Are you practicing your public speaking to improve…or to reinforce bad habits? We hear people say, “Practice makes perfect.” In reality, practice makes permanent. It is helpful to get an outside perspective on your presentation to reveal any areas in which you might improve your content or delivery. Practice in front of an audience. Ask […]
Read More...How to Use Visuals So They Support Your Presentation
Use technology to enhance your message, not to eclipse it. Two executives came to me to develop a speech about a new product. They spent some time describing it, but what they said was so complicated that it was challenging for me to even begin to understand what it was that they were selling. I […]
Read More...What Are the Secrets Behind Good Stories? Michael Hauge & Patricia Fripp Join Forces May 3, 2014
Hollywood story consultant, author, and screenwriting coach, Michael Hauge joins forces with me to help speakers and business leaders improve their stories and examples for more effective presentations. I often say, “Stories are the best way to explain the complex, and also help the audience ‘see’ your message.” Michael Hauge & Patricia Fripp Join Forces […]
Read More...What Discipline Can Do for Natural Talent
Before I became a successful professional speaker and executive speech coach, I was one of San Francisco’s top men’s hairstylists. As I said on 60 Minutes – and if you’re on 60 Minutes someday, you WILL tell EVERYBODY – “I used to work on the outside of peoples’ heads, now I work on the inside, […]
Read More...The Communicator’s Job – Can You Improve Your Speaking and Writing?
I first had the honor of speaking at the Ragan Speechwriters Conference in 2003. It was an exciting experience and I made many new friends, including John Howze who kindly allowed me share his “best of” conference notes with my readers. Consider how you might incorporate some of these ideas into your public speaking and […]
Read More...How to Become a Storyteller…Two Minutes at a Time
More than any words you say in your keynote speech or sales presentation, your audience will remember what they “see” in their minds through your stories. No matter what our culture, we grow up feeling that hearing a story is somehow a reward – this is just one of the factors that make stories the […]
Read More...What is the Difference Between a Keynote Speech and a Seminar or Breakout Session?
The first President of the National Speakers Association Bill Gove. He said, “The seminar comes from the discipline of teaching and the keynote comes from the discipline of show business.” Another Past NSA President Don Thoren said, “As a keynote speaker, you are the star; in training or a seminar, you have to make the […]
Read More...Speakers Need To Know What Comedian Phyllis Diller Can Teach Them
John Palmer was the founder of the National Speakers Bureau and before that a well-known band leader. Brian Palmer, his son and now the President of the NSB is known as one of the most creative and ethical professionals in our speaking industry. As part of a recent interview with Brian these were his closing […]
Read More...How to Become a Better Public Speaker and Writer – Avoid This Bad Habit
As an executive speech coach I remind clients that though a speech can sound conversational, a speech is not a conversation. I always advise speakers in preparing their presentations to edit out the words that have no meaning. One bad habit in public speaking is starting a sentence with a meaningless “and” or “but”. I […]
Read More...How to Keep Your Audience From Going to Sleep
What to do when you’re losing your audience… Are there a lot of yawns and sleepy eyes in your audience? Use these tactics to pep up your talk and keep your listeners’ attention. Audience members’ attention will fade over time unless you take specific steps to keep them engaged.
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