by Alan | Dec 26, 2006 | Efficiency, Leadership
I shared my Christmas dinner and most of the day with a fascinating person. Demographics and logic would say our paths would never cross.She is a 94-year-old black woman, widowed for the last few years, now recovering from a broken hip. While her body is weakening,...
by Alan | Dec 22, 2006 | Communication skills, Delivery, Don't!, public speaking
Probably one of the most common delivery mistakes I see in newbies and experienced presenters alike is the urge to carry something with them on the podium. Mark this rule down — if we hold something in our hands while we talk, WE WILL play with it. And IT WILL...
by Alan | Dec 11, 2006 | Communication skills, Delivery, Leadership, public speaking
“I want this to be informal.” That statement was near the end of the stated logistics of a manager to about 200 troops in a meeting. The forum was a large auditorium, and the manager was on an elevated stage, with a backdrop of a two-story A/V screen...
by Alan | Dec 11, 2006 | Communication skills, Content, Delivery, PowerPoint, public speaking
Watched a speaker host a meeting and then ask an invited guest to open the business end of a large forum after the holiday pleasantries were exchanged. This second speaker, known to the entire audience as a position of authority, then got up to give a casual...
by Alan | Dec 4, 2006 | Communication skills, Content, Delivery, public speaking
Was walking through an online product demo (as a customer) in a web conference today when the demo guy said, “Let me explain this screen — it can be a bit misleading.” I about busted out laughing. As a customer, I wondered why a company would demo a...
