Storytelling: The Basics of Why, What, & How
Why Tell Stories The answer lies in the inherent memorability of stories. Cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner suggests we are 22 times more likely to remember a fact when it has been wrapped in a story. Stories transcend the abstract, connecting directly with our emotions, making them not just memorable but also impactful. In the realm of […]
Write a Business Story to Get Your Message Remembered (video podcast)
Check out the video podcast below, in which Dan Janal, of Write Your Book in a Flash gets my thoughts on:
Mini-Workshop: Make a Great First Impression Online
Make a great 1st impression online! Learn how in this Mini-Workshop (29 minutes). -Look Professional Online -Wield Tools of Engagement (online or in-person) -Tame the Technology Monster This presentation was in front of a live, virtual audience for PowerTalk Power Club (some of the audience interaction was edited out). RESOURCE PAGE MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO […]
How to Create a Memorable Story in Your Presentation
Stories will engage your audience, connecting with their emotions and memory. The video below, recorded as part of a live online workshop, demonstrates the power of story to connect with memory, and then gives you a structure to follow to create your own stories, especially business stories. Some helpful visuals from the presentation: Create a […]
Instant Design: Slide Templates
Do you want attractive PowerPoint slides, but you aren’t a designer? Would you like to create infographics, but you don’t want to start from scratch? Consider using a slide template resource, such as Simple Slides, where all the hard work has been done for you. For example, Instead of just having a quote with a […]
Will You Stand Up?
Grandparents Day is this Sunday, 9/13, and that made me think about my grandmother, my Italian Nana, and a leadership lesson she taught me about standing up for those with less privilege, standing up for those with less power. The video below is a narrated PowerPoint that I originally gave as a speech a couple […]
NEW! Group Program: Virtual Presentation Success
“Thank you for the outstanding job on facilitating the Virtual Speech training. I learned multiple things, some of them I had an idea, others were new. It provided great value for our time”–training participant Live, online group training + individual coaching Download the complete program description Build fundamental skills essential to presenting in a virtual […]
100 Tips & Tricks to Appear Confident in Presentations: Video Summary
Public Speaking Book only $0.99 for 100 Tips!
The 100 Tips and Tricks in this book are techniques and strategies I learned through my years of presenting and coaching speakers, and now through May 8, 2020, you can get the ebook for only $0.99. Here’s a sample tip (screen shot):
Book Launch Special $0.99 thru May 8, 2020
Get your confidence on!Get my latest book, 100 Tips & Tricks to Appear Confident in Presentations: Public Speaking Success in 5 Minutes or Less! for only $0.99 for the ebook on Amazon. The paperback is $9.99. Practical, Illustrated tips, one to a page, will boost your skills and confidence! Editorial Review: An easy to read, […]
The Secret to Engaging Stories
You know you need to have conflict to make a story interesting. You know you need the basics of setting, characters, and action. But, there is one element that can make your stories incredibly engaging, an element that many speakers don’t use very much: dialogue. Almost every speaker that I have coached starts out with […]
Top-Rated Kindle Book on Public Speaking FREE until 7/11/19
For just a few days, I’m offering the Kindle version of my top-rated book on public speaking FREE–yours for the taking, but you have to nab it by 7/11/19!
Speak with Confidence and Credibility Webinar (practice session)
In this 51-minute webinar practice video (I’m giving a webinar for the TCSHRM–Twin Cities Society for Human Resource Management in a couple of weeks), you will learn 6 Power Tips to Speaking with Confidence and Credibility (it’s not perfect, but I am modeling my belief in practice & dress rehearsal!): Structure with PREP Create Catchy […]
FREE Public Speaking Class Jan 11 (Twin Cities)
Date: Monday, January 11, 2016 Time: 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM Location: Ridgedale Library (Minnetonka, MN) Link to reserve your seat (free event presented on behalf of District 6 Toastmasters) Speak with conviction and confidence! No matter the subject, you can capture your audience’s attention and keep them engaged. In this FREE, interactive class, you […]
Not Just the Facts, Ma’am
“I just want to get the facts, ma’am,” Joe Friday (actor Jack Webb) famously implored when questioning women in the old TV police show, Dragnet. Joe Friday might have just wanted the facts, but your audience wants more. Sure, they want to know your material, but they also want to know you. They want to connect […]
Release Your Story with Right-Placed Details
How many triangles are there in the illustration below? Don’t read further until you answer that question. Two? Eight? More? Note that I didn’t ask, “How many triangles do you see in the illustration?” How many are there actually? The correct answer is “zero.” There are only V shapes and 3 Pac-Men type figures. At […]
How to Make a Boring Topic More Interesting
