“Becoming present is not just about knowing and affirming your story—it’s also about how you narrate your story. Telling yourself what matters to you is one thing, but equally important is taking control of how you tell your story—to yourself and to others.” — Amy Cuddy, Presence Anyone who has attended a presentation skills [...]
Tax season is here and tax day is upon us. Taxes are basically mind numbing, immense amounts of data that must be interpreted correctly in order to reap the benefits. Misinterpretation or simply ignoring the data leads to fines, penalties and all sorts of painful punishment. Why are we talking about taxes? [...]
Living a meaningful life matters, and creating a meaningful presentation that resonates with an audience matters too. Why do you think TED Talks are so popular? Their “ideas worth spreading” tagline embodies the exact definition of meaningful. And, as a result, TED Talks are just that: meaningful. What you have to say–your message–is already meaningful. Your task is [...]
It’s that time of year: Everyone is getting ready for school to start. Whether you’re currently a student, teacher, parent, or none of the above, going back to school conjures classroom memories for all of us. Book reports, oral presentations–some memories may be more pleasant than others. Talking to a classroom isn’t so different from running a team [...]
What do athletes, actors and speakers have in common? They need to perform–and do it well. With every public speaking engagement, speakers need to “step up to the plate” and “hit their mark.” Eloquent delivery and an authoritative persona are part of the game. And the reason much of the same language is used to describe competent athletes, [...]
You’ve heard of “zero-effort” guides to memorization or tricks to streamline the memorization process. But at the root of all of those quick hacks is the basic truth: There’s no substitution for practice and rehearsal. Rote memorization is a necessary evil–and how could it really be pure evil if it’s the key to a successful talk or [...]
As humans, we’re better together. An ancient proverb puts it this way: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Today there’s no better way to stay sharp than a small-group masterclass. This post is the last of a three-part series. In the first, we saw why masterclasses can be so effective for [...]
What do British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Obama have in common? They both used the power of their voices to boost their executive presence. And no, I’m not just talking about their use of their platforms to have their voices heard. These two leaders took steps that any speaker can replicate in order to achieve a commanding [...]
