Sawubona: See your audience
I recently wrote a post for Presentation Guru on the importance of “seeing” your audience. It was based on the Zulu word sawubona. Zulu, or isiZulu, is one of South Africa’s official languages and is spoken by approximately 10 million people. Sawubona means, “I see you.” Not in the sense of, “I see you here in front of me, and […]
Grammar: "Less" is more except when it's "fewer"
This post is part of a series on grammar and vocabulary. From time to time, I will post short articles highlighting some of the common mistakes that people say during their presentation or write on their slides, and how to avoid them. Comparisons often appear in presentations. We compare the company’s performance this year to […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 286) – William Shakespeare
“Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood.” William Shakespeare
Be prepared to cut your presentation short
I have written in the past about managing your time when giving a speech or presentation. One of my tips in the post above says to cut your presentation short if necessary. Logistics, I wrote, will not always be within your control and your speaking time might be unexpectedly reduced. If you are told, 20 […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 285) – Brent Kerrigan
“The cold truth is that audiences remember little about any speech. We may believe they have an infinite ability to remember our funding analysis and statistics, but they will remember one or two points, at best. We must therefore present information in a way that is not only easy to understand, but also easy to […]
Find the extraordinary in the ordinary
My friend, Lance Miller is an award-winning public speaker and trainer. He graduated from Michigan State University with a Degree in Food Systems, Economics and Management. Lance has an extensive background in business and is a philanthropist who has worked in numerous humanitarian causes around the world. In 2005, Lance won the Toastmasters World Championship of Public […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 284) – Anthony Bourdain
“Practicing your craft in expert fashion is noble, honorable and satisfying.” Anthony Bourdain Photo courtesy of Peabody Awards
A lesson from the Parthenon
I was recently in Athens, Greece to speak at a conference. While there, I had one free day and, as it was my first time in Greece, there was one place I had to see: the Parthenon that sits atop the Acropolis. If you every have the opportunity to visit the Parthenon, you must do […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 283) – Gary Vaynerchuck
“The single biggest reason people are concerned about public speaking is because they worry what other people think of them. The quicker you start learning how to fix that issue and be comfortable with yourself, you’ll become a much better public speaker. Heck, you’ll become a much better and happier human being.“ Gary Vaynerchuck
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