Speaking tips blog
Communication matters. What are you saying?
You WILL play with it
Students in my class will quote by heart (because I've said it a gazillion times), when you hold something in your hand... you WILL play with it. It's not a matter of if; it's a matter of when. It doesn't matter if it's the presentation remote, a pen, a...
Two are better than one?
I've watched a couple of presenters in recent weeks speaking in large classrooms/auditoriums that had two screens/displays showing their PowerPoint. there is nothing inherently wrong with that, especially if the rooms are overly wide or curved such that certain...
The extra mile
It's not hard to go the extra mile. It's just we often don't think that it really matters or don't wish to expend the time and energy. But it matters.I've been traveling this week. That usually means I'm either the recipient of kindness or overlooked...
People in the background
Frequently, there are non-presenters who are part of the "presentation". Perhaps it's someone from the sales team who isn't speaking at that particular moment. Or maybe it's the wait staff at a conference that has catering. Or perhaps it's the sound...
Everyone can get better
Went to a seminar the other day on web marketing (Side note: look for BIG changes and announcements soon to this blog and web site!) The speaker gave everyone a chance to announce what they do, and he made a joke about me being a "speech coach" (not how I...
After the sale
I recently made an order for custom marketing materials, including some ink pens. I made my vendor selection from the web based primarily on the visibility and their web presence. They are a commodity to me -- I was unable to (quickly) make a local...
Just a few OK?
My good buddy Jeff blogged about and I commented on Um and Uhs the other day. Low and behold, the question comes up in class today:"Alan, I see the value in eliminating non-words, and I see how to do it. But if I let one or a few slip, wouldn't that be OK. I...
Lead with something good
Watched a presenter last week open (first slide and everything) with "Well, let's tell you what this seminar is NOT about" and proceeded to go through a pretty comprehensive list of what he would NOT cover. We all have things we don't intend to cover, would...
#38
Presenter with PowerPoint (common). Presenter wants to move around a bit (!) and wants to have a visual to support his/her point (!) and doesn't want to be blinded (!). So far so good. Only now we have an issue with how to transition through The Beam Of...
Take time to make the changes
I've seen a rash of presentations in recent days that have recycled PowerPoint slides. The mere fact that I know this is a problem. But it usually manifests itself in words as well as the faulty visual. Some examples:Presentation date...
How not to win a customer
A girl was flirting with a boy. This went on for several weeks. The girl found out the boy was seeing someone else. She got red-hot mad and told her friend about it. "But I thought you told me he wasn't your type and you wouldn't go out with...
The problem with goals
In two words: They ChangeWe tend to be myopic in our views of our future. We often cannot imagine the opportunities before us. Therefore we aim for our best guess at the future, and it is almost never right. Just ask a 4-year-old, or an 8-year-old,...
