My brother Robert Fripp is an internationally acclaimed guitarist and a founding member of King Crimson. His discography includes an innovative performance on David Bowie’s Heroes. Remarkably, Robert is as brilliant a thinker, writer, and speaker as he is a musician. Experience The Wit, Wisdom, and World of Robert Fripp in His Own Words when […]

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Subtle changes will make a tremendous difference Both in your public speaking and writing. Here are a few of my inside secrets on editing to ensure that your presentation is a success. A “pithy” presentation is “to the point” and “forcefully expressive.”  That’s powerful.  The word “edit” is commonly misused as a synonym for “delete.” […]

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In an era of tough competition, presentations that persuade, educate, motivate, and inspire give you a competitive edge. Good presentation skills are no longer simply nice to have; they can mean career life or death. Imagine yourself in the front row of a ballroom at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. Sitting with you are […]

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“Why are executive presentations so boring?” Unfortunately, I hear this question often. Corporate leaders rarely receive the honest feedback they need to become powerful and persuasive communicators. Public speaking is the number one tool of leadership. Good presentation skills are no longer a nice skill to have; they can mean the difference between career life […]

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“It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator,” observes leadership writer, Mike Myatt in Forbes magazine. As a leader, the responsibility of communicating effectively rests squarely on your own shoulders. This is true even if you are fortunate enough to have a communications department or team of speechwriters at […]

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Just a heads up in case you are interested… Along with my good friends, Hall of Fame speaker, customer service expert, and this year’s National Speakers Association President Shep Hyken; Hall of Fame speaker, leadership expert, and popular author Mark Sanborn; and sales guru and author Jeffrey Gitomer, I am part of a Tortal Training’s […]

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Leadership traditionally comes from the top down, and paradoxically leadership is also necessary from the bottom up. My friend and fellow speaker, Lee B. Salz is a sales management strategist who very wisely recommends giving sales people the responsibility of creating their company’s sales business plan.  In taking on this responsibility, sales people become leaders […]

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My friend and colleague, Laura Stack’s newest book, Execution IS the Strategy was released today. Laura has been working with leaders in the areas of strategy execution, employee productivity, and team performance for 22 yeas; she is a true expert in her field. In Execution IS the Strategy, Laura explains that a leader’s biggest challenge […]

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“OSCARS” – A Pacific Bell meeting was held around the time of the Academy Awards. The creative meeting planner set up an awards ceremony and asked the managers to wear formal evening dress. This sounded so creative to me that, even though my speech was later in the day, I wanted to be part of it (at no extra cost to the client). “Oscars” were given out in categories like customer service, sales, and money-making ideas. Wearing an evening gown, I sashayed across the stage to deliver the envelopes containing the names of the winners. As the nominees in each category were announced, a giant video screen showed their photos. The first two were always famous movie stars, the third an employee. Would you believe it? Pacific Bell employees beat out the movie stars every time! Everyone who accepted an Academy Award had to give a short speech. It was innovative, memorable, and fun.

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