by Alan | Jan 3, 2007 | Communication skills, Content, Delivery, public speaking
Had a fun and unusual assignment last night. I worked for ESPNU at a local college basketball game as a “talent stat liaison” (I made up the job title). Basically, I was feeding stats and interesting tidbits, records, runs, and story lines to the guys in...
by Alan | Jan 1, 2007 | Communication skills, Content, Delivery, public speaking
This year I’ve passionately tried to observe as many speakers as I can, noting what works and what doesn’t for each. I’m constantly trying to cull this down into what works for me, just as ever speaker should tailor their strengths and abilities to...
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...
