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 long before you write a single sentence or design a single slide.

It begins with thinking. Observing. Listening.

Noticing what frustrates your audience, what excites them, and what keeps coming up in conversation.

When I coach executives, I often say: your best content is already living in your head and your experience. You just have not captured it yet.

If you know you will be speaking in three months, preparation starts then.

Carry a notebook or open a notes app. Jot down stories, questions you are asked repeatedly, moments of insight, objections you hear, and examples that land. That quiet, ongoing process is where clarity is born.

A speech is not what you “put together.” It is what you discover.

Only after you are crystal clear on your message, your audience, and your objective do you begin to structure.

Only after the structure is complete do you write. Slides, if used at all, come last.

PowerPoint is not a thinking tool. It is a visual aid.

When you start with slides, you force your message to serve the software rather than the audience.

Great speakers do not rush the process. They respect it.

They know that clarity takes time.

That confidence comes from preparation.

And that the strongest presentations feel effortless only because the thinking happened early and thoroughly.

If you want to sound spontaneous, you must prepare deliberately.

If you want to be memorable, you must think before you write.

And if you want to influence decisions, inspire action, and elevate your reputation, remember this:

You cannot start preparing too soon.

Need help? That is my job!

“Your presentation skills program was just what we needed. The breakout sessions were especially impactful, engaging, insightful, and energising. Our post-event survey results were the best we’ve seen. Thank you for your incredible support. We’re already looking forward to our next collaboration!”                                                                                                                                                        

Jake Powers, Senior Director, Extreme Networks

 

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Design Your Best Year Ever: How High Performers Turn Intention into Income

Every December, I hear the exact phrase from talented professionals and speakers: “Next year is going to be my best year ever.”
Naturally, I am one of them! However, I am smart enough to know that hope is not a strategy. High performers do not drift into exceptional years. They design them.

If we want the coming year to outperform the last, we must begin with the end in mind. Decide, in advance, what success looks like for you. Not vaguely. Most experts will tell you to focus on how much you want to earn. I am going to encourage you to focus on what work energizes you, and what drains you? Clarity at the beginning increases the likelihood you will make good choices.

One of the most powerful confidence builders I know is the calendar. My late friend Jeanne Robertson taught me a lesson I have shared with executives and speakers for decades: schedule your life before you plan your work. In January, block your vacations, family celebrations, and personal priorities first. Then sell what is left. When you control your calendar, you stop reacting and start leading. That sense of control translates directly into confidence, credibility, and better decision-making.

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Do You Know How Long Before True Performers Earn their Success?

One December evening, with some of my closest friends, Joe Veneto, Marilyn Sherman, and Ford Saeks, I watched Frankie Moreno at his Christmas show at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz.

As seasoned professional speakers, we were not simply entertained. We were reminded of something essential.

True performers earn their success over decades, not moments.

Frankie’s career began long before Las Vegas headliner status.

He grew up in Santa Cruz. CA and every day he practised signing before he went to school.

At age ten, he appeared on Star Search, singing and playing piano on national television. The show aired after his eleventh birthday, which is why many people remember him as “11.” He did not win. And that is precisely the point.

What he gained instead was far more valuable than a trophy.
Experience. Exposure. And the discipline of performing under pressure.

That early foundation led to international touring as a teenager, to recording albums, to performing with orchestras, and to steadily building mastery. Years later, millions saw his versatility on Dancing with the Stars. As a longtime fan, that remains my favorite video because it revealed not just talent, but total command.

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Why the Best Business Deals Are Won Before the Numbers Are Negotiated

Why the Best Business Deals Are Won Before the Numbers Are Negotiated

When my friend Michael Sipe, a brilliant mergers and acquisitions specialist, was building his reputation as a business broker, I helped him craft speeches to market his expertise. Mike has always understood something many professionals overlook:

Most business deals are not won on price. They are won on positioning, perception, and personal chemistry.

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You May Be Shocked at What the Sales Manager Admitted

A few years ago, during a presentation-skills training session, the sales leaders sat in the room and heard what I was teaching. After the first lunch break, the national sales manager walked to the front of the room, looked at his sixty top associates, and said, “At lunch, the executive sales team and I decided we have no idea how we managed to sell anything before we met Patricia.”

As you can imagine, that got everyone’s attention.

He explained, “It takes us a year to earn the opportunity to deliver an hour-long presentation to a small group of executives from one of our prospects. At that point, a new client relationship is worth between five and ten million dollars.”

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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 heard from a moderated panel of four seasoned speechwriters discussing the challenges of working in today’s politically charged environment. Their insights were thoughtful. Their stories were brave. Their message was organized, polished, and delivered with clarity.

As they finished—before the Q&A—I was ready for thunderous applause.

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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 the body of their presentations are fascinating statistics or insights that could instantly capture attention.

My first suggestion: “Your comments would be more dramatic, memorable, and attention-getting if they were moved to the beginning. Before the ‘Welcome to…’ or ‘I am …’ or ‘Thank you for …’

My second suggestion:
“Add an emotion to your statistics or insights to bring your audience into your presentation from your first remarks.”

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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 renewal.

My speaking career spans even more years than my address.

Tucked away in one filing cabinet is a treasure trove of letters from clients. Thank-you notes from keynote speeches, enthusiastic follow-ups from sales training, and heartfelt messages from executives I coached. Some I remember vividly. Others… well, let’s say it has been a delightful reminder of how busy those decades were.

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No Overnight Success—A Reminder for Us All

Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking for the Florida Speakers Association.

What a treat to discover their meeting was held at the fabulous Fort Lauderdale Improv! The venue itself inspired me to share one of my favorite stories and offer a suggestion every speaker can use.

For those unfamiliar, Budd Friedman was the founder of the original Improv Comedy Club in New York.

Opened in 1963, it became a legendary stage for stand-up comedy, which helped to launch the careers of Richard Pryor, Lily Tomlin, Jay Leno, Bette Midler, and many others.

In the early 1990s, Budd spoke for the Learning Annex in San Francisco. I was thrilled to hear him and, as usual, sat in the front row. My advice to the Florida speakers—and to any professional—is this: when you hear someone famous speak, ask them an interesting question.

That’s precisely what I did. I asked, “Mr Friedman, is there such a thing as natural talent?”

He smiled and replied, “Yes. However, there is no overnight success. Jay Leno had natural talent, and it still took him 15 years to become established.”

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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 can feel the energy of creativity in the air. Every exhibit invites you to play with language—to speak, listen, and rediscover the joy of communication.

Housed in the beautifully restored Franklin School, a National Historic Landmark, Planet Word blends 19th-century grandeur with cutting-edge interactive design. It’s a place where architecture meets imagination, where technology and history work together to tell the story of how language shapes our world.

For a gathering of professional communicators, it couldn’t have been more fitting. We were surrounded by inspiration. The walls spoke—sometimes literally, and reminded us that every great message begins with curiosity, courage, and craft.

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