How often have you heard a great presentation where you left energized and enthusiastic, only to get sidewalk amnesia? You forget why you were inspired. By the time you hit the car, the speaker’s message – and your excitement – is lost. Have you delivered a presentation like that? An unforgettable presentation is “sticky.” It […]
Read More...Want to Connect with Every Audience, Every Time? You Need To
I am often asked, “How can I be confident that I’m connecting with my audience?” The answer is, “Make an emotional connection.” Whether you speak at a boardroom table or in a vast auditorium, your goal must be to connect emotionally with your audience. Emotional connection is key to ensuring your message is heard. Here […]
Read More...Why Stories Are An Unparalleled Way to Make Sales
It might be easy to resist a sales pitch, but few can resist a good story. We grow up feeling that a story is a reward. In sales, stories are the best way to clarify the complex, create emotional connection, and persuade. David Hoffeld, author of The Science of Selling, was a guest on my Fripp […]
Read More...How to Tell Better Stories in Your Speeches
If you are a leader, manager, executive, sales professional, or keynote speaker, you are more effective when you tell great stories and use good examples. These three techniques will help you turn simple stories into examples that will be remembered and repeated: Think chronologically. Use shorter sentences or phrases. Consider each visual scene. In January, […]
Read More...Your Everyday Life Is Your Best Source for Stories
As an executive speech coach, people often ask me, “How do I come up with original stories to illustrate my key points?” Fortunately, you don’t have to have survived an avalanche, founded a pioneering tech company, or won a Nobel Prize to tell a good story – because audiences identify with and delight in stories […]
Read More...Toastmasters Awards Golden Gavel to Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization teaching public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network. I was honored to deliver the opening keynote at the 2015 Toastmasters International Convention in Las Vegas. The last time I addressed a Toastmasters International Convention was in 2001, when I watched my colleague, Darren LaCroix, win the World […]
Read More...Public Speaking – Use Storytelling to Be Powerful and Persuasive
Top salespeople, corporate visionaries, and celebrity-level professional speakers may have significantly different business backgrounds, skill sets, and philosophies – but for the most part, they all share the ability to tell a good story. Public speaking is the number one tool of leadership. If you know you need to improve your public speaking skills, mastering […]
Read More...Public Speaking – You Did Everything Wrong & You Were Great!
An audience will forgive you for anything except being boring. This is why Jeff did not really do everything wrong! My remarkable friend, Dr. Jeff Salz is an anthropologist, explorer, expedition leader, and professional speaker. Jeff is an adventurer from birth. At seventeen, he was solo traveling around the globe – ice climbing in New […]
Read More...Storytelling – Help Your Audience “See” Your Characters
My friend, Michael Hauge is a brilliant Hollywood story consultant, author, screenwriting coach, and speaker. His experience as a top Hollywood script consultant is evident in his masterful ability to bring out the emotional potential of any story. Following his expert advice, both business speakers and professional speakers can learn how to tell their stories […]
Read More...Do You Treat Others, Even Strangers, with Courtesy?
I like to say, “A stranger is a friend, or a customer, you have not met yet.” My friend Jane Jenkins Herlong is a humorist, speaker, and author. You may have enjoyed her comedy and songs on Sirius XM Radio and Pandora. I share this story from her book, Bare Feet to High Heels – […]
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