On the Toastmasters Podcast: Using AI as a Thinking Partner
[33:33] What if AI could help you think more clearly, simplify complex ideas, and sharpen your message—without replacing your voice or creativity? In this episode of the Toastmasters Podcast, Greg Gazin welcomes back Diane Windingland, DTM, for a practical conversation on using AI as a thinking partner to improve clarity, strengthen messages, and communicate with greater impact. […]
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!
New! Free Public Speaking Toolkit for Teens
If you teach public speaking to teens—whether in a classroom, homeschool setting, or youth leadership club—you know that helping students find their voice is one of the most valuable skills you can teach. But getting started can sometimes feel overwhelming.What activities work best? How do you make public speaking approachable and even fun? That’s why […]
Help! I Have to Write a Speech FAST!
Maybe you’ve been asked to speak at an event tomorrow or to present a speech at work, school, or Toastmasters. Maybe you are filling in, or maybe you procrastinated. No fear! You can write a speech quickly! Below is a 2-minute video and a PDF for you to use to create magic in 5 minutes! […]
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. […]
Unmasking Confidence: Lessons from Halloween for Public Speaking
Can you feel it? The crisp air, the leaves crunching underfoot, and the unmistakable sense of mischief and magic that comes with the Halloween season (well, not so much now that I live in Texas, but I was back in Minnesota recently). It’s that time of year when we dig deep into our closets and […]
Breaking the Stage Fright Barrier: 10 Techniques
Have you ever experienced stage fright? You know, the butterflies in the stomach, the shaky hands, sweaty palms, and maybe rapid breathing? It’s not fun. This performance anxiety is common in public speaking and other performance-related activities. Many years ago, when my children were teenagers, I experienced performance anxiety when I wanted to encourage them […]
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?
Impromptu Speaking Book only $0.99 through 2/21/23
“Not only will this book help people improve their public speaking, readers will also improve their personal communications. I particularly liked the chapters on handling difficult situations. Diane offers terrific tips to deal with real-world examples. This book is a must-read for anyone who talks to people — which is everyone!”–Dan Janal “This book provides […]
How a World Champion of Public Speaking Uses Humor
Do you want to incorporate humor in your presentations? The recent Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking, Cyril Dim Junior, from Zimbabwe cleverly incorporated humor in his speech. You can see a short clip of his speech, and my analysis of his humor in the video below, which is part of a longer workshop I […]
Speak with Confidence Today!
Do you have a presentation coming up, maybe in the next day, maybe in a couple of hours? Then, the video below is for you. I’m not going to talk about strategies for building content or creating awesome slides. I’m going to focus solely on what you can do to build confidence on the day […]
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 […]
Delay Tactics When Asked an Unexpected Question
[Book excerpt from my book on impromptu speaking] There are many impromptu situations and questions that you can anticipate, but often it seems that they come out of left field, surprising you when you least expect them . . . . . . Sometimes, you need to buy just a little more time; time to […]
The Link Between Performance Anxiety and Stuttering
Performance anxiety (or stage fright) is a subset of glossophobia — the fear of public speaking. It’s estimated that 77% of the population suffers from some level of anxiety regarding public speaking. Some physical symptoms of this are sweating, increased heart rate, and muscle tension. This can also manifest behaviorally through stuttering. How performance anxiety […]
Speaker Introductions: Engage & Connect BEFORE You Speak!
You’ve worked hard on your speech, but have you thought about how you will be introduced? A good speaker introduction can get your audience leaning forward with anticipation. A bad introduction can put people to sleep! Below is a how-to video on creating a speaker introduction. The template steps in the video are:1. Audience-Focused opening2. […]
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 […]
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!
5 Reasons Why Technical Professionals Should Speak at Conferences
You’ve sat in the audience at conferences, but have you thought about speaking at one? You may be thinking, “Why, on earth, would I want to do that?!?” Below are 5 reasons to consider: 1. PR & Increased Revenue for You or Your Employer Through Expertise-Based Referrals The most common source of expertise-based referrals is speaking […]
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 […]
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 […]
Engage with Eye Contact (practice with a “fake” audience)
Video from my online course, No Fear Public Speaking PDF of 3 Faces for your “fake” audience (or just draw your own–you only really need eyes to look at). Learn to be a Confident Speaker! Take Diane’s Online Course, No Fear Public Speaking: Look, Sound and Feel Confident!
Smile to Engage Your Audience!
