Presentations are complex, with countless subtle nuances. Speaking is an elastic balance of many things, including: informing, persuading, selling, and performing. It’s not limited to great gestures. Great presentations transcend great gestures. You have to dig deep down into yourself – to be yourself – to be a great speaker. If you are committed to […]
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Tips for Adding Humor to Your Speeches
Adding humor to your speeches allows you to interact and engage your audiences, and it puts your audience at ease, allowing them to connect with you on another level. Who wouldn’t want that? It’s easier than you think too. Highlight of the tips from this video: Get Involved with your audience; Relax, get comfortable; […]
Just move!
Moving Around in Laguna from Victor B on Vimeo. Here in California we’re lucky. Year around nice weather, and exercise by the beach. You can’t beat it! We have NO reason not to get out and exercise because the options are limitless. And well, let’s face it, it’s so doggone nice! Wherever you are – […]
Learn From Every Presentation
A while back, a National Management Association asked if my friend and I could present at a breakout session. The correct answer was, of course, “Yes.” We’d worry about the details later. We asked our initial contact person, “How many people in the audience?” The answer, “I don’t know.” “Oh … how long do we […]
15 Reasons to Arrive Early
You’ve given your presentation a number of times. You’ve got it down pat. You can show up and be ready to fly in 15 minutes. So what’s all this stuff about arriving an hour early? Oh yeah, that’s right—to allow time for unexpected traffic and for finding the restroom once you arrive. In the world […]
Reality Show Lessons (?)
Reality shows. Reality shows with a lesson. I inadvertently found one. Just one show. There are public speaking lessons if you look. No, I’m not a Donald Trump fan, but I do watch The Apprentice. Trump creates a business situation with a goal in mind. Two teams create a product then sell it – all […]
Cheap Research Trick
You get a request for a presentation on a topic similar to yours. You figure that with your background, education and a little research, you could put together a great talk. So you say, “Yes.” You start by going online to research the topic. To find out what others have written about your new topic, […]
THE PAUSE
I believe the pause is the MOST underused tool in the speaker’s tool box. Speakers seem to think they have such great information and SO much of it, that they don’t have time to pause. Heck, they think, they’re wasting valuable data-dump time! Or, like most people, they are uncomfortable with the silence. The opposite […]
Drive Your Audience to a Better Takeaway
Do you know where your audience is throughout your speech? I know, they are out in front of you – at least they’re supposed to be. (few speakers actually have to bar the exits.) No, I mean where are they on the journey through your presentation or your story? Where are they emotionally? At what […]
Somebody did it to me first. Darn it! ...
I was in line at the grocery store, having just gotten back from a trip to New Orleans. I ate well there but not necessarily healthy. So I was replenishing my fruits and vegetables. And low fat milk and non-fat yogurt. I even had a package from the meat department. I heard a louder than […]