Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 220) – William Zinsser
“Who can understand the clotted language of everyday American commerce: the memo, the corporate report, the business letter, the notice from the bank explaining its latest “simplified” statement? “What member of an insurance plan can decipher the brochure explaining the costs and benefits? What father or mother can put together a child’s toy from the […]
Stan Grant's Speech on Racism in Australia
Stan Grant, an indigenous Australian journalist, gave a speech in October 2015 at a debate on racism in Australia. The video of that speech has gone viral. Several people are touting it as the Australian equivalent of Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech. While I would not elevate this speech to that status—and Grant himself has said that, […]
Toastmasters' Most Buzzworthy Speeches of 2015
Toastmasters International is a nonprofit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations. Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organization’s membership exceeds 332,000 in more than 15,400 clubs in 135 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 218) – Alan Rickman
“It is an ancient need to be told stories. But the story needs a great storyteller.” Alan Rickman Photo courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen
A Lesson from David Bowie's Final Album
Participation is a fundamental aspect of my workshops with corporations and organizations. If you are going to attend my workshops, you are going to speak. Often. I also get people to participate in the lectures that I give; however, given the size of the classes and the limited time, it not possible to give everyone […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 217) – Walt Disney
“Why worry? If you’ve done the very best you can, worrying won’t make it better.” Walt Disney
Powerful "Stories of Unlimited"
This morning, I was rereading the chapter on storytelling in one of my favourite books, Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Health. (To see the seven-part series that I wrote on the book, you can find all the posts here.) Our brains are wired for stories. Stories add meaning, contain wisdom, are effective teaching tools and […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 216) – Eleanor Roosevelt
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Barack Obama's Speech on Gun Control
President Barack Obama began the final year of his presidency with a speech on gun control. In it, he discussed a number of measures that he proposes to take by Executive Order to reduce gun violence in the United States. It was a solid speech on many levels. Obama usually speaks with a teleprompter but as far […]
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