Video from my online course No Fear Public Speaking
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
The Cure for Stage Fright
Perhaps you know the feeling. The tightness that grips your stomach. The racing heart. The sweaty palms. The shaking hands or legs. All physical symptoms of the fear of public speaking. The intuitive approach is to try to calm yourself. While some deep breaths are a good idea (you do need oxygen to your brain!), […]
Speaking Tips from TEDTalk #7: Your Body Language Shapes Who You Are (Amy Cuddy)
Video and transcript here The Big Idea: Amy Cuddy shares how “power posing,” standing or sitting in a posture of confidence, even when you don’t feel confident, can affect testosterone (dominance hormone) and cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the body, causing you to feel and be perceived as more confident. It’s not “fake it till […]
YOLO Speaking
YOLO, an acronym that’s been popular among mostly younger people for the past year or so, stands for “You Only Live Once.” It seems to be an excuse for risky behavior. Have they forgotten you actually get to live every day, but you only die once? The sentiment is a recent version of “Carpe Diem.” […]
The Goldmine in Your Backyard: Turn Your Speeches into Blogs, Books and More!
Don’t let your speech be a “one and done” event. Multiply your efforts with multiple channels of distribution by re-purposing your speeches into blog posts, articles, books and more. By re-purposing your speech content, you can establish yourself as a subject matter expert, and earn additional income from speeches you’ve already written, or will write. […]
How to Adjust Your Speech When Your Allotted Time Changes
As the time for his speech to end came and went, the well-known, retired news anchor showed no signs of closing. My speaking slot was after his, and it was apparent I wasn’t going to get the full 60 minutes I had been asked to prepare for. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Finally, at 15 minutes […]
How to Deliver a TEDTalk: The Catchphrase
Would you like to know the secrets of the world’s most inspiring presentations? In his book, How to Deliver a TEDTalk, Jeremey Donovan shares nuggets of wisdom mined from studying the most popular TED Talks. Just in case you are somehow unaware of TED Talks, TED is a nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading worthy ideas […]
Transitions in Your Speech Bridge the Gap
Transitions help your speech flow smoothly as one unified, coherent presentation. They link from one part of your speech to the next. A transition can be as simple as an extended pause. That’s right. Silence. Just be silent for a couple of beats and then go to your next point. You can accompany “movement” to […]
The SHARP Method of Structuring a Speech
A speech is written for the ear and not the eye. Unlike reading an essay, a person cannot go back to review what you just said. Your audience is forced to go at your pace. Therefore, a speech must be clearly and simply organized to help your audience follow your line of thought. This post […]
Public Speaking: How to Manage the Fear, Part 2
The most important action you can take to manage the fear of public speaking is the unseen mental preparation, the inner game. The Inner Game 1. Know Your Audience If you are not familiar with your audience, you will need to do a little research. For my professional speaking presentations, I will conduct 3-10 informational […]
Public Speaking: How to Manage the Fear, Part 1
I am not going to tell you how to overcome the fear of public speaking. Instead, I am going to offer suggestions on how to manage the fear so that it is not debilitating. If you try too hard to suppress the symptoms of speaking anxiety—the shaky hands, the red face, the stiff or jerky […]
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 […]
Polished Presenters Use Awesome Alliteration
Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Fred Flintstone, SpongeBob Squarepants. All cartoon characters. All examples of alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the same sound at the beginning of nearby words. It is the fifth rhetorical device in the acronym SCREAM (Simile, Contrast, Rhyme, Echo, Alliteration, and Metaphor). Use the techniques of SCREAM to capture […]
The Echo Technique in Presentations
You may have heard people say that giving a speech is simple: Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them. That’s one basic, boring use of repetition. A more exciting use of repetition is the echo technique. Echo is the repetition of a word or […]
Using Contrast in Presentations
What if in Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet had said, “I wonder if I should kill myself?” Nobody would have remembered it. Instead, Hamlet says, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” Shakespeare knew the secret power of contrast. Contrast is the second rhetorical device in the acronym SCREAM (Simile, Contrast, Rhyme, Echo, Alliteration, […]
Never Speak Too Long Again!
A speech is like a woman’s skirt: it needs to be long enough to cover the subject matter but short enough to hold the audience’s attention. ~Author Unknown I’m not sure which is worse, a speaker who is oblivious to the fact that he or she has gone overtime or one who realizes it and […]
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 […]
Speaking from Notes: The Keyword Method
Which category do you fall under, when it comes to using notes for a speech: 1. The Forgetter. You are afraid you are going to forget what you want to say, so you use notes. 2. The Writer. You worked hard to get your wording just so and want to say it just like you […]
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 […]