top 10 email tips for composing… -
Free PowerPoint-Tastic Templates – #093: Many Ideas
15 Feb 2012 | 6:30 amEach week, the Fast Track Tools training company and the Cubicle Ninjas design firm work together to publish a template that makes it easier for you to communicate your ideas. This week, we bring you a template to help present one person’s many ideas. This template provides a simple layout for presenting multiple activities, ideas or concepts attributable to one person or one role. As you can see in the free, down-loadable template below, you will be able to edit the text and re-size the image as needed. Don’t miss a single free template! Keep up-to-date with Fast Track Tools by… -
Communicate to Win: 015 –10 Voice Mail Tips
14 Feb 2012 | 11:26 amWe use many mediums to communicate: phone, email, fax, meetings, presentations, websites, etc. The list is endless. The three “Big Rules” can be used in just about any form of communication. If you read the previous post, you know a key to to being effective, the challenge is to practice using the principles in your day-to-day communications. I’m sure this has happened to you when you listened to a voice mail message… The message was long and you couldn’t follow the speaker’s train of thought. He or she spoke so quickly you couldn’t make out most of the details, much less a…
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Interruption Management
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Working with Interruption
15 Feb 2012 | 12:41 pmAccording to Techno Stress authors Larry Rosen, Ph.D and Michelle Weil, Ph.D. when working in a potentially interruption-laden environment, ask yourself three questions: 1. Do I really need to know now? 2. Do I really want to know now? 3. Do I really want the interruption that may occur once I know? Take a hard look at some of your feelings and fears surrounding technology. You can survive a hard drive crash, live without checking your email hourly, use a hand-held can opener instead of an electric one. -
Cultural Attention Deficit Disorder
13 Feb 2012 | 12:21 pmSadly, we've reached the point where a typical person in society today has some symptoms of attention deficit disorder, culturally induced. The rising decibel level in public spaces, as documented over the last 20 years, all but confirms that we have tolerated a perpetually higher level of noise. Added to that, there is no end to the messages that bombard us each day. From billboards, to bus panels, to ads over urinals, at all times, and in all places, someone is vying for our attention.E-mail, the Internet, and mobile devices have exacerbated the problem, but even people who are not online… -
Simpler Living: Amazon #1 best seller
7 Feb 2012 | 2:59 pmMy book, Simpler Living, is the Amazon #1 best seller in its category! -
Your Faulty Memory
3 Feb 2012 | 3:43 pmNearly 18 years ago Mens' Health reported on finding about trying to remember important events: "Memories aren't always carbon copies of events," said Elizabeth Loftus, Ph.D., author of The Myth of Repressed Memory. She has studied eyewitness accounts of everything from murder to revolution.Actually, your mind is in a constant editing mode, changing the original memory so that it reflects newly acquired facts. "This is why one person's view of a particular incident may be quite different from someone else's, even if it happened just seconds ago," said Loftus.To ensure you remember something… -
Too Much Information
3 Feb 2012 | 3:34 pmEach day the Library of Congress professional staff takes in more than 7,000 new items, organizes them, catalogs them and eventually shares them in various ways with people who want to know more about a given subject.The Library's holdings require more than 500 miles of shelf space. The 100+ million items include books in an astounding 450 languages; 5,600 volumes printed before the year 1500; 14+ million prints, posters and photographs; more than four million maps, old and new; nearly one million of film, including the earliest movies and television shows; nearly four million pieces of…
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Presentation Advisors
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Ditching PowerPoint for the iPad
16 Feb 2012 | 10:11 pmI’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: You don’t need PowerPoint to create an effective presentation. It’s what I use, but it’s not your only option. In this brief TED Audition talk, Joe Sabia discusses how the art of storytelling has remained unchanged, but the way we tell stories (and the way we present) continues to evolve. However, it’s his use of the iPad acting as his visual backdrop that grabs a hold of the audience like a vice. It’s presentation style is unique, fluid, and most importantly, memorable. All hail Lothar Meggendorfer!! (image) -
A PowerPoint Riddle
16 Feb 2012 | 4:32 pmI’ve got a riddle for you. Which is heavier: a 10-pound bag of rocks, or a 10-pound bag of feathers? The answer, of course, is neither. They weigh the same amount (I noticed this riddle works better when it’s said, not written, but oh well). This riddle came to mind when I was thinking about presentation lengths. Often I get a lot of pushback from clients when they hand over a 10-slide presentation and get back what’s now a 30-slide presentation. So I just ask them the same riddle. What takes longer: A 10-slide presentation when you remain on each slide for one minute, or a… -
10 Lessons Learned from “Every Presentation Ever”
25 Jan 2012 | 8:07 amI came across a fantastic video recently entitled, Every Presentation Ever. This parody, brought to you by Growing Leaders Inc. and Habitudes for Communicators, includes nearly every blunder and annoyance that creeps its way into 99% of presentations (just my educated guess). I posted it on the Presentation Advisors Facebook page a few days ago. Watching it made me cringe, knowing that these mistakes aren’t a product of PowerPoint or the content, but because the presenter doesn’t know the very basics of effective presentation design and delivery. However, I didn’t want… -
20 Best PowerPoint Presentation Design Posts for 2012
1 Jan 2012 | 7:31 pmIn order to create an amazing PowerPoint presentation, you have to learn the process of effective presentation design. After four years of blogging, I’ve written a number of posts designed to help you create better, visually engaging and effective PowerPoint presentations. As all blogs posts do, some resonated better than others and often provided great discussion in the comments. Instead of forcing you to sift through my site, page after page, or trying to search my site with keywords just to find the best posts, I have aggregated 20 of my best blog posts, including the 5 most viewed… -
Dance vs. PowerPoint as a Visual Aid
12 Dec 2011 | 8:50 amThanks to a tweet from fellow presentation designer and visual communicator Tony Ramos, I came across this impressive TEDx talk by John Bohannon, biologist and journalist, entitled, “Dance vs PowerPoint: A Modest Proposal.” Just hearing the title, I was intrigued. I’m no stranger to the numerous arguments against PowerPoint, but I’d never heard of dance as an alternative. Take 11 minutes out of your day to watch this video and I’ll give you my thoughts after the jump. I’m not sure how you saw it, but it seemed his presentation was divided into two distinct…
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Blogs
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Having a 'versation
22 Feb 2012 | 2:22 pm“I” versus “You” by Jerry Weissman There’s an old joke about the opera diva who receives an adoring fan in her dressing room after a performance. The diva goes on and on about how magnificently she sang every one of her arias, about her dramatic acting, her expressive gestures, and her fabulous costumes. After about half an hour, the diva says to the fan, “But enough about me, what did you think of my performance?” Joe Dator, a cartoonist for New Yorker magazine, did a variation on the diva joke. In his sketch, a man is speaking to a woman… -
Foreign Films
8 Feb 2012 | 10:42 amThe Pause that Refreshes by Jerry Weissman After several high school and college courses, a few classes at Berlitz, and numerous trips to France and Italy, I have developed enough facility in their languages to get by in their restaurants, hotels, and shops, but not nearly enough to have full conversations. However, I have also developed a taste for French and Italian cinema, and so my Netflix queue is populated primarily by such films. Of course, when I watch them, I have to rely on the subtitles for translation and drop my eyes to the bottom of the screen every time they change. As I… -
How Woody Allen Creates
24 Jan 2012 | 11:26 amFirst Things First, Last Things Last By Jerry Weissman In a prior post on the art of developing your story, you read that Federico Fellini, the legendary Italian cinema director noted for his imaginative stories, approached the creative process with an open mind; considering any and all ideas fair game for his films. The equivalent of Mr. Fellini’s method in presentations is brainstorming, a step most presenters skip in their rush to prepare their next pitch. Instead, they begin by shuffling existing slides, and often at the last minute. They do this because, as results-driven people,… -
Look Ma, No Hands!
