
Improve the Impact of Your Speech Rehearsals With This One Trick
Picture this… You’ve written your speech. You’re satisfied with the flow of ideas. Now it’s time to internalize your talk. You begin practicing out loud. Five minutes into your rehearsal, your phone rings. Ahh! You forgot to turn off your ringer! But, you need to take...

3 Public Speaking Myths That Kill Your Influence and Impact Every Time You Speak
Why do we give speeches? When I ask this question in workshops I hear various answers. These responses aren’t right or wrong, but they can help you understand why some speeches are more memorable than others. The reason most speeches are quickly forgotten is they...

Business Leaders, Want the Perfect Cure For Boring Virtual Presentations?
An ongoing problem It's a problem I frequently hear... It's a problem I hear on an ongoing basis.…… “Michael, if I have to listen to another boring ZOOM presentation I’m going to lose my mind.” During the past two years, I’ve noticed people have gotten accustomed to...

5 Benefits From Effective Public Speaking (Hint: None of Them Have to Do With Speaking)
A Threat Which Changed My Life In 1994, my boss told me, “Your public speaking skills are awful. You fix this, or you’re finished here.” My boss was a real touchy-feely kind of guy. Although I liked the idea of public speaking, it scared me to death. Whenever I was...

Executives, STOP Thinking Public Speaking is Magic. Here Are Three Secrets to Influential Speaking.
“Michael, your presentations are awful. You fix this, or you’re finished.” Those are the words my boss said that “inspired” me to improve my public speaking skills. Up until then, I stood up and spoke to groups under duress. With my job at risk, I searched for...

3 Influential Speaking Insights for Executives
Too Many Executives are Missing Opportunities to Influence Audiences I routinely see high-level executives give presentations that have the potential to be highly impactful. They have the material, the wisdom, and a unique perspective on their topics. But, they don’t...

3 Costly Myths About Public Speaking That Hurt the Influence of Executives
Costly Public Speaking Myth #1 — Influential Speakers are Born That Way In 1994, I sat in my boss’s office. We were discussing the evaluations from a recent seminar I’d presented. When we finished the review, he said, “Your public speaking skills are awful! You Fix...

3 Humor Secrets to Add Spice to Your Speeches and Stories
Speeches and stories without humor are like a meal without spices — it can fill you up, but it’s not an enjoyable or memorable experience. Most people know humor is a powerful speaking and storytelling device. What many don’t realize is humor isn’t a gift only for a...

3 Benefits Metaphors Bring to Your Speech
Does Your Story Make Your Listener's Brain Work Too Hard? In his bestselling book, ‘Building a StoryBrand,’ Donald Miller points out the human brain has two main functions: Survival Conserve calories Too many speakers make their audiences work too hard to understand...

How Martin Luther King Used Improv to Stir a Nation’s Conscience
Improv Isn't About the Humor A common myth about Improv is, it's all about being funny. This is false. Humor is a byproduct of well-delivered Improv. Funny is born from the foundations of this skill. They give you the ability to: Be present at each moment Be aware...

Oh No! Some People in the Audience Don’t Like Me! What Do I Do?
Have You Fallen for the ‘Speaking Trap?’ My friend Tom frequently gives presentations. Recently he told me, “Six weeks ago, I got a last-minute opportunity to speak in person again. I grabbed it. “Then I learned it was a presentation to a group of high school kids....

Are You Doing THIS to Ensure Your Speech is Remembered?
The Ultimate Speech You’ve worked hard to craft your speech. You’ve practiced and gotten feedback. You’ve made changes. And you delivered your talk with authenticity and clearly, the audience loved it. Not because you got a standing ovation, but the overwhelmingly...

What Does Your Billboard Say? How to Capture Your Audience in 10 Seconds or Less
According to the website 99 Designs, the average driver has only 5 to 10 seconds to view a billboard and comprehend the message. Why should you care? Because the average audience member has the same attention span as a driver in traffic. What Does Your Billboard Say?...