Every Sailor Runs Aground Sooner or Later (3/12/2024)   Every sailor runs aground sooner or later! How do you know if a really brings the they claim to? I was along through clear turquoise water over a pure white sand bottom. A jagged line of READ MORE→
The Best Speakers Tell Stories About You!the best speakers tell stories about YOU! (2/13/2024) The best speakers tell stories about YOU! A speaker walked onto the platform wearing a rugged jacket and hiking boots. He set an ice axe down on a small table, pulled off his snow goggles, and began to recount his READ MORE→
The Speaker's Real Job (1/16/2024)   What is the speaker's real job? We've seen it too many times: A dynamic, charismatic speaker gets the audience on their feet, makes them dance, gets them to shout, “Oh Yeah!”—and works the room like a Baptist preacher in READ MORE→
PowerPoint Mistakes: Bullet Points! (1/2/2024) How deadly are your bullet points? There are seven elements that every speaker must consider when crafting a : ✅ Timing ✅ Volume ✅ Pauses ✅ Presence ✅ Facial Expressions ✅ Body Language ✅ And Dynamics Let's talk about timing READ MORE→
Two Stories Professional Speakers Never Telltwo stories to never tell (11/14/2023) Here are two great stories to NEVER tell: One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking things up and gently throwing them into the ocean. “Hey kid, what are you doing?” “Throwing starfish READ MORE→
Stage Fright: Turn Nervous into Service (10/31/2023) Advice on how to deal with stage fright ranges from absurd (don't picture the audience naked unless you're speaking at a super-model convention—and that could be distracting) to just plain useless. The popular assumption is that people are naturally fearful READ MORE→
Jazz and Musical Storytellingmusical storytelling (10/16/2023) What is musical storytelling? Many of our favorite storytellers rely on music to help them deliver their messages with impact. Depending on what's happening in the story, they use specific techniques and strategies. For example, when there's a dream sequence, READ MORE→
The Three Circles of Storytelling (10/3/2023) A story's success relies on three perspectives—three lenses through which its component parts must be viewed: What to Say: Choose the right words How to Say it: What media and skills will you use to deliver your message? Why They'll READ MORE→
Find the Music in Your Words (9/19/2023) Find the music in your words! A speechwriting colleague told me she always guaranteed her clients that her work would be well received by the audience. “That's a big risk,” I said. “No matter how good your writing is, you READ MORE→
Why AI-Generated Marketing Copy Misses the Mark (8/8/2023) Is -Generated Marketing Copy the powerful shortcut we've been told it is? The explosive growth of online content has done little for the evolution of graphic design or copywriting. Publishing has never been so easy, and the demands of producing READ MORE→