How to Create a Killer Keynote
If you’ve ever wanted to captivate a room with your words, impel your audience to action, and maybe even get paid to speak, you need a speech that engages. You need to create a Killer Keynote. In the video below, excerpted from a longer workshop, you will learn the steps to create YOUR Killer Keynote. […]
Unmasking Confidence: Lessons from Halloween for Public Speaking
Can you feel it? The crisp air, the leaves crunching underfoot, and the unmistakable sense of mischief and magic that comes with the Halloween season (well, not so much now that I live in Texas, but I was back in Minnesota recently). It’s that time of year when we dig deep into our closets and […]
Breaking the Stage Fright Barrier: 10 Techniques
Have you ever experienced stage fright? You know, the butterflies in the stomach, the shaky hands, sweaty palms, and maybe rapid breathing? It’s not fun. This performance anxiety is common in public speaking and other performance-related activities. Many years ago, when my children were teenagers, I experienced performance anxiety when I wanted to encourage them […]
Top 7 Most-Desired Public Speaking Skills
Do you relate to these public speaking concerns? In the video below, I address the top 7 responses to my recent survey question, What do you most want to improve in public speaking skills?
Impromptu Speaking Book only $0.99 through 2/21/23
“Not only will this book help people improve their public speaking, readers will also improve their personal communications. I particularly liked the chapters on handling difficult situations. Diane offers terrific tips to deal with real-world examples. This book is a must-read for anyone who talks to people — which is everyone!”–Dan Janal “This book provides […]
How a World Champion of Public Speaking Uses Humor
Do you want to incorporate humor in your presentations? The recent Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking, Cyril Dim Junior, from Zimbabwe cleverly incorporated humor in his speech. You can see a short clip of his speech, and my analysis of his humor in the video below, which is part of a longer workshop I […]
Speak with Confidence Today!
Do you have a presentation coming up, maybe in the next day, maybe in a couple of hours? Then, the video below is for you. I’m not going to talk about strategies for building content or creating awesome slides. I’m going to focus solely on what you can do to build confidence on the day […]
How to Guide Your Audience’s Attention in PowerPoint
Don’t be THAT presenter. You know, the one who does a data dump on their audience by using slides full of text or complex diagrams. Your audience may get confused or frustrated, and not focus on what you want them to. They may not listen to what you are saying as they try to take […]
Delay Tactics When Asked an Unexpected Question
[Book excerpt from my book on impromptu speaking] There are many impromptu situations and questions that you can anticipate, but often it seems that they come out of left field, surprising you when you least expect them . . . . . . Sometimes, you need to buy just a little more time; time to […]
The Link Between Performance Anxiety and Stuttering
Performance anxiety (or stage fright) is a subset of glossophobia — the fear of public speaking. It’s estimated that 77% of the population suffers from some level of anxiety regarding public speaking. Some physical symptoms of this are sweating, increased heart rate, and muscle tension. This can also manifest behaviorally through stuttering. How performance anxiety […]