by Alan | Apr 20, 2006 | Communication skills, Delivery, Leadership, Toastmasters
Struck up a conversation with a fellow Toastmaster today on “What makes the difference?” We watch Toastmasters and speakers all the time. Some get better and some do not. Some offer lots of ways for their evaluator to help them, some barely even offer a...
by Alan | Apr 18, 2006 | Communication skills, Customer Service, Delivery, Don't!
It’s a common tactic for presenters who want to appear more interactive, give their audiences a chance to warm up, and kill a bunch of time. The personal introductions. But they rarely work, and never work in large groups. A group of 50 tonite spent an hour...
by Alan | Apr 18, 2006 | Communication skills, Delivery
Sat through a seminar tonite that had great content and a presenter whose delivery was confident and polished, but there were just a few issues that really could have been improved. One was the Q&A period (which fortunately did not end the program). Group size...
by Alan | Apr 17, 2006 | Communication skills, Delivery, Toastmasters
Since I’ll be giving a seminar on Interactive Techniques for Presentations at the District 37 Toastmasters’ Conference in a few weeks, interaction is on the brain. So I almost doubled over laughing while watching a webcast today in which the host (who...
by Alan | Apr 15, 2006 | Communication skills, Customer Service, Delivery, Sales
Found myself with a dying cell phone battery, a lost mobile charger, and three phone calls to make the other day. Began each conversation with something along the lines of “I’ve got thirty seconds of battery left, tell me ____”. In another...
by Alan | Apr 10, 2006 | Communication skills, Delivery
I am frequently in audiences that feel the need to appreciate, acknowledge, or just get some energy out by clapping. I personally think we’re on an upswing in applause — which I pretty much dislike–but I accept it for what it is.The problem is, most...
