Had any good conversations recently? In this message, we’re going to clarify what you may believe are two conflicting ideas. The point of retelling stories you heard, and the idea of only telling stories from your own experience. If you are retelling stories you heard in conversation, and you make heroes of the people who […]

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Tips on How to Give an Acceptance Speech Accepting an award is like walking a tightrope. You need to be gracious, grateful, and humble, yet not so humble or self-deprecating that the audience thinks you are trivializing the honor. In May of 2022, Dan Maddux, my best long-time client and Executive Director of the American […]

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The Importance of the Pause in Public Speaking and Executive Presentations can not be over estimated. Continuing my comparison with Hollywood..

Alan Alda says, “It is the stuff between the lines that makes it a great performance.”

(I know I hate that word stuff. However, it is an actual quote.)

When you pause the audience has time to digest what you have just said. The faster you speak, the more you have to open up your talk with silence.

Consider where you have a comma, period, paragraph, and exclamation mark, an underline or … Use this as a guide for pauses.

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Don’t Write Out Your Complete Speech I’m frequently asked, “What are the mistakes that speakers make?” One is thinking they have to write out their complete speech. What I recommend you do instead is follow a logical presentation preparation process. Think, what is the big idea of your speech, your premise, or your central theme?

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Always Have a Sure-Fire Opening I’m frequently asked what mistakes most speakers make. One is thinking that once they have prepared their presentation, they don’t need to script and internalize the opening. Very often I hear professional speakers and executives say, “Oh, when I get there, I’m going to see what’s going on and personalize […]

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I’m frequently asked, “What are the mistakes that speakers make?” One is thinking they have to write out their complete speech. What I recommend you do instead is follow a logical presentation preparation process. Think, what is the big idea of your speech, your premise, or your central theme? What are the talking points? What […]

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