Speaking Tips

 

Get Chunky

Researchers say that audiences can retain three to four pieces of information at a time. But what if we’re pitching a product, service, or program containing disparate and complex elements? We must get chunky. Chunking compresses large amounts of data into manageable bits that can be...

Show me the Money

In a Greek myth, Ariadne falls in love with Theseus. Off to fight the Minotaur, Ariadne hands him a ball of yarn. When Theseus slays the Minotaur, the thread he strung along the labyrinth leads him out to freedom. How many times have you heard...

Scribbling

Hernan Diaz won a Pulitzer Prize for his novel Trust. On CBS Sunday morning, he displayed his working notebooks bursting with words. He said “There is something about the murmur of the pen on the paper. There is nothing like it for me.” We know many...

Sizzling Bacon

Francis Bacon was a philosopher, statesman and scientist. He laid the foundation for the Age of Enlightenment, an intellectual movement in Europe from 1685 - 1815 that emphasized reason and individualism over tradition and religion. Bacon also formulated the Scientific Method, observing facts to study...

Wild Women

During Women’s History Month we featured Caitlin Clark, Taylor Swift, and Cole Brauer, all outstanding young women. But 84-year-old Margaret Atwood has a lifetime of accomplishments, including two Booker prizes, as well as the National Book Critics and PEN Lifetime Achievement awards. She even invented...

Cole Power

During March, Women’s History Month there are standouts, including 29-year-old sailor Cole Brauer. She recently became the first American woman to race solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world. Brauer finished second in a field of male sailors. (Only half who started the race finished...

Swifties

Prior to Super Tuesday, Taylor Swift sent a message to her 282 million followers. Swift didn’t advocate for either U.S. political party, but she encouraged her Swifties to vote. It was a risky move in this divisive climate. Yet, how inspiring for a young person...

Bring the Heat

As we write this, we’re in Breckenridge Colorado waiting for a snowstorm to pass so we can ski. Recently, we decided to return our gear to the 90’s where it belongs. At the ski shop, they heat-molded our liners so the new boots fit and...

Swagger

Caitlin Clark is a dynamo, attracting thousands to the game of basketball. This Iowa Hawkeye grew up in Des Moines, without girls’ basketball. As an eighth grader, Clark competed with boys. But they had to recruit older, stronger boys to guard her. They rarely could. Recently,...

A Singular Voice

There are those who stand against evil with nothing more than a voice and a will. And they change the course of history. Bayard Rustin was one. He studied non-violence under Gandhi and introduced the concept to Martin Luther King, Jr. which became the cornerstone of...