Most people are aware that a formal presentation requires research and rehearsal, but keep in mind that preparation can ensure your success in all speaking situations. If you have been asked to moderate a panel, be aware that there is more to this than simply firing off a few questions and hoping your panelists will […]
Read More...Telling a Joke–The Dialogue From The Platform
Anytime you’re giving a speech, always remember it’s a conversation. Sometimes we fall into the trap of thinking we’re presenting a monologue. It’s easy to think of a speaker as the vehicle delivering a load of wisdom. In reality, every speech is a conversation. A two-way conversation with the audience. It’s important to remember that […]
Read More...The Richest Man in the World Speaks in Las Vegas
Bill Gates spoke in Las Vegas on January 7, 2007. Arriving almost four hours early guaranteed me a seat about 100 yards from the speaking platform. Thank goodness for big-screen projection. The crowd and the lines were something like a Rolling Stones concert. Except there were more geeks. About an hour from the start of […]
Read More...Lights, Camera,… HUMOR! The Rule of Three
Fellow students of humor, stand up and make ’em laugh! I say “fellow students” because through teaching others and making techniques and concepts graspable I, too, gain more clarity. I’m still on my own ever-changing path of humor mastery. Many of you have heard me speak in person. One of the favorite things that I […]
Read More...Humor for Selling Products and for Selling Your Message
Twenty to thirty years ago, humor was commonly used to sell low-priced products. We remember Mr. Whipple squeezing the Charmin and Clara Peller asking “Where’s the beef?” Today, when you watch TV, you’re likely to see humor being used to sell automobiles. Over the years, advertisers have gained a greater appreciation of the value of […]
Read More...The Call Back
Every year the World Championship contest is an amazing event. Lance, the 2005 World Champion, was wonderful! He connected with the audience and executed his speech perfectly. Lance’s message was simple and crystal clear. And a speech well worth studying! My favorite line, however, came from one of the other contestants, Rowena Romero. During her […]
Read More...When They Do Not Laugh—What Do You Do?
by John Kinde The eyes of your audience are fixed on you. You deliver your best new humor line. They stare at you in silence. It has happened to all of us. It will happen again. What do you do? The conventional wisdom from experienced professional speakers is valid. Pretend you were serious. Humor, properly […]
Read More...A Humorist Adapts Fripp’s Presentation Principles
An article on public speaking and presentations by John Kinde and Patricia Fripp As one of my humorist speaker friends John Kinde, well-known for his Humor Power newsletter says, “Great speaking skills give you the illusion of competence. The flip side: Poor speaking skills give you the illusion of incompetence! If your presentation skills are […]
Read More...Show Me the Funny!
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in 30 years of studying humor, it’s this. You CAN learn to be funny. Some people think you need to be born funny, the class clown. I’m a laid-back, serious, Norwegian from North Dakota and I’ve won humorous speech contests at the Toastmasters District level four times and three […]
Read More...Creating a More Powerful Speech
If you want to improve a speech, you need to record it so you can analyze it. This means making an audio recording, or better yet a video recording. And also making a manuscript of what you actually delivered to a live audience. Then you’re able to do an in-depth review of your speech content, […]
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