We recently watched the Season 4 finale of Better Call Saul. While arguing for his reinstatement as an attorney, character Jimmy McGill put down the letter he was reading from his deceased brother Charles. He went “off script” and tearfully described the conflicted, as well as...
Speakers, like comedians, have to work on delivery and content. The more you do, the easier it becomes. Start in low-ante situations, the way Seinfeld performs in comedy clubs to test new material. Introduce a colleague, deliver a lunch-and-learn, or facilitate a panel and watch...
Pianist Joyce Yang sees music in colors and shapes. She can’t help it; she has synesthesia, a condition where one sense activates another. In Yang’s case, hearing music triggers color. She sees black notes on white paper and her brain processes flashes of silver,...
When speaking, your genuine self is your most persuasive element. Incorporate anecdotes or case studies with specific details. By recalling the actual event, all your senses fire with an inexhaustible source of material....
Your content may not be new, but the way you express it can and should be...
Julie Cordua is the CEO of THORN, an organization devoted to eliminating child sexual abuse from the internet. Her TED talk is riveting. (Disclaimer: We have trained many of the THORN staff, including Julie, but we did not coach her for this talk.) Julie's delivery was raw and...
oo often people present as if they're looking at a closeup on a cellphone screen, with one object in focus and everything else a blur. Take the time to establish context and lead the audience to your mountain. Do it with a vivid river or...
Speakers and presenters also need to challenge themselves to improve. Be honest with yourself about the quality of your presentations, and where to sharpen your skills....
For years we've asked dinner companions to play a game we call "Bottom This." Each relates an embarrassment, failure or terrible job, doing their best to beat the previous speaker. Interestingly enough, a recent Leigh Thompson article in Fast Company notes that when teams share their failure...
Sara Nelson breaks into song and dances around picket lines to rally the troops. Being blonde, attractive and a flight attendant, is she concerned about her image? Not in the slightest. Nelson happens to be the unconventional President of the Association of Flight Attendants. Nelson is...