I’m frequently asked, “What mistakes do most speakers make?” One mistake is thinking that because you are a seasoned speaker, you can wing it. I am not saying your presentation won’t be good, but how do you know if your timing is right if you aren’t prepared? How do you know if your points are […]
Read More...Powerful Presentations Must Make an Emotional Connection with Your Audience – Learn How
To win over your audience, you must connect emotionally. With well-chosen words, you can open your presentation and establish an immediate emotional bond. As a presentation skills coach, when I work with a group, I’ll invite individuals to come to the front and deliver their opening lines. On one occasion, up walked Stephen. He began […]
Read More...Don’t Waste Words and an Amazing Opportunity When You Open Your Presentation
When you open your presentation, you have just thirty seconds to command your audience’s attention. Don’t waste your opening words. Prepare a winning opening and give it extra attention as you rehearse your presentation. A relevant and compelling quote is one way to open a presentation and engage your audience. General Eisenhower said, “Leadership is […]
Read More...Dr. Nido Qubein Interviews Patricia Fripp on Side By Side on Personal Communications.
Recently, I had the honor to be a guest on the PBS show Side by Side with Nido Qubein. Dr. Qubein is the President of High Point University, a great speaker, corporate advisor, author, and past president of the National Speakers Association. He asked me, “Can anyone become a good speaker?” “Why do so many […]
Read More...What Does it Take to Make Your Presentation Introductions Exciting?
The purpose of a speaker’s introduction is to establish their credentials, to create interest from the audience, and often to sell the importance of the subject to that audience at that time. Recently at a client’s conference, one of my roles and responsibilities was to introduce other speakers, all of whom I had recommended. A […]
Read More...The Best Way You Can Introduce A Speaker With A Dramatic Life Story
I introduced my long-time friend, Nacole Schapiro before her speech to the Golden Gate Breakfast Club. Although she is a professional keynote speaker who often presents on negotiation and change, I knew our group would love to hear her personal story about growing up under communism. Her family lived in fear that they would be shot if […]
Read More...My Coaching Client Gave His Speech and Was Handed a $500,000.00 Check
… and then I Danced with a Billionaire Robert Bigelow asked, “Can we survive death?” He offered a reward of more than $1 million to anyone who could help him answer that question. Most of us would be interested in the answer. Mr. Bigelow, however, is not just anyone or just any 76-year-old mourning his […]
Read More...How You Can Create a Great Story with a Message Every Time
What makes a Hollywood movie great? Exactly the same principles that will make a good keynote speech great. A great story with a message. Screenwriter Robert McKee says, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience.” We all love stories because when told well, have larger-than-life characters, […]
Read More...Success: One Frippicism at a Time – Opportunity Does Not Knock Once
It Knocks All the Time, We Do Not Always Recognize the Sound. I have had the good fortune to be successful in three careers: as a hairstylist, a professional speaker, and now as an executive speech coach. Although they may seem dissimilar, they have many aspects in common. For one, I have had the opportunity […]
Read More...Where Great Stories Come Alive: Enjoy the Anatomy of a Speech – Part Nine
I was invited to deliver the opening keynote speech at the Toastmasters International Convention in 2001. In this 10-segment series, you view the anatomy of a keynote presentation. “I’ve mentioned my brother, Robert Fripp, a couple of times. You may have heard of Robert Fripp. He has a group called King Crimson, and he travels […]
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