18 Jan 2012 | 10:29 am"Doin' What Comes Natur'lly" Jerry Weissman The most frequently asked question of presentation coaches is “What do I do with my hands?” In a previous post, I cautioned against choreography; I’ve seen far too many presenters attempt to illustrate their narrative with specific gestures and wind up tying themselves into pretzel knots. Instead, use your hands and arms as you do naturally, to illustrate what you are saying. However, I do recommend one gesture: to extend your hand and arm periodically, bridging the gap between you and your audience (as AT&T… -
John Doerr's “Chalk” Talks
3 Jan 2012 | 6:02 pm3 Best Practicesfrom a Top Venture Capitalist by Jerry Weissman John Doerr, a partner at Silicon Valley venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), is in great demand as a speaker. His repute is attributed to his diverse and successful involvements in for-profit companies (Google, Groupon, Zynga, Amazon), not-for-profit organizations (NewSchools Venture Fund,), and public policy (The President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness). Mr. Doerr is often invited to share his experiences, insights, and best practices, and he does so in an unorthodox way: rather than…
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The Rhetorical Journey
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Resources for Wayra Week Barcelona 20 Feb 2012
20 Feb 2012 | 7:14 amThis is a resource page for the session at Wayra Week Barcelona on 20th February 2012. Event Hashtag: wwbcn Organiser: Wayra Wayra.org Follow Today's Speakers (Bios here) rfauria chemaalonso ferranadria rhuguet cuchullainn Preparing a Pitch The 7 elements of a Pitch to Investors How much should I practice? [video] Improve your Speaking email course: http://bit.ly/practicespeak Video Lessons: 4 Steps to Great speaking 5 Aspects of a Powerful Voice Posts on Entrepreneurship: Everything you need to know about Business The 6 Steps in a… -
Interview: Manel Baucells, Author of "Engineering Happiness"
12 Feb 2012 | 12:19 pmManel Baucells was the favourite Professor amongst students when I did my MBA at IESE Business School. He taught Decision Analysis. There are certain types of situation under which humans will take poor (rational) decisions. We study this subject so that we can reduce the likelihood that we will take similar poor decisions under similar situations. Examples of situations that cause poor decisions are sunk costs, loss aversion, prediction of low frequency events. Manel's new book "Engineering Happiness: A New Approach for Building a Joyful Life" has just arrived to my… -
Rhetorical Fallacies: Sliding down a Slippery Slope with Pigs
8 Feb 2012 | 11:59 am"I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it." George Bernard Shaw Beware of Pigs One tool of "pigs" in manipulative persuasion is the rhetorical fallacy. A fallacy is a deliberate mis-use of logical argument. You'll find them regularly in political, social and family "discussions". Don't get drawn in to a debate centered on a fallacy. Ignore the fallacy and re-connect with the argument. Here are eight common rhetorical fallacies: Slippery slope - "If we let Europe regulate our banks, next we will all be… -
"You are not doing that right!"
3 Feb 2012 | 3:25 amWhen someone tells me that I am wrong, what do I learn? "You are not doing that right!" "How did you let this happen?" Do I learn what is intended? I don't think so. I don't often know what is intended - that I should feel bad or guilty; or that I need to see the world in a different way, act in a different way? However, what I really learn; being honest is something quite different. What do I really learn when you tell me I am wrong? I do often learn one of three things: You are stupid You are blind It is no fun talking to you Jake Lacaze tells a simple story of a time his mother… -
The Same, but Different
1 Feb 2012 | 2:34 amMark Twain says that as a young man he did not often agree with his father, so he left home. Years later he returns and is amazed at how much smarter his father had become. What changed?
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Executive Speech Coach Presentations Training - NJ NY Manhattan
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What good is stage fright?
20 Feb 2012 | 10:32 amI have a theory that the first purpose of public speech is to warn a community of imminent danger. For instance, in the animal world, vervet monkeys have three distinct cries for eagle, snake and leopard. Beavers signal danger with a slap of the tail on the surface of the water. And there is a difference between a dog’s everyday bark and one that is laced with fear and aggression when something goes bump in the night. In our own human community, our leaders cry out against the dangers of a foreign foe, of economic inequality, government intrusion, or abortion—take your pick. And in… -
Why our leaders disappoint us
13 Feb 2012 | 2:25 pmLet’s begin with the bald truth: we draw our leaders from a pool of imperfect beings. Millions of years of evolution have yet to yield The Perfect Leader. We all come from imperfect families, have experiences that blind us or make us needy, and as a result we have cognitive biases that can lead to poor decisions. Quite honestly, many of us are drawn to leadership as much by our weaknesses as by our strengths. One common bias that many business leaders have is the belief that reason, logic, and expertise are the primary ingredients for successful leadership. They are important, but they are… -
Public Speaking: The Big Fat Issue
7 Feb 2012 | 7:09 am“Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people.” — Teddy Roosevelt Teddy Roosevelt was a Republican President who was committed to checking the power of elites. His remark that I quote above is apt for our time. I don’t know if it was true then, or if it’s true now, but the thought that it might be true gets my hackles up. If we looked at every government of every nation, tribe, or empire in the recorded history of homo sapiens, and we calculated what percentage of those governments… -
Stage Fright: Nervous about not being nervous
24 Jan 2012 | 6:59 amLast week I woke up in the middle of the night nervous that I was not nervous about a speech I had to make. The thought that I was giving a speech in a few hours floated between my ears and in an instant I fell into a hole of nervousness because I was not nervous. It was as if I had tried to step over a crack in the sidewalk, but as I stepped, the crack widened and became a hole. And in I went, heart pounding. I had to get out of bed and labor over the speech, beginning to end. My wife Sharon had the same experience teaching her first class of the semester at a college where she is a new… -
Adjust your level of detail
17 Jan 2012 | 8:30 amYou’re preparing a presentation and the question comes up, “How much detail should I include?” The answer is, “Just enough,” and that’s not a cop out, because there are so many different circumstances, audiences, and types of presentation. For instance, when trying to convince an FDA Advisory Board that your drug is not more likely to cause adverse events in a particular population (say, African-Americans, or Asian-Americans) because the data seem to be suggesting just such an effect, you better be prepared to drill down into outcomes in those groups. That’s a whole lot of…
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John Sadowsky - Leadership & Storytelling
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My New Book
20 Feb 2012 | 4:03 amThough there is certainly more to write about hero stories and their role in business, I am choosing to leave that topic for another occasion, and to instead give an update on my recent writing activity. In fact, during the past weeks, much of my attention has focused on completing my latest book, which is about “leading by autobiography”. The book describes my method of coaching a leader to become an inspirational communicator, a process of learning to express oneself through the telling of authentic personal stories of identity. Since audiences at my leadership seminars in 2011… -
The Hero’s Journey and popular culture
