Story Insight #10 – How To Capture Attention With Alliteration And Rhythm
In this fourth and final tip for creating a memorable foundational phrase, do your best to create rhythm and alliteration. Alliteration, like with my phrase Sell more with Stories, includes repetition of the same sound — in this case “S.” Rhythm comes from shorter...
3 Proven Pillars Of High Impact Stories
Shortcuts To Immediately Increase Your Storytelling Influence When you implement these 3 proven pillars, you’ll be able to create high impact stories that persuade people to take action. Pay close attention to my favorite, Pillar #2. Let’s dive in: High Impact...
Story Insight #9: Share The Results And You’ll Get Their Attention
In the last tip, you read about including action in your foundational phrase. If you missed the last tip, Click Here. Today’s insight is a slightly different twist. Ensure your phrase is results oriented. In my program, Sell More With Stories, there’s a clear...
Story Insight #8 – How To Give Energy And Inspire Action With Your Foundational Phrase
Now that you have the first version of your foundational phrase, let's work on making it action oriented. (If you missed the last video on the first step in crafting your Foundational Phrase, click here) The best phrases trigger an emotional or action-oriented...
The Most Important Phrase To Develop For An Influential Story
One of the most important elements of your story is the Foundational Phrase. This is one sentence that sums up the meaning of the entire story. Ideally, a month, a year, or five years after hearing your story, people will remember the purpose of your story when they...
Can We Please Quit Focusing On The Standing Ovation?
As a speaker and trainer, I frequently have to remind myself and others to avoid a common problem that keeps us from sounding unique and fresh: Clichés. When we use clichés, we plant seeds in the minds of the audience that we’re not original thinkers, that we’re...
Storytelling Insight: Why you should record your story before you write it
In the early part of my coaching career, I made a big mistake with clients. I would ask them to write out their stories. Why is that a mistake? Because the written word looks good on paper, but it doesn't always sound good to the ear. I call it going into author...
Storytelling Insight: Should You Start With Your Story Or Your Message?
A common question in storytelling is, “Do I write the story and then create the message or do I start with the message and then work on the story?” There's not a right or wrong answer to this. However, I'm a big fan of having the message first and then finding the...
Story Insight — Where To Start
When you’re creating a story, where should you start? It’s important to start with a purpose. What is it that you want people to think, feel, or do differently when you’re done speaking? There aren’t just one or two reasons for this: You might want people to sign up...
How To Save Time And Reduce Stress When Writing Your Speeches
Would you like access to a library of stories that you can use to support any point in your presentations? Create a story file. This is a file you create on your desktop, your iPad, your phone, or even just a sheet of paper. It’s a list of all the stories that are...
One Simple Step To Turn Your Story Into An Awesome And Unforgettable Experience
A statement I often hear from people is, “I don’t have a story anyone would want to listen to.” I can give you one thousand reasons why this is not true, but here are three: If you own a business, If you’ve ever been in a long-term relationship, If you have children,...
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...









Michael’s mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - it’s a learnable skill. Once he discovered this ‘secret’ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the world’s best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.

