Three key words for every speaker
There are three key words that every speaker needs to master. In many respects, they are the most important words that one can say on stage: “I”, “you” and “we”. Each has its place. “I” and its variants (“my”, etc.) “I” is all about the speaker and his or her perspective, ideas, experience, opinions and […]
Interview on The Story Powers Podcast
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Francisco Mahfuz on The Story Powers podcast. The show is about the power of stories, the people who tell them, and why you should be doing it too. As longtime readers of this blog know, the importance of stories and storytelling in presentations is a […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 338) – Zig Ziglar
“You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great.” Zig Ziglar Photo courtesy of BrokenSphere
A tribute to my father
At the end of January, I had to travel to Canada on short notice because my father was ill and in hospital. Sadly, he passed away on 18 February 2021. That’s why I have not posted anything in the past several weeks. As difficult as this time has been, I am grateful. I was able […]
Where is your focus when you speak in public?
Too often, people don’t focus on the right things when they speak in public. They worry about how they look or whether the microphone is working properly. They wonder where they should place their hands. If someone in the audience is looking at their cell phone, they think that the person is not interested in […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 337) – Abraham Lincoln
“Extemporaneous speaking should be practiced and cultivated. It is the lawyer’s avenue to the public. However able and faithful he may be in other respects, people are slow to bring him business if he cannot make a speech. “And yet there is not a more fatal error to young lawyers than relying too much on […]
Should you speak in public?
Many people wonder whether they have what it takes to speak in public. Are they capable of giving a speech or presentation? I understand. Many people would like to try public speaking; perhaps they’ve even made a resolution to do it this year. But they’re not sure that they have something to say; they’re not […]
Analysis of a speech by Apollo Robbins
This is a tremendously fun speech to watch. If you have not heard of Apollo Robbins, you will enjoy his 8-minute TED Talk. Robbins is a professional pickpocket and one of the best in the world. He has studied human behaviour, human attention, and how to misdirect that attention. David Copperfield has called Robbins “my […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 336) – Winston Churchill
“All the greatest things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom; justice; honour; duty; mercy; hope.” Winston Churchill
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