Ashton Kutcher’s speech at the Teen Choice awards is getting a lot of attention, as well it should. It offers some solid public speaking tips that we can all learn from. Kutcher does a lot of things right. He clearly connects with his audience and speaks with passion and intensity (he is, after all, a professional … Read more
If you were to read just one thing online about how to improve your speaking skills, this article from Hubspot would be it: 7 Lessons from the World’s Most Captivating Presenters. I personally come back to it again and again for valuable presentation tips. What I find especially helpful is that it provides a lot of … Read more
Perhaps the only thing worse than sitting through a dull, lifeless PowerPoint presentation is being the person at the head of the room delivering that presentation. Poor speaking skills can be a career killer, making it harder to get your ideas and programs approved, more difficult to close a sale, and unlikely you’ll be invited … Read more
A colleague the other day expressed hope that all the attention to TED talks would inspire people to become better presenters. I hope so, because I still see a lot of people making the same old mistakes in their presentations. They fail to take into account the needs and interests of their audience. They inundate … Read more
For the longest time, I thought the subject of body language was a bunch of BS. Then I talked to an expert and realized that it’s not body language that’s BS, but most people’s ideas about body language. That is, the science is valid, but the interpretation of it is a mess, she explained. If … Read more
I love public speaking. I spoke to a couple of groups of college students this week and it was a lot of fun. (And if it’s not fun, why do it?) Here are some quick tips that came to mind. 1. Write your own introduction Sometimes the person who introduces you will put something together … Read more
Business presenters often complain about the sight of audience members texting and tweeting away while they speak. I choose to see it as a challenge instead of an annoyance. First, let’s be clear: distracted audiences are nothing new. I remember a college professor kicking a student out of class for reading a newspaper as nonchalantly … Read more
Sunday is Oscar Night and there’s only one thing more predictable than Daniel Day Lewis taking home the Best Actor award: it’s the sight of multiple presenters flubbing their lines, mangling their scripted “ad-libs” and exiting the stage in the wrong direction. And these are professional performers! What chance does an everyday person have to … Read more
On this day of speeches, I’m reminded of something I wrote a couple of years ago about how Martin Luther King essentially winged major parts of his I Have a Dream Speech: When Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, it electrified the audience gathered on Washington’s mall and inspired the nation. Almost … Read more
Whenever I’m involved in a big conference with multiple speakers I make the point that “it’s all one speech.” That is, it’s one big message and each speaker is telling a different part of the story. In real life, of course, that doesn’t always work out. But for any company that’s serious about reaching an … Read more