Does Your Presentation Pass the Hallway Test?
Imagine for a moment that you and I work in the same office building. One day, as I am passing you in the hallway, I look at you and say, “How many of you have ever eaten at Arby’s?” How would you react? Would you, confused, turn around to see if I was talking to […]
Easy PowerPoint Principles for Leaders Webinar
Don’t let your PowerPoint presentations be the cure for insomnia! In this one-hour webinar on PowerPoint (originally presented on 4/9/2013 for Executive Women International), you will: Learn how to plan your presentation Discover 4 easy design principles Learn a few tips and tricks Learn how to deliver with confidence Webinar (one-hour) slides only Click on […]
11 Tips for Your Graduation Speech
“Don’t be boring,” I said to the two young women who, as valedictorian and salutatorian, would be speaking at their high school graduation in early June. Their school had hired me to help them craft and deliver speeches on one of the most memorable of days in a young person’s life. Unfortunately, hardly anyone remembers […]
How to Be an Authentic Speaker: Keep It Real
At a recent Toastmaster contest, a young man told a story from his childhood, one in which he was left home alone one day while his mother, a single parent, went to work. My heart went out to him. When the winners of the contest were announced, he didn’t win, but several supporters congratulated him […]
Post-It Notes to PowerPoint: Planning Powerful Presentations
The lowly Post-It note can help you plan a more powerful presentation, especially if you are presenting with PowerPoint. Even if you aren’t using PowerPoint, the little sticky notes can help you brainstorm and organize the flow of your presentation (Post-It Note Speech Planning). The photo above is a picture of my Post-It note planning […]
Speaker Introductions: Get Your Audience Leaning Forward Before You Speak
“H-e-r-e-‘s Johnny!” Ed McMahon’s introduction of Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show was probably the shortest but one of the most famous introductions in entertainment. Usually, introductions need to be a little longer. Introductions fuse 3 elements: the subject, the audience and the speaker. The introduction brings together those elements and serves as a bridge, a […]
Create Winning Speech Habits: Don’t “Tell on Yourself”
After finishing his speech, the young man, a high school senior in his school’s senior speech contest, rolled his eyes, shook his head and pursed his lips in that self-loathing attitude that communicates to others “I’m a little disgusted with how my speech went.” He clearly knew that he hadn’t given his best performance. And, […]
Take Your Speaking from FREE to FEE: How to Speak at Rotary Clubs
One organization that needs speakers almost every week, for 20-30 minute presentations, is Rotary International. Rotary is a service organization with more than 1.2 members world wide. You won’t get paid to speak, but you will get great experience and you may make contacts that result in paid engagements. When I was just starting out, I […]
Speak Up, But Don’t Upspeak!
Recently I attended a dinner event and asked a lovely young woman, a 22 year-old associate director for a local non-profit, “What does your organization do?” She replied, “We promote ethical fashion?” I was momentarily confused. And not by her words, but by the way she said them, with an upward inflection, making what should […]
The #1 Rule for Speakers and Meeting Planners
I’ll be brief. Don’t go over time. Or, as Winston Churchill might have put it: Never speak too long. Never speak too long. Never speak too long. But, it’s not always about ending your speech within the allotted time, sometimes it’s about ending on time. One of the questions I ask in my pre-program questionnaire […]