think we also try to bring good speakers "down a peg" by mocking them for being clear and simple. Media coverage went for the snark, with terms like "dumbing down" and "mental teenagers" to describe the shift in vocabulary that has members of the U.S. Mick Mulvaney. People have been teaching this for decades," he said on CNN. Who wouldn't? MORE >>

So if friends and family have knocked them down a peg, it's not like their performance is going to suffer as it might if they were being asked to put on a show themselves. At the Emmys last night, there was a similar thread running through several of the winners' speeches. If you know, please remind me. Is there any doubt? Be supportive. MORE >>

We verbalise it with phrases such as “a square peg in a round hole” when we want to denote a situation that doesn’t work. Match your character to the customer. Audiences like to believe that presenters see, hear, and feel the world as they do. Ask yourself two questions: 1. Where do I have common ground with my audience? MORE >>

I've had a few speaking invitations pegged to a specific topic, then found out it had changed after I accepted--without hearing directly from the organizers. It might seem counterproductive to turn down speaking requests--after all, they give you a chance to promote yourself, your cause, your company or your career. minutes to speak. No way!) MORE >>

  Guber tells the story of presenting former President Reagan and former President Mikhail Gorbachev with Tiffany-designed jackknives and reminding them of playing mumblety-peg as boys.  Peter Guber has written a masterful additional to the storytelling library shelf with his book, Tell To Win.   Who’s your audience? MORE >>