Watch your use of “Basically” and “Simply” Many of my clients offer complex solutions to solve their customers’ problems, streamline their businesses, and protect their valuable assets. They engage me to help their technology experts simplify the complexity of their offerings so that their buyers will understand why it is a good investment. I tell […]
Read More...How to Win With An Audience Who Does Not Speak Your Language
Twelve Years Later: Reliving the Unforgettable Presentation Experience In 2011, Salve Finance from Slovakia invited Darren LaCroix and me to deliver a presentation skills program in Las Vegas. The audience was their sales winners. Our challenge was… nobody spoke English. As their president, Peter explained, “Our generation grew up speaking Russian. We did not learn […]
Read More...The Screenplay of Your Life: Time for a Rewrite?
Every story has a “Once Upon a Time.” Part Two. The place where the intricate weave of values, experiences, and influences begins to shape the fabric of our lives. When I was twelve, I knew I was more artistic than academic and enjoyed engaging with, and learning from, adults. It seemed a good idea to […]
Read More...Develop Your Storytelling Abilities: Life Lessons from Movie Stars and Hollywood
When we reminisce about Hollywood, it’s often the stories that movies tell that captivate us the most. Screenwriting teacher Robert McKee eloquently states, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.” Storytelling: The Cornerstone of Effective Leadership Many of us […]
Read More...The Art of Conversation A Hidden Treasure Trove for Stories
You may be sitting on a goldmine of untapped stories to use in your presentations, and you don’t even realize it. How? By paying close attention to your everyday conversations. Let’s explore two ideas that may seem at odds but can work in tandem: The merit of recounting stories you’ve heard from others, versus the […]
Read More...Want to Know the Secrets to Maximize a Great Marketing Opportunity?
Give a Speech! Every service club and community group is looking for a free speaker next Thursday at lunchtime. Okay, it could be Wednesday morning at breakfast or even in Zoom. You get the point! If that is you, do not overlook a magnificent marketing opportunity. Here is a roadmap of everything you need to […]
Read More...How to Arouse Interest in Your Subject
You have 30 seconds to command the attention of your audience. Don’t waste it! Certain speech openings captivate, mystify, and create an emotional bond that keeps an audience in the palm of the speaker’s hand. What would you give to learn those essential opening moves? Those great ways to bond instantly with an audience so […]
Read More...5 Ways to Get The Professional Life You Want
Tell me what you say you want. Show me one week of your life and I will tell you if you will get it. Every day is a good time to challenge everything you do, expand your thinking, refocus your efforts, and dedicate yourself to your future. If you haven’t done this already this year, […]
Read More...Robert Fripp How to Be a Hero For More Than One Day
That is, their heroism is externally driven. The challenge comes from the outside.
The ordinary, everyday hero is reliably, repeatably & responsibly heroic on an ongoing basis.
Although this category of hero is described as ordinary, such heroism is already extraordinary.
The world continues to turn because of the heroism of ordinary heroes.
“The Rule of Three” Makes Magic – Do You Cast This Spell On Your Audiences?
“The Rule of Three” is a writing and speaking principle suggesting that a trio of events or characters is more humorous, satisfying, and effective than other numbers. The trio format holds a special appeal to audiences. The use of three elements offers brevity, rhythm, and a concise pattern that sticks in your audiences’ minds. with […]
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