Presentation Skills: Doing it in the road
I believe one of the best models for presenting skills is the act of giving directions to someone who has stopped her car, leaned out the window, and said, “How do I get to Bloomfield Avenue?” If...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Effective Presentation Skills: Substance with Style
Cicero, the great Roman statesman and orator, said that he preferred tongue-tied intelligence to ignorant loquacity. That’s a convenient polarity, and one we’re familiar with. We see the former...
View ArticleCommunication Skills: E-mail vs. Presentations
About two years ago, I attended a free webinar on marketing and liked what the presenter had to say. I also liked his voice. So I called him and chatted about my marketing issues, and eventually I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Speaking Anxiety: Teaching the Shy to Present
I have a new puppy named Little Bear. He has shy moments that make my wife and I want to pick him up and cuddle him. I also have clients who are shy when they stand up to speak. I don’t want to...
View ArticlePublic Speaking: You Are a Professional Speaker
If you work for a company, and your job entails public speaking, you are paid to speak. That’s right, you are a professional speaker–in the same business as Anthony Robbins, Jack Welch, and Malcolm...
View ArticleSales Presentations: The Biggest Mistake
Let’s call her Sheila. Like many in the financial services industry, she sells with the aid of a pitch book, printed in landscape format and containing information about the history of her firm, her...
View ArticleSpeaking Anxiety: The Mind/Body Toggle
Recently, a client of mine, who is also a childhood friend, left me a voice mail saying that he did not think my short article on the power of gesture to create emotion was appropriate for the market...
View ArticleInterpersonal Skills: A Happy Warrior Teaches the Art of Influence
Michael Jendrzejczyk died at the age of 53. His obituary in the New York Times reveals a remarkable man: empathetic, principled, and, most instructive for those of us seeking to become more skillful...
View ArticleInterpersonal Skills: Presenting & the Placebo Effect
We often think that the placebo effect comes from the belief that a sugar pill is actual medicine, which leads us to the conclusion that if we believe something is good for us, we get a positive...
View ArticleBusiness Presentations: Hedge Fund Capital Intro
Derrick called and spoke a mile a minute. His boss, the founder of a new hedge fund and the primary money runner had to speak at a capital intro in a week. Could I come and help? I asked if the boss...
View ArticleCommunication Training: The Show in Business
I once had a colleague who said that everyone is in two businesses: their own, and show biz. He didn’t go far enough. Every business is show business. Business would be impossible without acting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Public Speaking Tips: A Really Useful Speaker Evaluation Form
I recently sat down to interview myself on the subject of speaker evaluation forms. Here’s the transcript of the interview. What’s the use of a speaker evaluation form? First of all, I prefer the term...
View ArticleFacilitation Skills: Making the Most of Your Role as a Panel Moderator
You’ve been invited to moderate a panel. The question is: How can you do it really well so that the meeting is rated highly, you look good, and your chances of being invited back are good? First, you...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Public Speaking Training: The Dreaded just-after-lunch Slot on the Program
Effective speaking has many enemies. A partial list would include a speaker’s lack of experience, stage fright, lack of training, no clear point, too much information, and finally, no clear flow, or...
View ArticlePublic Speaking and the Importance of Character: A Life’s Lesson
On June 20th in the Wall Street Journal, in response to the media coverage of Tim Russert’s untimely death, Peggy Noonan wrote in her Declarations column, “When somebody dies we tell his story and try...
View ArticlePublic Speaking: Dress for Success
Girls of a certain age expose their stomachs, and boys expose their underwear. Those of us who are too old to seek this kind of social status based on sex appeal are more concerned about dressing to...
View ArticleVoice Training: The Voice of the Presenter
I think there are all kinds of voices that work for the audience, as long as they feel real and communicate enough emotional energy to engage the interest. A few vocal things that can get in the way...
View ArticlePresentation Pointer: Speak so they will notice what they see
Presentation Pointer: Speak so they will notice what they see At first glance, Niccolo Machiavelli and William Blake have little in common. Yet they both made the distinction between seeing and...
View ArticleLet us now praise specifics
We are entitled to our own opinions, but none of us is entitled to our own facts. In fact, most of us hold our opinions with little respect for facts. For instance, when you ask a passionate partisan...
View ArticleSims Wyeth announces the re-launch of Presenting for Results
I am thrilled to announce the rebirth of our public seminar, Presenting for Resultssm . It had a glorious life about five years ago, and went to sleep when we got too busy to tend to its needs. Now...
View Article
