Archive for the 'Content Development' Category

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-New York) got caught in his own web of lies…or perhaps he lied himself into a corner. Either way, his juvenile behavior, coupled with his terrible judgment, left everyone stunned.  
During his show, news anchor and political commentator Chris Matthews described an interesting political term called “rolling disclosure,” where you roll and roll [...]

I was flying to Houston recently and sat next to a woman who was working on…you guessed it… her PowerPoint presentation. We started up a conversation, and before she knew what I did for a living, she confessed that she really couldn’t take the time to chat because she was giving a presentation the next [...]

What do Samoan car thieves have to do with public speaking or speech writing?
On April 1st I received a phone call from my son.  “You’ll never guess what happened,” he said.  “My car got stolen…again.”
Since it was April Fools’ Day, I figured it was a joke.  After all, his car was stolen six months earlier [...]

One of the biggest frustrations my clients have when preparing a speech is finding those key stories and credible facts that make it come alive. They often reveal that they waste so much time searching for information online that they no longer have enough time for practice. If this sounds like you or someone you [...]

The 80/20 Rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, helps explain the power of simplicity. The 80/20 Rule is pervasive in our world. For example:

80% of traffic jams occur on the 20% of roads
80% of beer is consumed by 20% of drinkers
80% of profits come from 20% of customers
80% of sales are generated by 20% [...]

I love the pomp and circumstance of the State of the Union address. Anytime our leaders gather together to celebrate our history and our future, I am moved and inspired. I was especially so last night as I watched President Obama take control of the podium and deliver a well-structured speech that reiterated for all [...]

I spent three days last week teaching our Technical Demo Presentation Skills program to a wonderful group of Application Engineers. The participants embraced our methodology and worked hard to develop their delivery skills and content. They did a great job, but many revealed that they found it difficult to develop “Touch Points” within their presentations.

I spent this weekend at the Inn on the Harbor in the charming seacoast village of Stonington, Maine, where I have stayed many times before. Every summer, the innkeeper revises the guest book and adds what she calls a “zany” page that returning guests like me look forward to reading. This year was one of [...]

We’ve all heard it before: “Less is more.” It’s what the TV makeover professional tells the woman who’s stuck on busy, patterned clothes and too much jewelry. It’s what makes fine-dining portions feel so special. And in terms of presentations, the same concepts are true: Less has greater impact, and small portions make the audience [...]

Does your speech have a memorable close?
Recently, I did a half-day presentation skills training program for a corporate group of one hundred people. I asked three volunteers to prepare short talks ahead of time so they and the group could have a “before” and “after” experience of our Line by Line Coaching™ process. 
One presenter gave [...]