Speaking Tips

 

Is this you?

We train an Eloqui module called “Differentiators,” using interview techniques to elicit qualities that set our clients apart. Last week, an outstanding group of professionals dug deep into this exercise. One was born to two deaf parents, so at an early age became the translator...

Copycat

Mirror neurons allow animals to imitate the actions of one another. Chimps learn grooming techniques from their mothers and then mimic these actions by grooming other chimps, even those unrelated. The more they like one another, the longer they groom. But humans have taken copycatting...

Risk Reward

Olympic gymnastics are judged on Difficulty and Execution. The flashiness of a performance is weighed against how hard a move is to accomplish. The same concept applies in business presentations; the higher return, the more risk you must take.We just returned from Nashville, where Deborah...

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

Great thinkers and speakers operate in a similar way, no matter their area of study. Seven hundred years ago, Occam’s Razor, the Principle of Parsimony stated that the simplest explanation is often the best. Richard Feynman, Nobel prize-winning physicist, invented Feynman Diagrams-- visualizations of highly complex...

Briefly Speaking

For the past 23+ years, we’ve sent out a speaker tip, quote and word every Sunday morning. Our tip has always been free because we believe in providing value. And we know how important it is to have tools from the professionals’ playbook-- to engage...

Breathe Deep

Last week we traveled to the west coast of Vancouver Island. It was an escape from the pressures of a book launch and desert heat. First dawn found us on a slate gray beach, early rays of sun filtering through dense forests, lighting up glistening...

Super Solid

Breaking was introduced into this year’s Olympic Games. At first, we dismissed the event as young people spinning on their heads, but were we wrong. Not only is breaking athletic and entertaining, it throws down a challenge for anyone who performs to an audience.Breaking has...

Repechage

The repechage round is a new component in the Paris Olympics. Repechage gives athletes who lost in the first round of semi-finals another possibility to advance. It’s their second chance. Wouldn’t we all like a repechage? In fact, USA hurdler Freddie Crittenden used repechage to his advantage. Approaching the...

Go for Gold

The Paris 2024 Olympics are providing chills and thrills. We often held our breath as stumbles completely unnerved some athletes and dashed their chances of medaling. Others shook it off and came back even stronger. If you’re facing a challenge-- when running a race or...

Seine Speaks

The Paris Olympics have opened with much fanfare. But concerns about the Seine’s pollution remain, despite 1.5 billion Euros spent. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo promised the Seine would be clean enough to host water events, even though swimming in the badly contaminated river was banned...