6 Ways to Use a Flip Chart in Training
Flip charts are a fun, engaging way to provide participant involvement that leads to understanding and retention. Last week I attended a two-day Bob Pike Group “Train-the-Trainer” Boot Camp seminar and learned several easy ways to incorporate the use of a flip chart in training. Six of my favorites were: Ground Rules Road Map Agenda […]
The Secret Memory Booster in Public Speaking
Would you like to know one technique that can help you better: learn your presentation? remember your presentation? facilitate your audience’s learning and recall of your material? Yes? The powerful technique is to use body movement and gestures. Perhaps you may recall learning gestures to a song as a child, or helping children learn something […]
7 Tips on Using Speech Notes Effectively
One of the biggest fears that people have about public speaking is the fear of forgetting what they are going to say. Using notes can reduce that fear greatly, but at the same time create a barrier to audience engagement. Here are 7 tips on using speech notes more effectively so that you can engage and […]
What Do Your Shoes Say?
Maybe I have a shoe fetish. No. I only own about 15 or so pairs of shoes. But, am I the only one who notices a presenter’s shoes? I don’t just notice them; I am distracted by them. Lately, I’ve been distracted by some poor shoe choices on the platform–mostly by aspiring professional speakers. Why? […]
Back to “School” for Speakers!
It’s back to school time for kids, but what about you? Are you taking intentional steps to improve your speaking skills, to start a speaking business or to grow your speaking business? While there are excellent books on speaking skills and on building a speaking business (one of my favorite is World Class Speaking by […]
Virtual Engagement: How to Sound More Conversational
How can you be more engaging and sound conversational when speaking virtually, on webinars. Skype, or conference calls? Here are a couple of low-cost tips:1. Look into the webcam while speaking. It’s not so easy, but here is a low-cost, low-tech solution to encourage you to look into the web cam: a “Webcam Buddy,” a face […]
Free ebook for Summer Reading: 12 Ways to Be a Confident Speaker
Learn some public speaking skills this summer! This week your free ebook is 12 Ways to Be a Confident Speaker. Get your free Kindle version (US link, Canadian link, UK link) It’s free on Kindle through Saturday, June 21, 2014. You will learn how to: –Speak with Passion –Focus on the Audience –Know Your Material –Use Notes Sparingly –Speak Conversationally […]
Free ebook for Summer Reading: Public Speaking Lessons from TED Talks
Learn some public speaking skills this summer! This week and next, I am giving you free ebooks on public speaking (next week is “12 Ways to Be a Confident Speaker”). Get your free Kindle version (US link, Canadian link, UK link) of the short e-book, Public Speaking Lessons from TED Talks: The Good and the Bad from the 10 Most-Viewed […]
Virtual Communication Skills–Bridging the Digital Divide (Video)
Virtual communication, communication using technology to communicate across continents, cultures, languages and time-zones, is quickly becoming the norm. You can discover practical methods for collaborating and presenting virtually in the video below (34 min, presentation given at a conference at the University of Copenhagen last month–don’t worry, only my speaker introduction is in Danish).Ready. Set. […]
Content vs. Delivery: Which is More Important?
Some people say, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” regarding the relative importance of content vs. delivery in a presentation. Is delivery more important than content? My most recent experience as a presenter at a conference at the University of Copenhagen on Virtual Communication (the conference title was “You Lost Me […]