Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 156) – Phillip Pullman
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” Philip Pullman Photo courtesy of Adrian Hon
January 21, 2013
“After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world.” Philip Pullman Photo courtesy of Adrian Hon
Pablo Picasso was one of the greatest and most influential artists of the 20th century. His paintings are among the most recognizable of any artist that has lived. However, Picasso was not just known for his art; he was also know for his wit and wisdom. While reading through a
“Who is sitting in that empty chair?” – Eugene Ormandy By now you have probably heard about all the fuss over Clint Eastwood’s speech at the Republican National Convention. You may have even heard some of the jokes about “Eastwooding” and “The Old Man and the Seat”. Yes, many Eastwood fans
The hoopla is over, the streamers and confetti have been swept up and the delegates have returned home. Yes, the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in the United States have concluded, but not before treating us to a Smörgåsbord of speeches. The speeches were full of stories of personal triumph
“The public is composed of numerous groups whose cry to us writers is: ‘Comfort me.’ ‘Amuse me.’ ‘Touch my sympathies.’ ‘Make me sad.’ ‘Make me dream.’ ‘Make me laugh.’ ‘Make me shiver.’ ‘Make me weep.’ ‘Make me think.’” Guy de Maupassant
Today’s post features some valuable advice about your body language when delivering a speech or presentation. It comes from my friend, Douglas Kruger. Douglas, who hails from South Africa, is a speaker, author and trainer. In his three-minute video below, Douglas demonstrates several simple but powerful techniques that you can use to
I recently rediscovered this brilliant—and it is brilliant—three-minute stop motion film commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Olympus PEN camera. I first came across it in 2009, the year in which it was released. According to the people who made this creative work, they took 60,000 photographs, developed 9,600 prints
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has given her first public speech since becoming a Royal. She did it at the opening of the Treehouse Children’s Hospice for sick children in Ipswich, England. The Duchess, who admitted that she finds giving speeches “nerve-wracking” was under a lot of scrutiny for
In this post, I return to one of my favourite themes that run through this blog: the importance of storytelling. Past posts on the subject include this one and this one. Today we look at a TED Talk by Andrew Stanton. Andrew Stanton is a director and screenwriter at Pixar
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