“You can talk about ‘Succession Planning’” said the person in charge of the conference. My first thought was Ugh! That sounds boring! Fortunately, the allotted time for the topic was only 5-7 minutes early in the morning and the audience was a couple hundred positive Toastmaster club officers. I challenged myself to deliver useful content, […]
Gift Books for Presenters
With the holidays fast approaching, you may want to gift yourself a book on public speaking skills. I’ve read many books on public speaking, but only a few more than once. Consider adding to your library (physical or ebook) one of the 5 books on public speaking that I own and have read more than […]
Golden Opportunities for Speech Material
I was minding my own business, reviewing my speech notes at a high top table on the ground floor of the RiverCentre Convention Center last week. In a few minutes, I would be heading upstairs to the ballroom to deliver the closing keynote for an association conference. A scruffy-looking man reeking of alcohol approached me. […]
Free ebook for Summer Reading: 12 Ways to Be a Confident Speaker
Learn some public speaking skills this summer! This week your free ebook is 12 Ways to Be a Confident Speaker. Get your free Kindle version (US link, Canadian link, UK link) It’s free on Kindle through Saturday, June 21, 2014. You will learn how to: –Speak with Passion –Focus on the Audience –Know Your Material –Use Notes Sparingly –Speak Conversationally […]
Authentic vs. “Politically Correct”
Have you ever wondered whether to tell a story because you were concerned that the language or subject matter might be offensive or “politically incorrect”? Ironically, as I was considering that very issue as I am preparing a presentation for an Iranian audience, I happened to check the reviews for the very first book I […]
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 […]
How to Write an Inspiring Speech
When I was 17, at the start of my senior year of high school, my parents got a divorce. Not only did their marriage crumble, but so did my hopes of college. How would I ever pay for it? I descended to the valley of despair. And then one day, waiting at the dentist, I […]
Post-It Note Speech Planning
Use the lowly sticky note to bring your presentations to new heights! The little squares of paper can help you design a presentation for maximum effectiveness, while allowing the flexibility of changing your mind and trying out new approaches. 1. Brainstorm with sticky notes. This can be done alone or in a group. You can […]
Digging Up Stories: Ask Questions
A great way to dig up stories that could be used as speech material is to ask yourself some questions. You can also ask other people these questions (great for interviewing older family members or retiring employees). Here are a few to get you started: What did you want to be when you were a […]
Digging Up Stories: Highs and Lows Graph
Another way to recall stories, is to draw a “Highs and Lows” graph, or as David Sibbet discusses in his book, Visual Meetings, Peak and Valley Experiences. Decide on a time period (your whole life, a year) and draw a horizontal time line across the middle of a blank sheet of paper. Then mark off time segments […]
Digging Up Stories: Memories from Floor Plans
You can mentally dig for stories in your own back yard! Or, at least a drawing of your backyard. One exercise that can help with your recall of stories is to draw the floor plan of one of your childhood homes (or even a “map” of the back yard). For example, when I drew the […]
Digging Up Stories: Every Face Tells a Story!
Almost any presentation, even business presentations, can be enhanced by using personal stories to anchor your points. But, how do you recall and apply those personal stories? One technique is to look at photos, specifically photos of yourself and try to recall where you were at in life and/or the story behind the photo. Often […]
Why Do Some Speakers OWN the Stage? Tips from a Champ!
In August 2001, out of 25,000 contestants from 14 countries, Darren LaCroix (above in blue shirt) was crowned the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking. Last Thursday, Darren came to Minnesota and presented “Own the Stage Coaching” and I furiously took brief notes to share them with you (OK, I really took them for myself). Let’s […]
Stories: Opening and Closing Your Speech with a Story
Stories are my personal favorite way to open a speech. Stories touch our emotions and linger in our mind. Stories are a powerful way to captivate and connect. Stories captivate us because we think in stories. We can’t help it! “Stories fill our lives in the way that water fills the lives of fish.”~Steve Denning […]
Instant Teleseminar on Business Storytelling
“Get Naked” Business Storytelling for Leaders: For Stronger, Memorable Communication and Presentations On Demand Learning–Learn at your convenience! Download the presentation and materials to learn on your own schedule! (if you want to “attend” at noon on a Wednesday, you can, but you don’t have to!) Would you like your message to be remembered and repeated? […]
Business Storytelling: Dress Up the Naked Truth
When I was a little girl, I had a very active imagination and would often tell “stories.” OK, that’s just a nice way of saying I would lie. I would lie to get out of trouble. I would lie to get reactions. I would lie just to make things interesting. It infuriated my mother. When […]