Speaking tips blog
Communication matters. What are you saying?
We’re out of time, and it’s your fault
I watched a colleague give a (useful) seminar at a lunch-n-learn. She's an experienced practitioner from an academic setting who is absolutely an expert in the field. Most of the audience were solo-preneurs who were spending their own time (and a little bit of...
Posted: Need strong communication skills
I am helping a former student/client with a job interview. The company is a well-known, high-profile consulting firm (whose name is an anagram for toileted?!) This is a creme-de-la-creme position and why I've been called to help hone her interview...
How to easily improve an IgniteRaleigh talk
I spent a few hours last night in a most peculiar haunt (for me) -- downtown Raleigh at a jam-packed nightclub. The event was IgniteRaleigh. 19 speakers -- 15 of them elected by Internet vote -- had (exactly) five minutes and 20 PowerPoint slides (automatically...
How not to do sales
I've run into a couple of situations with sales folks recently that remind me that common sense does not reign supreme in the sales world.First, someone I barely know called and acted interested in the products I provide. He had read enough about me (web site,...
Charlotte’s curse
I watched the very cute movie "Charlotte's Web" last night with the family. I was awed by the technical aspects of the film combining live animals, puppets (there's probably a better term), and virtually generated animals. But two lines of the film jumped...
Simpler messaging
While I was planning for a keynote I gave this past week, I made a quiz about product brands and catchy phrases. Here are some of them -- see if you can name who they stand for:Snap! Crackle! Pop!We do chicken rightQuality is Job OneDon't leave home without...
PowerPoint: What not to do
***updated February 2020*** I overheard a presenter using PowerPoint recently say: "On this next slide, there's a lot of information and it's sort of complicated, so I'm not going to spend a lot of time on it." He was in complete command and knowledge of the content,...
Scott Brown’s moment in the sun
Even if you are politically opposed to Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, you cannot deny that he has burst on the national political scene. It is rare that we get an audience as focused as he enjoyed last night -- 'normal' Senators share the election spotlight across...
The gift of public speaking to those who fear it
In a conversation with someone who believes in what I do, they told me, "You are giving people a gift. You convince them the pain of public speaking is survivable." As someone who long ago overcame a fear of presenting in public (now I LIKE it!), it's hard to...
The speed of trust
I listened to an audio summary of Stephen R. Covey's "The Speed of Trust" today. There's some good stuff in there.This blurb drew my attention: "We (the speakers) judge by intent; they (the audience) judge by observable behavior. You need to declare your...
What’s your elevator pitch?
I've run into a lot of people networking lately, and the icebreaker and #1 question on everybody's mind is "What do you do?". How I answer that question usually determines where the conversation will go.I have lots of proven ideas and techniques for HOW to...
Who will you change?
I love the hope a New Year brings. I hate the realization that it seldom comes to pass. I've spent the better part of the last quarter thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2010. In a discussion the other day, I asked bluntly, "What is a...