9 Feb 2012 | 2:26 pmSince the Hero’s Journey is so powerful, ubiquitous and influential, I will lay out its basic pattern this week, along with an example from popular culture. At some later date, depending on the evolution of my activities and thoughts for this blog, I will discuss the relevance of heroic tales for the world of business and marketing. As we noted last time, the Hero’s Journey follows a pattern that is elegant and simple, through four phases: separation, descent, initiation, and return. In the separation phase, the hero is pulled from his ordinary world by a call to adventure. Often,… -
Joseph Campbell and the Hero’s Journey
3 Feb 2012 | 3:05 amAs I wrote in last week’s post, a recent series of events caused me to consider again one of my favorite storytelling concepts, the Hero’s Journey. In fact, I have long been fascinated by classic story patterns, so I felt like writing something this week about the eminent mythologist Joseph Campbell and his theory of narrative. A diverse group of authors and scholars have written of the universal nature of human story patterns. For example, in O Pioneers! (1913), novelist Willa Cather wrote stated: “There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as… -
Leaders, brands, and heroic journeys
27 Jan 2012 | 2:57 amThis past week, I did a book signing in the town where I grew up—Worcester, Massachusetts. It was interesting, and great fun. Two old friends organized the event, and several people I had not seen in many years were in attendance. The crowd was an interesting mix of ages and origins, an engaged and lively group. After I spent a few minutes talking about how the best leaders and the best brands communicate by telling their personal stories of identity, a few members of the audience asked questions related to this concept. These queries got me thinking again about the mythical… -
Storytelling that can engage an employee community, align an organization, and lead to change
20 Jan 2012 | 2:14 amThe other day with a group of students, we launched into a discussion of the role storytelling in an organizational setting. One of my core beliefs is that it is story that defines the culture of any community. In fact, one might define a community as a collection of individuals who share the same stories and draw meaning from those stories. Preserving any culture—corporate or otherwise—is about preserving its stories. In a similar vein, changing any group’s culture must be about changing its stories. For any organizational change or turnaround to be successful, leaders must…
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Refuse to be Boring
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Can you give me one good reason?
19 Feb 2012 | 9:09 pmI was in Malaysia and Singapore this month to give some mini-workshops on sales presentations. During one of the sessions I asked my audience, who was very engaged, to “Give me one good reason” to buy their product. Most of the attendees struggled to come up with an answer. I thought it may be an ESL (English as a second language) issue since things get lost in translation, but even the English speaking members were not having an easy time. I used this “one good reason” exercise when I was discussing the need for a concise, clear message in sales presentations. I thought… -
Lighting strikes twice… is there a “Doctor in the House?”
11 Feb 2012 | 6:11 amSometimes when a large group of people gather to attend a concert, sporting event, or a corporate event (etc), you may hear the call “Is there a doctor in the house?” I was attending a large corporate event in Orlando when it happened during a presentation with an audience of 2,500 people. The presentation was about the military hospital in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The presentation had some graphic images of the horrendous injuries soldiers and civilians receive from landmines and IEDs (improvised explosive device). The presenter described the incredible skill and effort involved in… -
One Year with Refuse to be Boring - by Cindy Murphy
29 Jan 2012 | 4:30 pmOne year ago today Joe hit the “publish” button for his first Refuse to be Boring blog post. He did this with a bit of trepidation since his schedule was already demanding. He travels almost weekly to cover “Canada” as needed in his sales/marketing job (that is a BIG territory!!), his hours are long, he is heavily involved in volunteer work, he is learning French, he has family responsibilities, and he likes some leisure time with friends. Successful blogs require regular posting ... would he have the time needed to devote to this? Would people find his tips helpful? … -
Webinars: watering down the wine
13 Jan 2012 | 6:38 pmI wonder how much water you would add to a glass of wine before you couldn’t taste the wine anymore. I expect that if you have a big, bold red wine it would take more water than if you have a lighter white wine. This analogy can be applied to webinars and presentations. In my opinion, webinars are watered down versions of presentations. Many of the important nuances of human communication are missing in a webinar, like body language, facial expression, the interactions between audience members and even the discussions at the coffee break. The presenter cannot gauge the audience’s… -
Take Sir Richard’s Advice
3 Jan 2012 | 7:28 amI recently read Sir Richard Branson’s new book Screw Business as Usual. http://tinyurl.com/cpuwfjr The book is about a form of capitalism based on the (old) concept of corporate social responsibility. Sir Richard takes it to a new level and calls it Capitalism 24902 (the circumference of the earth is 24,902 miles). This new model for business focuses on putting people and the planet first, and that giving away expertise and opportunity (not just money) to people/groups in need is good for business. In the book he quotes Wafic Saïd (a benefactor of the Saïd Business School at…
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Think Inc - Motivational Tid-bits
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8 Ways To Get More Joy Out Of Reading
6 Feb 2012 | 4:46 amAs parents, we want our children to develop the ability to think. Thinking requires the mind to be constantly fuelled and re-fuelled by creative inputs. One of the best activities to revitalize the mind is by reading. But there are so many things children read, and also, so much that they have already read. It is a little challenge for them to remember everything they read. At the same time, we need to ensure comprehension and application of the learning gained through reading. Let us explore nine very interesting methods through which you can help your child get more out of reading as an… -
Ustad Bismillah Khan
6 Feb 2012 | 4:20 amIn continuation with our series on artists and their mastery, Think Link Multimedia brings you a short clip of India’s immortal gem – Ustaad Bismillah Khan and a little about his journey as an artist. The debate is endless whether talent makes the artist or is it by attaining technical perfection. In reality, it is the perseverance of uncountable hours over endless number of years and dedication to the art that makes an artist what he is. Their art is effortless as they have honed it through strict discipline and single-minded focus. Beginning as a boy when he was just six years old,… -
Simple And Direct Language
6 Feb 2012 | 4:07 amFurther to our much appreciated series of ‘Indianisms’ concluding in the December 2011 issue, Think Tip’s new series brings you suggestions with examples of how to simplify your language. We spend a great deal of time in written correspondence, whether through letters or emails. A good aid to write crisp and clear language is by eliminating unnecessary words and phrases which we have unconsciously been using. Our suggested substitution is not merely simple and plain. It is direct and powerful: more effective therefore. Try it! Simple substitutes for words and phrases which… -
5 Learnings From E. Sreedharan
