When COVID shut us all down three years ago, the first online courses we were asked to teach focused on communication for leaders.  Whether the programs were touted as leadership or not, the idea was to create skills for people leading teams and the need to bridge the...

It fell on a weekend, so you may have missed it.  April Fools’ Day was my kids’ favorite day of the year.  They could tell me wild things – some call that lying – and not get punished for it by simply yelling “April Fools!” when I caught them in the untruth.  It was...

Instead of our usual format of tips to make you a better communicator, we took a break this month to collect some of the more noteworthy developments and products in the speaking world.  Here’s what we found…     Online Heavyweight Partnership   In a...

Most presentation remotes made in the modern era come with a laser pointer built in (even mine, put as the center button!). My guess is that the engineers who design such things think anything with a laser is cool. Plus, they don’t take much power (battery), and are...

Over the last month, I’ve taken in an unusual amount of “culture”.  The Night before Christmas as a live play.  The Nutcracker with full symphony accompaniment.  An Irish Christmas concert, with one of the most talented bands I’ve ever seen live.  A Christmas...

Last month, at two different events, I met folks who would be in my audience who responded, “Oh, you’re our motivational speaker!”  I’m frequently not included in the internal PR for the events I’m speaking at, so I don’t know how I was advertised.  But it’s a term I...

As a kid, I never got that excited about Halloween.  I probably went Trick-or-Treating a few times, and probably attended a community event or two.  I loved the candy, to be sure, but dressing up to fool people into giving me stuff never felt… genuine.    ...

I was recently an invited breakout speaker to an organizational learning event.  They had devoted a full day for their 1500+ people to attend dozens of breakouts across a full day and most of a college campus.  I was given two slots for the same speaking topic.  Since...

I recently had one of those once-in-a-lifetime, pinch-me moments as a speaker.  I was able to give two toasts/speeches in the context of my son’s rehearsal dinner and wedding reception.  As my oldest child and only son, the event was a wonderful mix of happiness,...

Pre-COVID, I was given the opportunity to travel to three continents in the span of a year.  Those experiences had a profound impact on my view of the world and the people in it.  One of the most amazing aspects was my awareness of CULTURE.     One of the...

Those who wish to become great at any craft are wise to study those who are already great. Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 for his speeches.  He makes almost every list Google produces searching for “great orators”. (Interestingly,...