Recently, I had the pleasure of joining Derek Arden’s Monday Night Live chat show for his fourth-anniversary show. Derek asked us all to give five ideas in five minutes. Alongside my esteemed colleagues Tim Durkin, Tracy Hooper, and Will Kintish, we embarked on a mission to distil our wisdom into five-minute nuggets. However, in a […]
Read More...Fripp’s Speaking Habit and a Garth Brooks Experience
Last December, my show partner and fellow Hall of Fame speaker Marilyn Sherman and I had the pleasure of attending a Garth Brooks concert at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace—arguably the finest venue on the Las Vegas Strip. The experience was not just a musical delight; it was a profound lesson in audience engagement, mirroring […]
Read More...Memories of the Amazing Zig Ziglar
After my LinkedIn posts about my Frippicisms™, Rich Ermlick wrote “You have more Zingers than Zig Ziglar.” This brought back two wonderful memories I have not thought about in years. In the early stages of my speaking career, I attended one of Zig’s Richer Life courses in Dallas. At that time, my reputation as a […]
Read More...And Your Question Is?
For sixteen years, the brilliant speaker, author, and consultant Alan Weiss, PhD and I delivered seminars together called The Odd Couple. One technique I learned from Alan, and have continued to use, is the practice of asking, “And your question is?” How often, in the Q&A portion of a presentation, have you felt like pulling […]
Read More...Crafting a Winning Oscar Speech: Why Every Word Counts
Academy Award speeches are not the best examples of great acceptance speeches. There are, however, many unforgettable moments. Here you will find my second list of favorite Oscar segments. We will look to see why. Oscar examples that make the speech bigger than the recipient. Meryl Streep, Best Actress, The Iron Lady, said, “This is […]
Read More...Punch Up Your Presentations with Your Life Experiences
As a presentation skills expert, I’m often asked, “Where do I find good stories and examples for my presentations?” The answer lies in our everyday experiences. Here are a couple from my own journey, focusing on the important role of customer service. Consider this: every interaction your organization has with customers either strengthens or weakens […]
Read More...Be the Star of Your Own Show: Hollywood’s Advice on Dressing for Success
Do you hold the position, earn the salary, or command the respect you believe you deserve? If not, I encourage you to dress and speak for the role you aspire to, not merely the one you currently have. When I was growing up, my mother gave me great advice. “Patricia, of course, it is the […]
Read More...Shift Your Perspective: Embrace 2024 with Fresh Eyes
As we stride into 2024, it’s crucial to recognize the impact of recency bias – the tendency to overemphasize recent experiences or the latest information when forecasting future events. This bias can skew our expectations, leading us to believe that the near past is a mirror of what’s to come. However, there’s an alternative viewpoint […]
Read More...The Shocking Truth Unveiled! A Journey Through Time
As a budding entrepreneur embarking on my journey with my upscale men’s hairstyling salon, I vividly remember attending my first management seminar. This was, of course, many moons ago, yet one statement from that day has stayed with me: ‘Your business is as good as your worst employee.’ Quite the alarming thought, isn’t it? Fast […]
Read More...How to Win With An Audience Who Does Not Speak Your Language
Twelve Years Later: Reliving the Unforgettable Presentation Experience In 2011, Salve Finance from Slovakia invited Darren LaCroix and me to deliver a presentation skills program in Las Vegas. The audience was their sales winners. Our challenge was… nobody spoke English. As their president, Peter explained, “Our generation grew up speaking Russian. We did not learn […]
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