6 Feb 2012 | 4:00 amA man who by the virtue of his hard work and dedication brought comfort to the lives of masses, E. Sreedharan is an icon of our times. His work and vision has redefined public transport, be it the Delhi Metro as well as several projects with Railways across India. He is known for his clear thinking and adherence to deadlines. At the age of 79, he handed over the reins as the Managing Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRC), a responsibility he shouldered for a decade and a half, on 31st December 2011 having magnanimously transformed the lives of millions of people. Here are five very… -
Perfection Is Paralysis
6 Feb 2012 | 3:58 amI learnt a lot from the following: “Statistics are often used as a drunkard uses a lamp post, not to light his way but to support his instability”! Whenever we collect business statistics, we must keep these words in mind. Collection of statistics costs a lot of money and time and if not done wisely can mean money down the drain. But when collecting statistics using a bit of commonsense and experience statistics can help in making a better and faster decisions. Learn to sharpen your skills, after you have collected the statistics, to use the concept of approximation. An educated guess…
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Presentation Dynamics
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The Only Result that Matters
21 Feb 2012 | 7:55 pmWhat makes a sales call on a potential customer a success? Is it the fact that you didn’t get lost on the way to their office, that you arrived on time or that you remembered to bring your briefcase with all of your sales materials with you? Was it a successful visit if you made it all the way through your sales pitch without forgetting any important points, that you left some brochures behind or that the client smiled at you? Is any of that going to impress your bosses, when you get back to the office? As a sales representative you are judged on one thing, and one thing only; results. If… -
Verbal White Space
15 Feb 2012 | 6:41 am“White space is the space on the page that is not occupied by any text or graphics. You might call it blank space. Beginners tend to be afraid of white space. Professional designers “use” lots of white space -Robin Williams (No, not that one), in the Non-Designer’s Design Book A good graphic designer knows that empty space is not something that needs to be filled. It’s an important part of the design, the part that allows the other elements to breathe. It’s what sets the important elements apart from the background so they stand out visually. It gives them room to move in… -
Perceptions
7 Feb 2012 | 10:35 pm“When we taste a wine, we aren’t simply tasting the wine. This is because what we experience is not what we sense. Rather, experience is what happens when our senses are interpreted by our subjective brain, which brings to the moment its entire library of personal memories and idiosyncratic desires.” -Jonah Lehrer , in The Frontal Cortex blog Many presenters, particularly those in the academic and technical fields, persist in the delusion that content is all that matters. They think they can continue to bumble, stumble and fumble their way through their presentations and have… -
I only do Business Presentations
1 Feb 2012 | 10:50 pmI was teaching a presentation skills class the other day, at a famous internet marketing company, when one of my students said something that I’ve heard dozens of variations on before. I had the students working on using their voices more expressively, by taking one simple sentence and seeing how many different inflections of meaning, emphasis, tone and rhythm that could put in it. One student was resisting the exercise, saying the sentence in the same flat, wooden monotone each time. I tried to cajole him into loosening up and having some fun with it, but he just shrugged his shoulders and… -
Tell them WHAT to think
29 Jan 2012 | 9:44 pmOne of the first things I do, when I take on a client that needs to develop a presentation, is to ask them what they are trying to accomplish. Why are they giving the presentation? Far too often, they tell me they are doing it because they were either asked, or told, to speak, as if speaking itself were the goal. When I press them to tell me what they want to happen as a result of their presentation, they often fall back on some variation of, “I want the audience to think about …..” It is certainly possible to use the time and attention your audience has granted you to induce them to…
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The Presentation Agency
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New Research: Presentation Slides Make More of an Impact Than Words
14 Feb 2012 | 8:32 amIt’s an age-old truth that slides jam-packed with information cast audiences off into their own daydreams, but new research from Christof Wecker reveals that slide design means more to presentation retention than anyone previously estimated. As it turns out, slides with too much text create a cognitive overload that destroys presentation recall. This effect is [...] -
Are Presentation Visuals the New Norm for the State of the Union Address?
27 Jan 2012 | 9:32 amThe State of the Union Address made waves in the industry again this year with President Obama’s second annual Enhanced presentation. The split-screen presentation above shows how the President used visuals to emphasize key points. We give him credit for refraining from putting every word of his presentation on the screen, and of course his [...] -
Science Explains Why We’re Hardwired for Stories
14 Jan 2012 | 9:32 amThe best presentations usually come in the form of stories in disguise, but what is it about narrative that attracts us? Cognitive Neuroscientist Michael Gazzaniga has been studying hemispheric function in the right and left brain since the sixties, and he believes a desire for narrative is hardwired in a left brain construct called The [...] -
Present Now Helps Presenters Generate Qualified Leads
10 Jan 2012 | 8:32 amA presentation startup built to help presenters make more connections with their audience hit the news feeds last week, catching my attention. Called Present Now, the company promises to reduce the cost of customer acquisition and increase the ROI of speaking events through a smartphone form process. As the site’s slogan goes: Your Presentation + [...] -
Most Popular Presentation Agency Blog Posts of 2011
3 Jan 2012 | 10:48 amAs New York City livens with people returning to work, we take a quick pause to review the most read Presentation Agency posts of 2011. The posts that gained the most readership are indicative of presentation trends at large, it’s safe to say that 2011 was the year when presenters adopted iPads. In 2012 we [...]
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Communication Studies
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Pass the Milk: Is That a Question or an Order?
22 Feb 2012 | 1:16 pmA new study from the University of Portsmouth in Great Britain provides insight into the differences between the ways in which native English speakers and native Polish speakers use language during day-to-day interactions with family. The researchers hope their findings will lead to a greater understanding between members of the two groups and reduce misunderstandings based on cultural differences. The researchers’ findings demonstrated how common exchanges between Polish family members lead to an enhanced sense of family and attachment within the Polish community, but sound offensive when… -
How to Tell If Someone Is Lying On Their Online Dating Profile
21 Feb 2012 | 11:02 amHow do you know they're being honest? People who seek mates online are notorious for blurring the lines between truth and fantasy. Stories about perfect online dates who bear no resemblance to their online profiles have become fodder for television sitcom plots, late-night punch lines and, unfortunately, crime headlines. Whether these examples reflect the reality of the online dating world or simply the public’s anxieties and fears regarding online matchmaking, the truth remains that online daters can easily get away with lying about themselves for at least as long as it takes to get a foot… -
Are You a Sensor or an Intuitive? How Does That Affect Your Communication?
