As speakers, we don’t want anything to distract our audience from our talk. How about your belly button? Is your belly button showing when you speak? A retired Hollywood costume designer surprised us with feedback about visible belly buttons! Tight-fitting … Continue reading
We all learn best through the medium of humor. Here are seven public speaking cartoons poking fun at habits of speakers while providing instruction, too. The Cartoon Videos Each of these public speaking cartoons is less than one minute long. Each poke … Continue reading
We can learn a thing or two by watching the hand gestures of opera singers. The Aria I was watching “The Devil’s Violinist” movie about one of the most famous violinists of all time – Paganini. Boy, talk about playing … Continue reading
One of the surest ways to establish your credibility as a speaker is by becoming an author. Having books available to offer your audiences enables them to “take you home” and remember your presentation. However, so many people want to … Continue reading
Recently I was reminded of an essential truth about speaking. We want to be speaking from the heart. The important reminder about speaking from the heart happened during a meeting where participants were practicing their “core idea” speeches with the … Continue reading
I’ve always said, with deep conviction, that conquering the fear of public speaking changes lives. Not only do I say conquering the fear of public speaking changes lives. I’ve seen it! Over and over and over again, thanks to Toastmasters. … Continue reading
Here is a recipe for preparing and delivering a presentation that can render you and your message unforgettable. The three ingredients An unforgettable presentation has one or all three of these ingredients: Uncharacteristic of the person or situation Unusual Unexpected … Continue reading
I have a love-hate relationship when it comes to PowerPoint. Not just for myself but for all of us presenters. Designed and used correctly is an excellent embellishment to a talk. More times than not, that isn’t the case. … Continue reading
As speakers, we want to be our best when on stage. Especially if delivering a pitch about our product or service! What can you accomplish in a one-minute pitch? A lot. We want to sparkle not just in what we … Continue reading
Speakers seem to think that any sort of PowerPoint will enhance their presentation. This is so not true! In fact, a PowerPoint show can ruin a talk, lull the audience to sleep, and render a presentation useless. Presenters use too many … Continue reading
In two weeks, two situations arose that safety pins could solve. Microphone Battery Pack The first incident was a popular guest speaker who did not have any means by which we could attach the battery pack so she could wear … Continue reading
My colleague, Circe Denyer, and I started a Toastmaster club, called Stagemasters, in 2017 with a TEDx style speaking focus. TED and TEDx Focus The mantra of TED and TED is “An Idea Worth Spreading.” I learned from my TEDx … Continue reading
Many years ago I was serving as the Toastmaster at a meeting. Dinner was first. Then I got up to do my duty. I joked, smiled, smiled, smiled. Really hammed it up. You know how us Toastmasters can be. This … Continue reading
What you use to power your PowerPoint show matters. The Stuff of Nightmares When I was the Training Coordinator at UCLA, a PowerPoint show kept shutting down and starting up during a class. It was just awful – not only … Continue reading
On January 28th, 2017, I stepped on a TEDx stage and delivered “an idea worth spreading” What are TED and TEDx? I found that many people that I shared my good news with had not heard of TED or TEDx. … Continue reading
