The difficulty for speakers stems from the belief that it is their responsibility to educate, inform, and then make sure the audience understands the topic. With this perspective, there is always the potential to add more content, especially if you want to be as thorough...
Whether you’re competing against a worthy opponent at a management committee meeting or delivering a formal presentation, give an overview before launching into the details. Analyzers, including attorneys and other professionals who lead with the left side of the brain, are notorious for building a...
Years ago, while directing a play in Seattle, David was so frustrated that he rushed into the street and let loose an angry tirade to no one in particular. He was right at home with the other eccentrics and personality disorder sufferers. But when he...
How you open your speech is critical to any presentation. I recommend you deliver a compelling opening and closing without the agenda slide, PowerPoint, or video. This is where the audience gets to know you. Be selfish. Connect without standing behind a lectern or having...
Intention is a powerful device that forces us to focus, make difficult decisions, and edit our content. I’ve found Intention to be one of the most difficult concepts for our clients to initially grasp. However, when implemented, Intention can have an incredible impact on your...
Women often believe they need to assume an overly authoritative and professional demeanor to be taken seriously. The problem is that audiences can interpret this as patronizing or chilly, and perceive you as having a superior attitude. The last thing you want is a negative...
Many women are reluctant to speak if they haven’t reached the top of their field or don’t have a mission. They also tend to have an aversion to the idea of “selling.” But the old-fashioned way of selling doesn’t work for anyone. The best way...
For many years, humans have been fighting stress with exercise, diet and drugs. Still, we live in stressful times, and work exacerbates the pressure. But should we emulate Buddhist monks, clad in saffron robes, rice bowl in hand, counting their breaths? Daniel Kaufer, associate professor of integrative...
At a recent workshop, a participant was overcome with emotion when speaking about her father and how they started working together. She apologized. Yet the authenticity she displayed made her content come alive and captured the attention of everyone in the room. When we have the...
One of the biggest mistakes of a speaker is rehearsing their presentation in their heads and not out loud. We've had clients say they froze when they delivered their speech, because the sound of their voice was different than when they rehearsed it. You simply can not...