17 Feb 2012 | 12:51 pmAt some point in your life, you may have found yourself unable to get a point across to another person. This frustrating experience may have been a result of basic differences in the way individual humans perceive and process information. Two Types of Perception Carl Jung, one of psychology’s most influential pioneers, was the first to write about the different ways humans assimilate information. He split people into two categories: sensors and intuitives. According to Jung, everyone uses both ways to process information but most people rely more heavily on one or the other. The basic… -
Confirmation Bias Is False, Says Study
10 Feb 2012 | 6:08 pmEver since cable news outlets that displayed a pronounced partisan slant became available, observers have voiced concerns that political partisans from both poles will immerse themselves in outlets that offer only reinforcement of their own beliefs, blocking themselves off from conflicting opinions (also known as “confirmation bias“). With the advent of online news sources with frankly partisan outlooks, that fear has only grown. A new study from researchers at Ohio State University suggests that such concerns are unfounded. They discovered that even the most partisan readers… -
The Art of Wearable Communication [Video]
9 Feb 2012 | 10:18 amIn this video, Kate Hartman talks about the wearable art that she has created. Hartman, who calls herself an artist, educator and technologist, in that order, is a physical computing instructor. She shares with her audience her observations and personal sense of wonder about the ways in which humans communicate with themselves, with others and with the world around them in the context of modern technological advances. Hartman begins her presentation by introducing herself and telling watchers about her credentials and her own work, then challenges her audience to think about why bodies…
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Janice Tomich | Presentation Collaboration and Coaching
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Backstage Pass ~ Learn How Presenters Prepare
19 Feb 2012 | 8:47 pmBehind the scenes at TED 2010 Behind the TEDTalk 2010 from m ss ng p eces on Vimeo. This clip shares a wonderful vantage point that we don’t often have the opportunity to see. You can feel the energy and excitement building pre-presentation. Watch how one sage and one new presenter prepares to take the stage. They also give you insight into their post-presentation debrief. Fun and exhilarating! Janice -
The Three Risks You Take By Giving A Boring Presentation
16 Feb 2012 | 9:12 pmWhile reading my mind Jeffrey Gittomer states, “If I had a dollar for every boring presentation I have been to I would be rich”. We both attend presentations more than most people. I agree with Jeffrey the bar is set too low. Why then is it that the most important platform for showcasing ourselves can be so pedestrian and boring? Because it’s human nature to follow in the footsteps of others thinking it is the “right” way. Status quo is boring and lazy. Have you noticed the number of people who are often plugged into their iPhone or Blackberry during a… -
Bubbling, Crazy, Exciting News
4 Feb 2012 | 4:51 pmNever in my wildest thoughts would I have a plane ticket loving stored on my hard drive for Doha, Qatar. Because of the graciousness of our beautiful team at TEDxKids@BC and the generous invitation of TEDxSummit I will be travelling for the first time to the Middle East for a leadership summit like no other. The Doha Film Institute is hosting us with action packed days of speakers, workshops, and the opportunity to build connections with other TEDxers. I hear there will be some wild jeep rides in the desert and some Arab style beach time fit into our days too. The exhilarating thing about… -
Q & A Highjackers ~ Fascilitator Headache Makers
29 Jan 2012 | 11:20 amHow To Stop Q & A Grandstanding A recent event I attended allowed for 15 minutes of questions following a panel discussion. The panelists are well respected and have accumulated a wealth of industry knowledge. I was anticipating a stream of brilliant questions from the attendees – what an opportunity to delve into the minds of talented people. Disappointingly, it wasn’t to be. Two high-jackings took over the Q & A period. You know the type – the people who broadcast their own agenda while brilliant questions from savvy people are left unasked. Out of misaligned… -
The Best Public Speakers Are Good Listeners
22 Jan 2012 | 5:47 pmDo you want to be an excellent public speaker? Then you must be a good listener as well as a powerful and articulate speaker. Not only before and after your presentation but during as well. You must be a human antenna attuned to your audience at every stage of your presentation from content development, while presenting, and post speaking. Julian explains the elements of a good listener: How can you put Julian’s insight into practice as a public speaker? During the content development stage you must know your audience or you will be a lecturer not a public speaker. Know your audience…
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Digital Coach
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The Price of an iPad Too High? Thoughts on Life & Legacy
10 Feb 2012 | 4:13 pmAs the months have unfolded since Steve Jobs death in October 2011, one thing we’ve all become painfully aware of is that our legacies are not really written the day we depart this world,... Podcasts from Distinction Communication -
Motivation for a Moment… Skills for a Lifetime
26 Jan 2012 | 2:04 pmIt was the opening 5-minutes of my third keynote… and I felt it was important to create a “moment”. Not because I understood the mechanics of doing that but because in a recent... Podcasts from Distinction Communication -
The Final Word on Storytelling and the Art of Presenting?
26 Aug 2011 | 10:52 amWedged in the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern half of Tennessee is the two-century-old town of Jonesborough. As small towns go, this one is relatively rich in history but its greatest claim to... Podcasts from Distinction Communication -
3 Special Olympians – Courage, Caring & Compassion
18 Jul 2011 | 6:39 pmMeet some friends of mine… I actually just met them last weekend but they have already become heroes of mine. They were Special Olympic athletes and their dads (and brother) who were... Podcasts from Distinction Communication -
Our 2010 Presentation Impact Survey at a Glance…
6 Apr 2011 | 12:10 pmAs we recapped in our an overview to our December 2010 survey this year (Insight from Distinction’s 2010 Presentation Impact Survey), there were some areas that hardly wavered from our 2009 results,... Podcasts from Distinction Communication
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American Speaker
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Master storytelling, even if it doesn’t come naturally
16 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amBy Kendall Martin The ability to influence, entertain and engage an audience is about telling a good story. But the story alone won’t keep the attention of your listeners. The way you tell the story dictates the affect you will have on them. Most people aren’t born storytellers. Learning how to present a story, build a timeline or choose the right hook and sinker are skills best practiced to perfection. Use these tactics to improve your next story: Focus on the beginning and the end. As with any presentation, it is in the opening and closing that you have the ability to capture an… -
Stop beating yourself up
9 Feb 2012 | 9:02 amBy Kendall Martin Do you spend too much time fixated on your mistakes or weaknesses as a speaker? Take a break from that negative thinking to reflect on what you do well. Focusing on your strengths isn’t just a way to boost your confidence; it will also help you plan and improve your speeches. Ask yourself these questions: What makes me feel energized? Ask people why their favorite speaker wowed them and one of the reasons you will hear is that the speaker focused on what they knew best. It makes sense. You want to believe the speaker. And in order for you to do that, the speaker has to… -
Can a speaker be too unflappable?
