Speaking tips blog
Communication matters. What are you saying?
You better be right…
Heard a speaker in my litany of observations this week use back-to-back rhetorical questions to start of the program. One started with the "How many of you...?" format, and at the conclusion of the introduction, she asked, "Does that sound like a valuable use of your...
Content + delivery
I've been in meetings and training about non-stop the last two days, and have accrued enough blog material for at least a few weeks.Tonite's was almost comical. Agenda for a program with breakout sessions. Master of Ceremonies explains each in detail. People are ready...
Any questions?
This is a common one. Saw it again yesterday. Presenter has pile o' notes and the uniquitous spinning-transition PowerPoint slides, reaches the last slide in a rush, looks up with relief, and utters, "Well, we're about out of time. Are there any questions?"This is not...
Be different?
Read over on Great Public Speaking that you should have an entry visual to "signal that your presentation will be different". It's sad that we have to be different. If everyone was used to good presentations, then you could be like others and people would look forward...
Choice of words
Browsing about the web today and ran across a calendar that had a scheduled class labeled "disorientation". Turns out it was a seminar for graduating seniors as they leave school to prepare them for the "real" world. I had to laugh out loud. While it was cute and...
The Dark Side of presentation skills
Good vs. evil is a story line that is a hit regardless of the format. Garr Reynolds posted a comparison of the presentation styles of Darth Vader vs. Yoda . I'm seeing references to it in several blogs I read, for instance, Chris Brogan. It's always fun to compare...
What’d you get out of that?
In the height of basketball season, and if we can get this Super Bowl thing over with, we can concentrate on what's really important -- March madness (which starts in October and ends in April). A group of buddies from my alma mater discuss the week's highs and lows...
Hey, any indication what the problem is?
Went flying this morning (gorgeous day for it -- pressure of 30.50 is probably the highest I've ever flown in). Had an unprecedented delay out of my local Class C airport. There were 10 planes in queue just to taxi, several at the end of both runways, and it was...
Don’t worry about it
At the dentist today. Still cavity-free (thanks, dad!).Had the most-unusual habit glitch where I left my wallet at home. Can't recall doing that in recent memory. That left me at the dentist with no ID, no money, no credit cards, and no checkbook. They file my...
If you’ll leave a message
I'm sure that you, like me, leave and get tons of voice mail messages. It's often a waste of time, especially in the business world, as you frequently don't get a call back and the information will be shared again if you do actually speak with the person. But I always...
Say it, don’t spray it
I'm not talking about saliva. I'm talking about eye contact.A common mistake of speakers in front of large audiences is to "spray" their eye contact back and forth -- passing over their audience instead of connecting. Many also let that head movement translate to...
Let me urge you to consider
Be careful what you ask for... you may get it. And, in the world of sales and business, you may not. But it's very rare to get what you want if you don't ask for it. And, unless you are a military commander (or a parent), you can't just tell them what to do (and in...
