Tailoring a Keynote: Making the Material Connect
People in your audiences want to feel special, to feel that you understand them and their needs. You can create a presentation that connects with a particular audience by tailoring your existing content to connect with them. Would you like to “look behind the curtain” and see my process? It may give you some ideas […]
6 Ways to Use a Flip Chart in Training
Flip charts are a fun, engaging way to provide participant involvement that leads to understanding and retention. Last week I attended a two-day Bob Pike Group “Train-the-Trainer” Boot Camp seminar and learned several easy ways to incorporate the use of a flip chart in training. Six of my favorites were: Ground Rules Road Map Agenda […]
The Secret Memory Booster in Public Speaking
Would you like to know one technique that can help you better: learn your presentation? remember your presentation? facilitate your audience’s learning and recall of your material? Yes? The powerful technique is to use body movement and gestures. Perhaps you may recall learning gestures to a song as a child, or helping children learn something […]
A Winning Speech Structure: 1-3-1
“Life’s . . . a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” These are the despairing words uttered by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, after hearing of Lady Macbeth’s death. I’ve often thought they could apply to some speeches I’ve heard. Sitting in the audience, I’ve despaired over the loss of my time, […]
7 Tips on Using Speech Notes Effectively
One of the biggest fears that people have about public speaking is the fear of forgetting what they are going to say. Using notes can reduce that fear greatly, but at the same time create a barrier to audience engagement. Here are 7 tips on using speech notes more effectively so that you can engage and […]
What Do Your Shoes Say?
Maybe I have a shoe fetish. No. I only own about 15 or so pairs of shoes. But, am I the only one who notices a presenter’s shoes? I don’t just notice them; I am distracted by them. Lately, I’ve been distracted by some poor shoe choices on the platform–mostly by aspiring professional speakers. Why? […]
Back to “School” for Speakers!
It’s back to school time for kids, but what about you? Are you taking intentional steps to improve your speaking skills, to start a speaking business or to grow your speaking business? While there are excellent books on speaking skills and on building a speaking business (one of my favorite is World Class Speaking by […]
Tailoring Your Presentation to the Audience
Even if you have a “canned” presentation, you will want to tailor it for each audience, to better connect and engage the participants, and to specifically address topics related to your presentation that the meeting planner deems important. Through a discovery process of asking questions of the meeting planner and of conducting short, informational interviews […]
Working with the Meeting Planner: The Pre-Program Questionnaire
If you want to hit a “home run” at a speaking event– to engage your audience and to please the meeting planner–start your preparation with a pre-program questionnaire. Elements should include: Contact person information, including a cell phone number Meeting details: date, time, place, length of program, what’s before and after Audience demographics (number in […]
Get More Testimonials with LinkedIn (Ask for Recommendations!)
If you want to increase the likelihood of getting hired as a speaker, testimonials can make a difference! Whether you are speaking for free or for fee, you can ask people to give you testimonials. Video testimonials are great, when you can get them, but you can also use written testimonials. I’ve found it highly […]