2 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amI recently attended an event to hear an author speak. He was an excellent presenter. He knew his subject backward and forward. His talk was well rehearsed. His passion was obvious. He projected and enunciated, and I had no problem following his fairly complex thesis. He was truly top-notch. There was one point, however, when I wondered if maybe he was too good. At about 20 minutes into his speech, a third of the lights in the conference room where we sat went out unexpectedly. I saw the speaker’s eyes flicker to the ceiling, but other than that, he didn’t acknowledge the sudden… -
Well ‘uhm …’ it looks like ‘ah …’
26 Jan 2012 | 8:30 amBy Kendall Martin As someone with a fear of public speaking, I can easily relate to speakers who slip up and use filler words such as “ah” or “uhm” when searching for their next sentence. And unless you are an experienced public speaker or a graduate of Toastmasters, you have likely encountered that very situation. Follow these tips to minimize your use of crutch words: Focus on your breath. When you reach a point in the presentation where you are unsure of your next sentence, take a deep breath. You will avoid using a crutch word and gain time to recall the next sentence. Use the… -
Revisions and rewrites are the secrets to a great speech
19 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amBy Betty Hintch Even a winning topic and a brilliant speaking style won’t overcome lackluster word choice and disorganized ideas. That’s why it’s critical to strive for a flawless script. Famous orators of the past offer some excellent examples of the critical eye needed to revise and rewrite. Abraham Lincoln created five drafts of the Gettysburg Address before he settled on his legendary speech. According to a New Yorker article, Dwight Eisenhower wrote 29 revisions of his Farewell Speech before he gave his groundbreaking talk that predicted the technology age and an emphasis on…
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Phil Presents
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Introduction To Selling (video)
15 Feb 2012 | 4:12 amSalespeople need to know how to present, although they also need to know when not to present. I once sold a $100M outsourcing contract over a 12-month sales cycle, and I had salespeople from all parts of the company asking me to share my slides, hoping to replicate this success. They were disappointed: I hadn’t used a single slide in all that time. Selling isn’t all about presenting: it’s about setting clear objectives, understanding your customer and their problems, choosing suitable messages, making a connection, gaining their respect, communicating your key messages… -
Why You Should Present Like Santa Claus
21 Dec 2011 | 11:58 amIn just a few days, an old bearded man wearing red will swoop down from the skies in his sleigh, land on the roof, slip down the chimney and leave Christmas gifts under the tree for my two amazing boys, before drinking a glass of milk and eating a couple of mince pies, and then climbing back up the chimney – without forgetting to take the carrot we’ll have left for his flying reindeer. Yes, Christmas is upon us, and perhaps we presenters could learn a thing or three from Santa Claus about the art of presenting. Santa brings gifts Firstly, Santa comes a very long way to deliver… -
Top 10 of 2011
20 Dec 2011 | 4:37 amAs 2012 approaches, and many of us wind down for a relaxing break for Christmas and New Year, it’s time to take a look back at 2011 and what marked it most. So just as I shared my Top 10 of 2010 last year, here is a rundown of the Top 10 Phil Presents posts of 2011. Whether you read them at the time or missed them, this is a chance to recap the most popular articles of the year (not including event reviews etc). And let me say a warm thankyou to you, because it is the growing popularity of this blog and the many fine comments you make that keep me writing, sharing, and doing my bit to… -
Beyond 10-20-30
9 Dec 2011 | 4:54 amI like the spirit of Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 rule. If you’re not familiar with it, take a look at this short entertaining video. He is basically saying: don’t overload your audience; keep it simple; and use text that’s big enough to be legible by the whole audience. Amen to all that. However, many people take Guy’s advice out of context and apply it to the letter. Yet Guy was giving advice to entrepreneurs pitching to venture capitalists – a very specific presentation context. He was saying that you should aim to pitch in 20 minutes, with ten slides… -
Garr Reynolds: Great keynote at the Ideas on Stage Conference 2011
8 Dec 2011 | 2:18 amWe were delighted to welcome so many amazing people – participants and speakers – to the Ideas on Stage Conference 2011 a few weeks ago in Paris. Our aim with this conference was to inspire people to transform their businesses with the power of innovation, communication and entrepreneurship. So it was partly about great presentations on those themes, but it was also about networking, bringing people together and inspiring people to have their own great ideas. Judging by the feedback, and by the many connections people made, it was a real success. We were particularly delighted to…
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VoiceGig.com Latest Speeches
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"Peace and Security in Africa" - Ron Prosor, Israsel Ambassador to the UN
22 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pmIsrael Amb.Prosor: The alarming rise in terrorism throughout West Africa is connected to a global trend. It is made possible by an increasingly linked network of smuggling rings, transnational criminals, and terrorists. Terrorists understand that if you can smuggle narcotics into a European capital, you can easily do the same with an anti-aircraft missile. They understand that lawless environments are fertile ground for radicalization. They also recognize that selling drugs can pay for bombs. -
EU and Cyprus - José Manuel Durão Barroso, President of the European Commission
22 Feb 2012 | 12:38 pmBarroso: The agreement yesterday on the second programme for Greece is an important signal with a direct implication for Cyprus in terms of banking sector exposure. The Cypriot authorities have taken important steps over the last year in terms of fiscal consolidation. The Commission believes that Cyprus is on target to reach a deficit of 2.7% by 2012, in line with our recommendations. -
Budget Speech. - Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Finance, South Africa.
22 Feb 2012 | 12:29 pmSA Budget Speech: This budget has been crafted at a challenging but hopeful time. We have to say to our people that economic uncertainty will be with us for some time, yet we have a programme of economic change that can steadily roll back unemployment, poverty and inequality. We have demonstrated excellent resilience during the post-2008 crisis. We now need to introduce a new dynamism among all South Africans. -
Resignation Speech as Foreign Affairs Minister - Kevin Rudd, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
22 Feb 2012 | 12:21 pmKevin Rudd: Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great sadness that I announce that I will resign as Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs. -
Truth at all costs: - Marie Colvin, Foreign Correspondent, Sunday Times
22 Feb 2012 | 11:38 amMarie Colvin: Covering a war means going to places torn by chaos, destruction, and death, and trying to bear witness. It means trying to find the truth in a sandstorm of propaganda when armies, tribes or terrorists clash. And yes, it means taking risks, not just for yourself but often for the people who work closely with you.
