Don’t Be a Presentation Tool! How to Use PowerPoint
From the television show “The Office” comes a valuable lesson on how to use PowerPoint. Bottom line: don’t be a presentation tool!
Public speaking
Finish Your Presentation On Time, Every Time
Beyond compelling content and fluid delivery, your #1 job as a speaker is to finish your presentation on time.
Presenting as a Group: 6 Tips for a Successful Pitch
Public speaking can be nerve-wracking enough, but presenting as a group adds a whole new level of anxiety to the process. And when the presentation is a new business pitch, that really raises the stakes. Organizing a group presentation can be like herding cats, only with less focus and discipline. But it doesn’t have to be … Read more
How to Conquer Stage Fright: 10 Tips for Presenters
When I talk to audiences about presentation skills, the #1 question I get is how to handle stage fright. I’ve written about it before but it keeps coming up. And the more I read and listen, the more I learn. So here are my newly expanded Top 10 tips for handling the jitters, nerves, stage fright—whatever … Read more
11 Deadly Presentation Sins: Watch for Free!
Are you stuck in PowerPoint Hell? Or putting others through it? You’ll find absolution here. Check out this free webinar I did for Georgetown University: 11 Deadly Presentation Sins: A Path to Redemption for Public Speakers. It’s a simple YouTube video, but they don’t enable embedding, so just click here to watch. I first put … Read more
5 Reasons You Should Take Questions From Your Audience
I keep hearing speakers talk dismissively about audience Q&A. They feel it’s a distraction from their message and they treat it as an afterthought. But I believe that whenever it’s technically feasible you should always take questions from your audience. Based on my own experience as a speechwriter and public speaker, here are five reasons … Read more
Free Guide: 7 Fatal Presentation Errors and How to Avoid Them
In today’s attention-deficit world, you have to grab your audience right off the bat. So you can’t afford to make unforced errors at the start of your presentation. That’s why I put together this new quick-guide called 7 Fatal Presentation Errors and How to Avoid Them. It takes you through the seven worst mistakes speakers … Read more
Six Public Speaking Tips From Ashton Kutcher
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
11 Deadly Sins of Public Speakers and Presenters (Pt. 2)
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
11 Deadly Sins of Public Speakers and Presenters (Pt. 1)
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