How To Become A Professional Speaker

After you’ve been giving speeches for a while and you understand the importance of public speaking, you may run into someone who tells you that you are really good. In fact, they may say that instead of just speaking for free, you really should go pro. Just like all of those famous professional speakers out … Read more

Speaker: You Are What You Wear!

The purpose of giving any speech is to be able to reach out and connect with your audience. No matter whether you are trying to inform them, entertain them, or convince them to take some action, none of this can be done unless you are able to make a connection with them. What you say … Read more

Handling Hecklers: 5 Ways That Presenters Can Restore Order

How does that children’s rhyme go? “Sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me”. Bull! If there is one thing that presenters dread more than forgetting their lines, it’s having someone add to their speech without an invitation. Unlike President Obama we don’t have a flock of Secret Service agents … Read more

Business Stories: Out Of Place Or On Target?

One question that I keep getting asked over and over by speakers that I am working with is if storytelling is such a powerful communication tool, then why isn’t it used more in business settings? It’s a good question, but the answer is a little bit complicated. Where Did All The Stories Go? I can’t … Read more

(Almost) Free Training For Presenters In LA: PresentationCampLA

I was quietly minding my own business the other day when Lisa Braithwaite from the blog Speak Schmeak reached out to me via email and asked me if I’d be willing to help her to get the word out about some upcoming (almost) free public speaking training that’s going to be held up in Los … Read more

The Presenter’s Dilemma: 5 Ways To Make Your Training Stick

Ok, so it’s time to talk about an ugly little secret that nobody who does presentations really like to talk about. What’s the secret? Most of the time what we tell our audience goes in one ear and out the other. It just doesn’t stick. In fact, if you are presenting training or a new … Read more

Make Your Audience Sit Up, Take Notice, And Learn At Your Next Presentation

Some presentations are designed to simply motivate your audience. Some are designed to educate them. It’s this second batch that is tricky to do. It’s probably not that your presentations are lacking in educational material, but rather it’s the way that you are delivering it that really matters. You need to find a way to … Read more

Hey Good Looking – Are You A Presenter?

When we deliver a presentation, we need to make the best use of all of the tools that we have at our disposal. These tools include things such as hand gestures, using pauses, and vocal variety. All too often we forget that we have one more tool for us to use: our personal style. Life … Read more