Tell Your Story
“Thank you for having me here. I am so honored that you asked me to speak to you today, but before I start let me tell you a few things about me and my company.” Sadly, many of the professional presentation I hear start with almost this exact opening which bring us day 3 of…
Read MoreI work with a client who is one of the smartest people I know but not the funniest. We were working on the opening of a professional presentation, and he thought he should start with a joke. This incident was the inspiration for…. Day 2: Make them laugh Unless you are a comedian or Donald O’Connor (watch…
Read MoreAn audience’s attention is precious. They remember best what they hear first and last in a presentation. It’s important for the speaker to not blow it in the first 30 seconds of a speech by having a mind-numbing opening. For the next five days, we are going to discuss 5 different openings that bore an audience in…
Read MoreThree public speaking lessons from Duran Duran? Have I lost my mind? Well, yes but that happened back in the 80s. I intend to persuade you, dear readers, that Duran Duran can teach speakers 3 valauble lessons about creating a speaking experience. Lesson #1 – The Music of Language When Simon LeBon joined Duran Duran,…
Read MoreOne of my favorite Mad Men moments was from season one where Don Draper pitches an ad campaign for Kodak’s new fangled slide projector. Last week, I wrote that it is not enough to just give a speech – a presenter should create an experience. Go watch Don create an speaking experience during his sales pitch before reading on.…
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