How to Communicate Complex Ideas with Clarity
In my latest book, The Clarity Code, I help you enhance your communication efforts with practical tips on how to convey a clearer message. Listen to this podcast interview to discover some valuable clarifying tips and learn more about the book. Get the The Clarity Code on Amazon!
How to Create a Killer Keynote
If you’ve ever wanted to captivate a room with your words, impel your audience to action, and maybe even get paid to speak, you need a speech that engages. You need to create a Killer Keynote. In the video below, excerpted from a longer workshop, you will learn the steps to create YOUR Killer Keynote. […]
Top 7 Most-Desired Public Speaking Skills
Do you relate to these public speaking concerns? In the video below, I address the top 7 responses to my recent survey question, What do you most want to improve in public speaking skills?
How to Guide Your Audience’s Attention in PowerPoint
Don’t be THAT presenter. You know, the one who does a data dump on their audience by using slides full of text or complex diagrams. Your audience may get confused or frustrated, and not focus on what you want them to. They may not listen to what you are saying as they try to take […]
Getting Real. Getting Helpful. Getting Clients to Improve Presentations.
I believe that the fastest way to improve your presentations is to get feedback on areas to improve and specific ideas to try, including watching video of yourself. And then, change! Try out the ideas and get more feedback so that you are continually improving. While I strive to be encouraging in my coaching, I […]
5 Tips for Better PowerPoint (2 are about sharing slides on Zoom)
Don’t bore your audience with your presentation slides or fumble presenting them on Zoom. Power up your PowerPoint with just a few key techniques. In this video (7:17):• Discover the top 2 problems with PowerPoint• Learn 3 ways to easily improve your slides• Bonus! 2 pro-tips for sharing slides on Zoom Link to pdf of […]
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 […]
Public Speaking Workshop 1/09/21
Learn and apply a repeatable process for creating a virtual or in-person presentation (keynote, TEDTalk, conference seminar, etc.). Master Your Message in a Morning!Saturday morning, January 9, 20218:30 AM – 11:30 AM Central TimeVia Zoom This workshop is ideal for you if you have some public speaking experience (Toastmasters, presentations at work, prior public speaking […]
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 […]
8 Lessons on Public Speaking from Judging a Speech Competition
What can you learn about public speaking skills from high school students? A lot, if you pay attention! Today, I had to pay attention as 7 high school students each stood before me and spoke for 5-7 minutes in the Prepared Speech category in a regional competition of the Business Professionals of America. I was […]
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 Kindle Book (until 8/16/2018): Speech Zero to Hero
Free Kindle Book Until August 16! Get your free Kindle Version of my Speech Zero to Hero Workbook by August 16. In about an hour from the time you open this book, you can be ready to give a presentation that will wow your audience. In this short workbook, you will learn a 7-step process […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 7: Focused Practice
Time limit: 5 minutes Ideally, you would have time to practice your presentation both in parts and as a whole a few times, but if you are truly in a hurry, you will need to focus your practice on the 2 parts that will make a first impression and leave a lasting impact: your opening and […]
Speech Zero to Hero: Speech Delivery Tips
1. Don’t read. Don’t read your notes. Don’t read your slides. Follow the rule “Talk to People Not to Paper.” If you speak from an outline or brief keyword notes (in a large font), pause, stop speaking, mentally grab the next point, look up at the audience and then speak. When you read, you lose […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 6: Speech Notes
Time limit: 5 minutes If you are running out of time, you can simply take your notes from steps 4 and 5 and use them as your speech notes. However, I suggest that you condense your notes onto one page Make sure to write or type your notes so that you can easily read them at […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 5: Open, Close
Time limit: 10 minutes The opening and closing of your presentation are critical components, and the only parts I suggest memorizing. Your opening is the first impression and your closing is the final impact. By memorizing them, you will sound and feel more confident. You want to open in a way that gets the audience’s attention, […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 4: Support Points
Time limit: 15 minutes Now we have come to the meat of your presentation, supporting your points. A few common ways to support your points include: Anecdotal evidence: essentially telling a story or offering a case study—make sure they are relevant! Empirical evidence: research and statistics Logical: reasoning based on facts Demonstration: show how something works […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 3: Main Points
Time limit: 5 minutes If you are preparing to give a speech in an hour, you don’t have time to figure out a lot of main points, so keep it to 2 or 3. By limiting the number of main points to 2 or 3, not only will they be easier for the audience to […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 2: Big Picture
Time limit: 5 minutes The big picture is knowing your purpose for the presentation and your overall approach to presenting it. #1 Select ONE Specific Purpose (keeping in mind your audience) Decision 1: What is the main general purpose of your presentation? Pick one (you may include all three, but pick a MAIN one): To […]
Speech Zero to Hero–Step 1: The 2 “Knows”
Time limit: 5 minutes Before you plunge into creating your speech there are a couple of critical things you should know to save time and frustration later: #1 Know: The requirements These may be obvious, but these are things you don’t want to overlook! Date: Time: Location: Length of presentation: Topic: What you are expected […]
Speech Zero to Hero: Create a Presentation in an Hour that Will Wow Your Audience
Do you need to create a presentation in a hurry, but you are feeling a little overwhelmed? Do you want to “wow” your audience with your confidence and clarity? Do you just want to get your presentation done? You can get your presentation done in an hour if: You are knowledgeable about your content You […]
10 Ways to Make a “Boring” Workshop Topic Exciting
Have you ever wondered how to create engagement for a “dry” or “boring” topic? Recently, at the end of a 90-minute workshop I conducted on “Email Etiquette,” for a staff development day for an online public school (on-site meeting), the principal walked up to me with a big smile on his face, “I wondered how you could make […]
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 […]
Content vs. Delivery: Which is More Important?
Some people say, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” regarding the relative importance of content vs. delivery in a presentation. Is delivery more important than content? My most recent experience as a presenter at a conference at the University of Copenhagen on Virtual Communication (the conference title was “You Lost Me […]
7 Days, 42+ Speeches: Differentiate or Die
Differentiate or Die. With all the speakers out there, you need to be different to stand out and be remembered. Ideally, you would have a unique presentation on a unique topic. That’s the number one thing I learned last week when I listened to 42+ speeches in 7 days. Live. And, I analyzed and wrote […]
How to Write a Speech in 5 Minutes
You show up at an event and the organizer asks you to “say a few words” later in the program. That happened to me last month–in front of a few hundred people. You arrive at your Toastmaster meeting and a speaker didn’t show up, so the Toastmaster asks if you would like to take the […]
Never Forget Another Speech: Speech Memorization Techniques
I think the biggest reason that people fear public speaking is that they are afraid of opening their mouths and “blanking out” or sounding stupid. Some people even try to memorize their speeches. Right off, you should know that I’m not a big fan of speeches that are memorized word-for-word. I’ve tried it and found […]
The Eyes Have It: How to Improve Eye Contact When Giving a Speech
Eye contact is the number one way to increase your engagement with an audience. A few additional benefits include: Increased credibility (people who don’t make eye contact seem nervous and possibly dishonest) Reduction in crutch words (um, uh, er). I’ve noticed that people are more likely to use crutch words when they look up or […]
4 Easy Ways to Power Up Your Power Point
I have to admit it–I’m not a big fan of PowerPoint presentations. Not as they are usually done, anyway! A bunch of text or data thrown on a screen isn’t very engaging. Worse yet is when people read their slides. However, there are a few things you can do for your very next presentation that […]