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m62
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Choosy About Choosing
22 Feb 2012 | 9:07 am“CEOs make many decisions every day, and 50% of them are made in less than 9 minutes”. This research is cited by Sheena Lyengar, a psycho-economist who gives a fascinating presentation on the ‘choice overload problem’ that we so often experience when making decisions. Not only a fascinating message, it is also a great example of practising what she is passionate about: “Less is more”. http://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_choosing_what_to_choose.html Sheena’s presentation is clear, concise and thought-provoking. She uses some of the techniques we do when creating… -
Junior Designer Vacancies
20 Feb 2012 | 10:00 amm62 is currently hiring multiple Junior Designers to assist one of the world’s leading presentation design teams. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to start or continue a career in design, working for a growing visual communications company with a prestigious international client base. The ideal candidate will have a design or multimedia education background and will be a self-motivated, reliable, hardworking and a confident team player who works well within a small creative team. In addition, the candidate must have creative vision and be a competent, efficient… -
Europe Map PowerPoint Slides
30 Jan 2012 | 9:22 amThese PowerPoint slides feature an editable map of Europe, complete with selectable countries and pre-designed pushpins that you can use to pinpoint exact locations. With these fully editable slides you can change the colour of individual countries, and even animate different areas. Use these slides to indicate location of offices, distribution areas, countries your organisation conducts business in… or anything else you can think of! Download Europe Map PowerPoint Slides Not Europe you’re after? Check out our UK Map, US Map, or World Map slides. All our PowerPoint slides are… -
Presentation Language
26 Jan 2012 | 10:05 amMany presenters spend a lot of energy (and money!) focusing on body language in a presentation, but a far more important area to focus on is actually your spoken language. The words you use can have a big impact on your audiences – far more than the way you hold your hands. These tips follow areas presenters should make sure to address in a sales presentation, as they can have a big impact on the way you get across your message and whether or not your audience buys from you. Consider these aspects when presenting, and you are more likely to close the sale. Avoid Jargon Language is the… -
Improve Your Presentation in Thirty Minutes
26 Jan 2012 | 8:16 amYou’ve got a presentation tomorrow, and you’ve just looked at your slides and realised they look terrible. You really want to look credible and create a great impression, but you really don’t have time to start over, or engage with a presentation designer. So what methods can you use to improve your slide deck when you only have a very limited amount of time? In any presentation, the rationale for using PowerPoint is to display information, and to help convey information in a simplified way. Too often our PowerPoint presentations appear too complicated and end up giving the audience…
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Tudor Girba's blog
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Moose 4.6
12 Feb 2012 | 1:57 pmThe Moose Suite version 4.6 is out: http://moosetechnology.org/downloadWhat is new: New editors for scripting browsers and visualizations New parser for SQLite New Glamorous Inspector for working with Smalltalk objects Improved Glamour browser building engine Improved EyeSee charting engine Improved FAMIX API Improved FAMIX to support Java and C++ Improved external importers to support Java and C++A 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=4.6 -
Remote Moose demo at the Club Agile Rhones Alps
21 Sep 2011 | 6:49 amYesterday I had the pleasure of providing a 1h remote demo of Moose to the members of the Club Agile Rhones Alps. You can watch the recording on the cara74 page.The audio and the picture was done through Skype, while the screen sharing was achieved through TeamViewer. It was fun to do it remotely. From and experience point of view, there were at least two things that made for a interesting experience: I did not see the audience. This was tough. During face-to-face demos, I spend most of my time looking at the audience as I try to understand what works, what does not, what needs repetition, or… -
Peanuts and coke
20 Sep 2011 | 8:19 amLong time ago, almost in another century, while still a young student, I got hired as a software engineer at a software company. I was a junior working with seasoned engineers.The company was located in a large house with a nice garden. When I joined, I was given two options for where to have the office. One was in a quite corner of a small room. The second one was in the lobby which was rather windy due to the several windows and doors, and rather noisy given that this was the place everyone was traversing through. I chose the second one.After poking around a little while, I decided that I… -
Daily assessment at Scrum Breakfast in Bern
15 Sep 2011 | 3:44 pmOn September 28, I will have the pleasure of giving a talk at Scrum Breakfast Bern about daily assessment, the humane assessment process that empowers engineers to control their system’s architecture.You can find more information and a registration form on the SwissICT website. The attendance is free. -
Assessment blogging moved to humane-assessment.com
13 Sep 2011 | 3:34 pmMany things have happened around humane assessment in the last couple of months. Among them, I decided to host my blog posts related to assessment on the humane-assessment.com/blog. Even if this blog remained rather quiet, the was anything but: over the last three months there were some 30 blog posts with novel content.You can keep up to date by following @humaneA on Twitter, or by registering to the humane assessment RSS feed.In the future, my assessment related posts will be featured mostly on that site, and not on this blog anymore. This blog will remain about presentation, representation…
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Jim Harvey on Presenting
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The holy trinity of PowerPoint use – some facts
20 Feb 2012 | 5:16 amBetter to let them read if you have terrible visual aids Some research done in Germany suggests a new holy trinity for users of PowerPoint. Here it is- That a presentation with poor visuals -whatever the ‘religion’ (Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, Prezi)- is better read by the audience, than talked over by the presenter. Yup. Audiences retain more in a bad show with silence from the person at the front of the room, than being interrupted in their reading by the guy or girl in the suit. But if you think that removing the visuals is a good idea, then wait a while. Because that may be… -
How to use PowerPoint brilliantly in one simple image
19 Feb 2012 | 4:48 amHere it is. In all of the detail about slide design, visual and verbal channels, psychology, and blah, blah, blah; I’ve finally found the image that cuts through all the crap. This is how every one of us should use PowerPoint- You’ve got an audience who are interested. You’ve got some complex terrain to get over to get to the destination, and they need to see the journey. They don’t need lots of words. Just a simple image, the chance to ask questions and the point to be shown to them. No need to overcomplicate it is there? For more on using visual aids to… -
Think Visually. Make people remember your presentation.
19 Feb 2012 | 3:32 amIn developing our skills as presenters, it’s important to understand that we are using 2 ‘channels’ of information in our attempts to make the points we want to make- The visual elements of our presentation- which tend to dominate our audience’s perception of the moment, and The verbal elements to support to the visual impressions we make. Strong presenters understand the the subtle relationship between these sources of information for our audience, less experienced speakers often don’t and the power of the message is lost. Here’s a short post to fill in… -
Why not go naked? Drop your PowerPoint pants? Are you mad?
12 Feb 2012 | 5:18 amI get a bit frustrated with the ‘PowerPoint is evil’ brigade. They’re out in force on the internet, and they have their right to a point of view. But I just think they’re wrong. PowerPoint, Prezi, Articulate or whatever, are evil or good in precise proportion to the person using them. The ‘go naked’ idea seems to be gaining popularity though, and if you want to go naked, go ahead. Just remember that you’d better be very impressive ‘sans pants’ in every way, because 10,000 years of storytelling suggests that the audience prefers pictures,… -
Simplify your Data – which type of presentation chart to use and when
11 Feb 2012 | 2:15 pmIn an earlier post, here, I talked about the importance of visual and verbals ‘channels’ for speakers, and suggested that the visual leads our audiences’ response to us, and the verbal only really confirms or denies the impression that we and our images make. Data slides are important because they are most often used as evidence to support our thesis aren’t they? They’re the proof of the pudding. Last year’s sales, next year’s forecast, market testing and the like; so it’s really important that we use them well and that the visual…
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Communication Skills Tips
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What can Steve Jobs teach You about Public Speaking?
