Speaking tips blog
Communication matters. What are you saying?
As you read in the slides…
Seems I'm not the only one who gets bored easily in the average presentations. As I expand my blog reading (if only there was more time!), I discover more and more folks who seem put off with the norm of business presentations. Today's gem was from Garr Reynolds about...
It looks better, really…
Worked with my in-laws' Car Show this weekend. Had to laugh while we were cleaning up this evening when I ran across the classified ads for the bulletin board. One of them said something to the effect, "the car looks a lot better than the picture shows!"I immediately...
tell the truth
We're trying to get our house painted. First, I couldn't get anyone to give a bid. Now that I'm under contract, I can't get anyone to work. After 17 days, we have our front porch half painted, the railings spotty, a missing extension cord and hedge trimmer, and some...
On the floor
Walked the floor of an Expo today. Loud. Mulitple conversations. People wedging in to try and get the attention of the demo booth attendants. Resulting conversations were one-to-one or one-to-few.Had some great conversations and some not-so-great ones. In several...
Sea level pressure
In aviation, an instrument in the plane (the altimeter) measures the absolute pressure wherever the plane happens to be. But without a reference point -- the sea level pressure -- the instrument would report an arbitrary altitude. Without this, Air Traffic Control...
The electr(on)ic slide
I've managed to blog this far and largely avoid commenting on the best and worst thing to ever happen to communication: PowerPoint. But in the lineup of C-level presentations I saw the other day, after the refreshing PPT-less opener, it was DBP (Death By PowerPoint)....
Hi, I’m, um, Alan, and um…
Attended my first Triangle Networking Group (TNG) meeting tonite. Interesting group. Originally generated by some expatriated Nortel employees, the primary purpose is to look out for each other to secure jobs. I'd say about 80% of those there tonite were actively...
Presentation doesn’t always scale
Sat in on a C-level strategy session today. Presenter gave a presentation that usually is on the road, but was being given for a different (internal) audience to make sure folks knew what message the field was getting. The presentation has been getting rave reviews on...
I’d like to thank…
Like most professional organizations, the closing session at last night's Toastmasters' District 37 Fall Conference was filled with "I'd like to thank..." and "just a small token of my appreciation..." moments. Complete with multiple standing ovations. It paled in...
Speech contest
Competed last night in Toastmasters District 37 humorous speech contest. Six contests from all over the state of NC were there. Definitely the most polished and able folks I've seen to date.I've been fighting some bug all week. Yesterday was rough, with my voice going...
Why you should speak cleanly
Since I just blogged an example using F-words, I thought I better clarify -- quickly -- what I meant in my previous entry.I'm continuously amazed at the amount of foul language that emanates from keynote speakers, managers, public emails, CEOs, and pretty much anyone...
All’s well that ends well
Had another devoted reader (and it wasn't my mom, honest!) offer:You gave several examples of weak endings. Give us few strong ones.A good closing is a continuation of a good delivery and body, which builds on a good opening. Unlike the world of sports, where you can...
