Speaking tips  blog

Communication matters. What are you saying?

Leadership

Leadership

When COVID shut us all down three years ago, the first online courses we were asked to teach focused on communication for leaders.  Whether the programs were touted as leadership or not, the idea was to create skills for people leading teams and the need to bridge the...

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April Fools

April Fools

It fell on a weekend, so you may have missed it.  April Fools’ Day was my kids’ favorite day of the year.  They could tell me wild things – some call that lying – and not get punished for it by simply yelling “April Fools!” when I caught them in the untruth.  It was...

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New Speaking Developments

New Speaking Developments

Instead of our usual format of tips to make you a better communicator, we took a break this month to collect some of the more noteworthy developments and products in the speaking world.  Here’s what we found…     Online Heavyweight Partnership   In a...

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Feedback

Feedback

We recently launched our first course on MillsWyck Academy.  But before we did, I felt it prudent to get some feedback.  I reached out to some of our most loyal clients and asked them to take the course and give us candid feedback and opinions of the course and what...

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Beam Me Up, Scottie

Beam Me Up, Scottie

Most presentation remotes made in the modern era come with a laser pointer built in (even mine, put as the center button!). My guess is that the engineers who design such things think anything with a laser is cool. Plus, they don’t take much power (battery), and are...

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Being Great

Being Great

Over the last month, I’ve taken in an unusual amount of “culture”.  The Night before Christmas as a live play.  The Nutcracker with full symphony accompaniment.  An Irish Christmas concert, with one of the most talented bands I’ve ever seen live.  A Christmas...

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Motivation

Motivation

Last month, at two different events, I met folks who would be in my audience who responded, “Oh, you’re our motivational speaker!”  I’m frequently not included in the internal PR for the events I’m speaking at, so I don’t know how I was advertised.  But it’s a term I...

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Dress Up

Dress Up

As a kid, I never got that excited about Halloween.  I probably went Trick-or-Treating a few times, and probably attended a community event or two.  I loved the candy, to be sure, but dressing up to fool people into giving me stuff never felt… genuine.    ...

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Adaptation

Adaptation

I was recently an invited breakout speaker to an organizational learning event.  They had devoted a full day for their 1500+ people to attend dozens of breakouts across a full day and most of a college campus.  I was given two slots for the same speaking topic.  Since...

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Tears and fears: Speaking Under High Emotion

Tears and fears: Speaking Under High Emotion

I recently had one of those once-in-a-lifetime, pinch-me moments as a speaker.  I was able to give two toasts/speeches in the context of my son’s rehearsal dinner and wedding reception.  As my oldest child and only son, the event was a wonderful mix of happiness,...

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Changing a Culture

Changing a Culture

Pre-COVID, I was given the opportunity to travel to three continents in the span of a year.  Those experiences had a profound impact on my view of the world and the people in it.  One of the most amazing aspects was my awareness of CULTURE.     One of the...

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Mimic The Best

Mimic The Best

Those who wish to become great at any craft are wise to study those who are already great. Winston Churchill was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953 for his speeches.  He makes almost every list Google produces searching for “great orators”. (Interestingly,...

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