21 Feb 2012 | 7:11 pmSteve Jobs was a masterful communicator who inspired and motivated millions of people with his presentations. His 2005 Commencement Address at Stanford University has been watched more than 2 million times and has been called “the greatest commencement speech ever given”. So let us see what Jobs can teach us about effective speaking: Public Speaking Tip 1: Keep it Conversational If you’ve watched any of Steve Jobs’ presentations, you know that he speaks in a very conversational manner. For example, consider the following portion of Steve Jobs’ 2005 Commencement Address at… -
Best Public Speakers, Great Speeches: Craig Valentine, World Champion of Public Speaking
19 Feb 2012 | 12:36 amA series of posts bringing you the best public speakers and the best speeches. Learn from the best! (Click here to see the video if you’re viewing this an email update) Today’s great public speaker is: Craig Valentine. Check out this great speech by Craig Valentine, the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking. E-BOOK: LEARN FROM THE BEST SPEAKERS IN THE WORLD If you want to be the best, you’ve got to learn from the best. COMING SOON: A powerful little e-book which contains over 30 winning speeches from the World Championships of Public Speaking (including a speech by Craig… -
It’s my Birthday. Your FREE E-Book Gift (10 Steps to Powerful Presentations)
16 Feb 2012 | 9:21 pmIf you’re reading this post via email, then click here to view it in your browser It’s my birthday today! Click here to download your FREE copy of “10 Steps to Powerful Presentations“ <Right Click, Save As> Happy Birthday to me! Since I wanted to a little good for the world, I went ahead and created this short e-book…and you’re getting it for FREE! In this short e-book, you will discover a step-by-step proven plan which teaches you how to create powerful presentations and speeches – even when you’re running out of time! When you follow this… -
Use Stories to Help them See what You’re Saying (Video)
14 Feb 2012 | 12:27 amPublic Speaking Tip from the great Charlie “Tremendous” Jones (click here to view the video if you’re reading this as an email update) Get Email Updates (it’s FREE) Enter Your Email Address Below -
Creativity Comes in Short, Sudden Bursts
12 Feb 2012 | 12:02 amCreativity comes in short, sudden bursts. Today, I was struggling with writing my speech. I’d written the first draft of my speech, but something seemed to be missing. I spent the entire morning trying to re-structure and edit the speech to give it a powerful, WOW-moment. No luck Then, my girlfriend suggested I take a break for lunch (Thank you Chloe!). I did…and CLICK! A lightbulb switched on in my head and I had a flood of new ideas. If you’re struggling with a speech, sometimes the best thing to do may be to take a break. Go away from your speech. Do something else. Read…
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Jazz Presentation
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30 Free and Low Cost Valentines Day Templates for Powerpoint
7 Feb 2012 | 2:39 pmValentine’s Day is celebrated across the world on 14th of February each year. Its history dates back to the middle ages, when the tradition of Courtly Love flourished. Valentines Day is not complete without huge bouquet of flowers, greeting cards, balloons and most important of all the little cupid. For this Valentines day we at [ Read More ] -
9 Free Cancer Awareness Powerpoint Templates and Backgrounds
30 Jan 2012 | 2:49 pmWorld Cancer Day is marked on February 4 to raise awareness of cancer and to encourage its prevention, detection, and treatment. It is led by the Union for International Cancer Control, a global consortium of more than 470 cancer-fighting organizations in over 120 countries. World Cancer Day targets the public through global communications, and encourages [ Read More ] -
8 Amazing Free and Premium Birthday Templates for your Presentation
11 Jan 2012 | 11:54 amPowerPoint presentations are a common thing nowadays at birthday parties, whether it is for your kids, parents or company Anniversaries. Birthdays are a time of celebration and fun but sadly most of us still use some very plain and boring PowerPoint templates. We at JazzPresentation know it’s a very special day for your loved ones. [ Read More ] -
Teach Spelling of words to Kids using Microsoft PowerPoint 2007
8 Jan 2012 | 10:59 amLearning spelling by proper methods is very important in elementary school education. In this tutorial we will be using an innovative method of teaching the spelling of fruits using Microsoft PowerPoint as teaching aid. The challenge that most kids face while learning spelling of English words is that most of these words contradicts with local [ Read More ] -
File Name Extension in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007
31 Dec 2011 | 4:25 amIn this article we will take a look at the different File name extension with which PowerPoint documents can be created. There are 26 different formats in which the Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 files can be saved and created. The Microsoft Office 2007 system introduced a new file format based on XML called Open XML Formats [ Read More ]
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Communication Skills Power Blog
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How to Overcome Shyness at Work – Funny Video
22 Feb 2012 | 12:45 pmThis How To Overcome Shyness At Work video is an entertaining way of making a point about why its so important to overcome shyness at work. Its a very short under two minute video so take a look. http://www.amazon.com/How-Overcome-Shyness-Work-ebook/dp/B006ZMCGYK/ -
How to Overcome Shyness at Work
31 Jan 2012 | 9:00 amThis post is an extract from my new book about how to overcome shyness at work which is available at Amazon.com – How To Overcome Shyness At Work book Getting Ahead in a Corporate Environment Shyness in the corporate world can be a major disability. Because the business world is so competitive, you have to be able not only to make connections with co-workers and people in other companies, but you also have to be assertive enough to step up and say what you want. Dealing with office politics, superiors, competitors, suppliers and even customers require us to break out of our shell and… -
Always Know What To Say – Free Book
16 Nov 2011 | 11:31 amI have just released a new book which you can get free at: Always Know What To Say – Free Book Its a short, straight to the point, read that shows you how to easily approach and talk to anyone by using some proven conversation skills techniques. Use the practical tips in this book and you`ll be more relaxed, more talkative and have much more fun meeting new people. -
How To Control Any Conversation Book
26 Mar 2011 | 7:37 pmI often get asked for step by step blueprints to use for different types of conversation. You would then simply look at the relevant blueprint to prepare for an anticipated interaction. This is a great way to take the guess work out of it and a simple way to take control in a wide range of situations. With the right instructions you`d know how to take charge and lead the conversation. You`d stop worrying about what to say, people would enjoy meeting you and you`d be much more relaxed taking to strangers. You`d become one of those people others admire for your confidence and ability to make… -
New For Kindle: Conversation Skills Book
16 Mar 2011 | 12:46 pmIf you have a Kindle you`ll find this post of interest. This week I added a new book to Amazon.com in the Kindle conversation skills category. Its a great read all about Conversation Lubricants. In this new book I share 25 great ways to develop great conversation skills fast by focusing on starting and developing small talk, cultivating conversation confidence and dropping shyness. You can see the kindle listing here: Kindle Conversation Skills book The book is titled 25 Conversation Lubricants. Check out Amazon to find out why.
