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...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...When Brilliant Executives Suddenly Need Presentation Skills
I am frequently asked how I work with executives who are exceptional at what they do and have never had the time, opportunity, or need to improve their presentation skills. Until. A new position. Higher visibility. And a mandatory 45-minute presentation to senior leadership and the board of directors. Now the stakes are high. The […]
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...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 […]
Read More...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 […]
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 […]
Read More...The Secret of How To Get Remembered, Rebooked and Recommended
If you’ve ever watched a presenter who seems to be speaking directly to you—as if they somehow knew your challenges and goals—you’ve experienced the magic of customization. That isn’t luck; it’s strategy. In Deliver Unforgettable Presentations, my co-authors Darren LaCroix, Mark Brown, and I emphasize that when you customize your presentation, it is one of […]
Read More...Executive Presence: What It Really Means and How to Strengthen Yours
The phrase executive presence first appeared in leadership circles in the late 20th century. It quickly became a buzzword in boardrooms, performance reviews, and coaching sessions. Yet for all the talk, it remained elusive. Many ambitious professionals were told, “You need more executive presence”, but few could explain what that meant or how to achieve […]
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