As a seasoned professional speaker, I am frequently asked for advice by up-and-coming speakers. They enjoy my programs on How to Open Your Presentation with Impact and Under the Magnifying Glass: Good to Great Presentations. However, there is one piece of advice they do not always like. “You may not lack the talent to become […]
Read More...How One Letter Launched a Legendary Career and What We Can All Learn From It
Every so often, I receive an email that makes me smile before I even finish reading it. “My good friend Brian Kehew, co-author of the book Recording the Beatles, suggested that, based on the advice you have given your brother, Robert Fripp, you may be able to help me. I am a producer who has […]
Read More...The Virtual Event Moderator: The Most Underrated Role in Event Success
Never underestimate the importance of a moderator. In virtual events, the moderator is not the filler between speakers. The moderator is the glue that holds the entire experience together. When virtual events succeed, audiences credit the content. When they fail, audiences quietly blame the flow. That flow lives or dies with the moderator. After coaching […]
Read More...Why Coming to America at 20 With $500 Seemed Like a Good Idea
January 18 is my personal anniversary. It is the day I arrived in the United States. When people ask, “Why did you come to America at age 20 with no job, no contacts, and $500?” my honest answer is, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” And it did. At that point in […]
Read More...Enjoy the Results When You Maximize the Power of Well-Chosen Words
Recently, I was interviewed by my NSA colleague Shannon J. Gregg, PhD, for her Life Sciences Sales Lab podcast, and she asked a question that took me straight back to the early 1990s. “Patricia, when was the first time you coached a scientist?” That honor goes to my next-door neighbor, Mike Powell. In the mid-1990s, […]
Read More...Your First Step is to Think
It is never too early to begin thinking about a speech. Before they meet me, many of my corporate clients believe “preparation” starts the week before the presentation. Some believe it starts the night before. Too many believe it starts when they open PowerPoint. That is not preparation. That is assembly. A powerful presentation begins […]
Read More...The Appalling State of Applause
The Appalling State of Applause At the National Speakers Association, we joke that everyone—including the salad chef—gets a standing ovation. Funny, yes. Accurate, no. Most conferences are far more restrained. My other association family is the Professional Speechwriters Association, and this year’s conference was one of the best I have ever attended. Early on, we […]
Read More...When You Open Your Presentation This Way It Is a Certain Crowd Pleaser
Do you want your audience to lean in from your very first sentence? One technique that works with many presentations is to begin with a surprising statistic or a little-known fact that makes your audience think, “Really? Tell me more.” Many of my speech coaching clients are leaders, engineers, and technical experts. Buried deep in […]
Read More...Memories of a Motivational Speaker
Perhaps you can relate? After forty years in the same home, I finally decided it was time to tackle my office. Yes… the drawers, the boxes, the files I promised myself I would “get to one day.” That day has arrived, and with it comes a mixture of nostalgia, discovery, and a surprising sense of […]
Read More...Where Words Come to Life
Last week, I attended the Professional Speechwriters Association World Conference. What truly made it unforgettable was the setting: Planet Word in Washington, D.C. If you’ve never been, Planet Word isn’t just a museum—it’s an experience. It’s a living, breathing celebration of words, ideas, and human connection. From the moment you step through its doors, you […]
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