Public Speaking

How the Biggest Speakers Start Their Presentations – Gary Vaynerchuk, Malcolm Gladwell, and Ray Kurzweil (videos)

This past weekend I attended the Synergy Global Forum in New York. Some of the biggest names in business and entrepreneurship presented. It was a public speaking coach’s dream. Specifically I was interested in how everyone opened their presentations. So I took videos of each speaker right as t...

September 25, 2017
Communication Skills , Conversation , Presentation Skills , Public Speaking
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How and Why to Become More Concise When Speaking

Concise speaking is a frequent challenge I see with clients and students. Concision is hard because professionals have lots of information to convey in a very limited time. Important decision-makers are usually very short on time, and have a limited attention span. You have to get your point across ...

The Audience Will NOT React to Your Speech… And Why That’s OK

When we first start speaking in public, we have a desire to be reassured by the audience. We subconsciously look for positive reactions from the crowd to signal that we are doing a good job. But if you think about, while this is understandable (we’re nervous and anxious and looking for reassur...

4 Ways to Prepare a Presentation When You Are Pressed for Time

To make your presentation as powerful and persuasive as possible, it takes an investment of time. But, especially in certain industries, you often don’t have the luxury of lots of time to memorize, edit, order and reorder slides, get feedback from friends, and rehearse over and over. So here...

May 16, 2017
Leadership , Persuasion , Public Speaking
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Theresa May vs Jeremy Corbyn in Prime Minister’s Questions Before the UK Election (video)

In a few weeks the UK will go to the polls and elect a new Parliament. The Conservative party of Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to win decisively. The second-biggest party is the Labor party. The leader of Labor is Jeremy Corbyn, who faces off against May during the Prime Minister’s Qu...

Steve Jobs in 1980 – Conversational Style in Public Speaking (video)

Steve Jobs’ superior skill with presenting and public speaking was a key factor in his success. There were many bright and talented people in the computer field in the 1970s and 80s. But few had the presence, confidence and verbal ability of Steve Jobs. In this video, just 4 years after the f...

April 29, 2017
Communication Skills , Leadership , Public Speaking
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They Don’t Need Your Data, They Need You

There are three main skill levels in public speaking, identified by our inner dialogue: At the beginner level, we think “how do I look?” This is the most basic mindset, where we are most concerned with how we look to the audience and whether they are judging us or accepting us. Most pe...

Reduce Public Speaking Anxiety by Accepting it

Have you ever felt your heart beating faster right before giving a speech or presentation? It’s common, especially when there is a lot of anticipation and buildup. For example, when you are scheduled to speak at 10:15 AM and there is a roster of speakers before you at 9:30, 9:45, 10:00…...

April 23, 2017
Body Language , Persuasion , Public Speaking
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Power Body Language in the French Presidential Debate (video)

There are a few interesting moments in this clip from a recent presidential debate in France. You don’t have to speak French to see the body language at work: 5:04: Marine Le Pen chastising Francois Fillon Le Pen is very good at exhibiting a wide vocal range. She shows that again here (gettin...

How to Tell When a Presenter Doesn’t Care About the Audience (video)

This hilarious video demonstrates almost every bad quality a presenter can have: Her presentation is disorganized, rushed and confusing. She skips through the whole thing without really saying much. She relies on the slides instead of using them as a supplement to her words. She is distracted by he...