Preparation
A Lesson From Leo Tolstoy
A valuable lesson for public speakers from Leo Tolstoy’s classic story, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”.
January 3, 2011
16 Comments
A valuable lesson for public speakers from Leo Tolstoy’s classic story, “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”.
It’s a shame that so many presentations fall short of the mark because they are so uninspiring. We all know the feeling: The speaker ascends the podium; there is a moment of anticipation, of excitement; the first slide flashes on the screen — full of text; the speaker reads the
The response to my recent post, A Public Speaker’s Checklist, has been great. Comments have been pouring in on Twitter, LinkedIn, email and this blog. People have been offering some great suggestions for additional things that public speakers need to remember. So that as many people as possible can benefit
A checklist of 50 things that public speakers need to remember before their presentation.
For a public speaker, first impressions count. Here are some tips to help make your first impression the right one.
In this blog post from 6 September 2010, Seth Godin raises a question that all public speakers face at one time or another. Am I ready? It’s a fair question. But it can lead to procrastination. Being prepared is one of the most important things that a speaker can do. It
Distilling your presentations into a single sentence or two will help keep you on the right track and ensure that your words, stories, statistics, pictures, props, etc. support, rather than detract from, your message. The next time you give a speech or presentation, ask yourself “What’s my key message?” or, if you prefer, “What’s my sentence?”
The next time you have a presentation, see if you can beat the clock. Speak for less than your allotted time.
Speakers need to be present for their audiences. David Bader has a wonderful quote that public speakers should take to heart: “Be here now. Be someplace else later. Is that so complicated?” In a previous post, I wrote that as speakers, we enter into a social contract with our audiences every time
Karsta Goetze
TA Leader, Gore and Associates
Andy Yen
CEO, Proton Technologies
David Lindelöf
Senior Data Scientist, Expedia Group
After a morning of team building activities using improvisation as the conduit, John came on stage to close the staff event which was organised in Chamonix, France. His energy and presence were immediately felt by all the members of staff. The work put into the preparation of his speech was evident and by sharing some his own stories, he was able to conduct a closing inspirational speech which was relevant, powerful and impactful for all at IRU. The whole team left feeling engaged and motivated to tackle the 2019 objectives ahead. Thank you, John.
Umberto de Pretto
Secretary General, World Road Transport Organization
I was expecting a few speaking tips and tricks and a few fun exercises, but you went above and beyond – and sideways. You taught me to stand tall. You taught me to anchor myself. You taught me to breathe. You taught me to open up. You taught me to look people in the eye. You taught me to tell the truth. You taught me to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. I got more than I bargained for in the best possible way.
Thuy Khoc-Bilon
World Cancer Day Campaign Manager, Union for International Cancer Control
John gave a brilliant presentation on public speaking during the UN EMERGE programme in Geneva (a two days workshop on leadership development for a group of female staff members working in the UN organizations in Geneva). His talk was inspirational and practical, thanks to the many techniques and tips he shared with the audience. His teaching can dramatically change our public speaking performance and enable us as presenters to have a real and powerful impact. Thank you, John, for your great contribution!
Sara Canna
HR Specialist, World Health Organization
John is a genuine communication innovator. His seminars on gamification of public speaking learning and his interactive Rhetoric game at our conference set the tone for change and improvement in our organisation. The quality of his input, the impact he made with his audience and his effortlessly engaging style made it easy to get on board with his core messages and won over some delegates who were extremely skeptical as to the efficacy of games for learning. I simply cannot recommend him highly enough.
Thomas Scott
National Education Director, Association of Speakers Clubs UK
John joined our Global Sales Meeting in Segovia, Spain and we all participated in his “Improv(e) your Work!” session. I say “all” because it really was all interactive, participatory, learning and enjoyable. The session surprised everybody and was a fresh-air activity that brought a lot of self-reflection and insights to improve trust and confidence in each other inside our team. It´s all about communication and a good manner of speaking!”
Jon Lopez
General Manager Europe, Hayward Industries
Thank you very much for the excellent presentation skills session. The feedback I received was very positive. Everyone enjoyed the good mix of listening to your speech, co-developing a concrete take-away and the personal learning experience. We all feel more devoted to the task ahead, more able to succeed and an elevated team spirit. Delivering this in a short time, both in session and in preparation, is outstanding!
Henning Dehler
CFO European Dairy Supply Chain & Operations, Danone
Thanks to John’s excellent workshop, I have learned many important tips and techniques to become an effective public speaker. John is a fantastic speaker and teacher, with extensive knowledge of the field. His workshop was a great experience and has proven extremely useful for me in my professional and personal life.
Eric Thuillard
Senior Sales Manager, Sunrise Communications
John’s presentation skills training was a terrific investment of my time. I increased my skills in this important area and feel more comfortable when speaking to an audience. John provided the right mix between theory and practice.
Diego Brait
Director of the Jura Region, BKW Energie AG
Be BOLD. Those two words got stuck in my head and in the heads of all those ADP leaders and associates that had the privilege to see John on stage. He was our keynote speaker at our annual convention in Barcelona, and his message still remains! John puts his heart in every word. Few speakers are so credible, humble and yet super strong with large audiences!
Guadalupe Garcia
Senior Director and Talent Partner, ADP International