Congratulations on having a great business idea. Extra congratulations if you’ve started the company and gotten some traction. Good job, you! Now all you need is some money to bring your startup vision to life. So…you start writing a pitch. MORE

I just read an email about an author from Port Elizabeth who has lost over 200 pages from a book that she is busy writing after her laptop was stolen. These are over 200 pages of the only draft! While I feel sorry for her, I hear this kind of story almost every week. How simple is it to really backup your files? I am sure that right now, she is thinking that perhaps she should back up on a more regular basis. MORE

How can presenters keep an audience engaged when going over large sets of data? MORE

The other night, I was in New York City where we saw a new play on Broadway called The Band’s Visit. It’s the story of an Egyptian band that plays a concert in a small Israeli village and what happens there. MORE

In cooperation with the Khan Academy , Pixar and Disney have been offering Pixar in a Box , an on-going series of behind-the-scenes lessons taught by Pixar's professionals (storytellers, animators, directors, artists, etc.). MORE

Gary Bailey plated goalkeeper for Manchester United for almost 300 games, and being South African he is considered something of a local hear. Here are some lessons from him: On Manchester United: Is a $1 billion business. Delivers weekly. Has 300 million customers. Lessons. Be tough and learn to takes knocks. Build on gratitude. Appreciate staff and all those around you. Things go wrong for everybody at some time. It’s how you deal with life, not what happens to you that makes a difference. MORE

I still get nervous about public speaking. But I’ve transformed my relationship with nervousness. It is now a friendly companion, not an evil stalker. There are many aspects to this transformation, and there’s just one that I want to talk about in this post. MORE

If you’re not getting the results you want or if you’re having meeting after meeting and you’re not getting the response you want from your team, it’s time to look at how and what you’re communicating, says Matt Eventoff… Read More. » » Read more. MORE

For those of you who are of the opinion that talking on the phone while driving (sometimes with yelling or fighting kids in the back seat) makes more effective or productive use of your time, I doubt you'll change your habits after this one post. MORE

I recently made over some webinar slides for a client and I can honestly say that the slides were the most messed up of any I’d ever seen. It wasn’t the content; it was the way the slides were created. Now, my client was a PowerPoint newbie, so it wasn’t really her fault. MORE

It’s no secret that many people are afraid of public speaking. As Jerry Seinfeld has said, “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two! This means, to the average person, if … Continue reading → Nerves Psychology of Public Speaking Jerry Seinfeld Mark Twain public speaking MORE

One way to create a modern look is to use BIG shapes. Recent design trends often use large shapes with lots of white space. You can see this on some websites. In this post, I show you 2 ways to use circles to create a bold, modern statement. Use a circle for a numbered list. MORE

On Thursday May 18 members of the Silicon Valley Speechwriters Roundtable were in conversation with Tim Pollard, author of The Compelling Communicator: Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design. MORE

The true value of Tim Pollard’s excellent new book is conveyed by the subtitle: Mastering the Art and Science of Exceptional Presentation Design. While much of the literature on what makes a ‘compelling communicator’ focuses on cultivating delivery skills and stage presence, Pollard rightly consigns these topics to a brief Epilogue. Rather, his focus on […]. Public Speaking Speechwriting presentation design MORE

As a young lawyer I idolized a senior lawyer in our city. Margaret Nixon was cool and poised. As a speaker she was clear and logical, but still warm and engaging. She got her message across every single time. And did I mention she could also make people laugh! MORE

“There’s this one guy at my company who…”. So began my in-flight conversation about presentations and presentation mistakes. This happens a lot. The surprising thing about this conversation was the rest of the sentence. “…is is way too exuberant when he presents.”. Wait, what? Nobody says that. MORE

Tools to analyze and ultimately improve conversation and communication generally have traditionally come in the form of suggestions or guidelines written in a textbook or a how-to-do-it trade book. But, recently, software programs such as Cogito have been developed. These programs are based on an extremely thorough analysis of all sorts of communication signals, especially nonverbal signals, for example, varied or consistent emphasis, mimicking or mirroring, and vocal-cord tension. MORE

You can spend a lot of time formatting a shape or some text in PowerPoint and you certainly don’t want to have to repeat that process if it isn’t necessary. The good news is that PowerPoint has several techniques to copy formatting and animation. MORE

Breathing to manage public speaking fear really works. However, it only works if you practice it regularly and integrate conscious deep breathing into daily activities. It is often called mindful breathing. MORE

I made a decision this morning to listen only to people who speak with gravitas. The last couple days I have been watching the news on CBS This Morning. Yesterday Samantha Powers sat with the CBS This Morning hosts, Charlie Rose, Nora O’Donnell and Gayle King. MORE

I don’t have to tell you that your voice is attached to your body. And I probably don’t have to tell you that your body needs exercise. But what kind of exercise makes your voice work better? And how does a full-body workout compare with vocal warm-ups for getting your voice going? MORE

Whenever a celebrity—whether actor, singer, athlete or other entertainer—takes the opportunity at an awards ceremony or other public event to speak out about a political issue, certain segments of the public immediately begin scolding and lashing out. It's inappropriate!" they say. MORE

I recently came across the six-minute film, Jim Carrey: I Needed Color. It is a beautifully shot and wonderfully told story about Jim Carrey’s fascination with art, particularly painting. The movie shows a side of Carrey with which many people … Continue reading → Motivation Psychology of Public Speaking Art Emotion Florian Mueck Jim Carrey Luciano Pavarotti Olivia Schofield Oscar Wilde public speaking storytelling MORE

year ago I started paceseting for races in Cape Town. My first race was the UCT 10k. I drove a (somewhat empty) 60 minute bus, and arrived at 59:10. Over the past year I have been a pacesetter for 20 races with a total distance of 704km (ok so I love numbers; I freely admit it). Even though it has only been a year, pacesetting has taught me about running in a bus, and about running in general, and my busses are a lot more full. Here are a few tips. I hope they help. When running in a bus. MORE

There’s an important reason that you should consider creating a menu slide, which is a slide that links to other parts of your presentation (and maybe outside resources as well). You could also call it an agenda slide. (In MORE

What makes a talk or conversation inspiring? Is it magic? Is it power? Is it beauty that inspires? Is it joy, pain, or sorrow? Leaders often feel a need to be inspiring because they want to get people to embrace their ideas and follow their lead. MORE

It's a new year, and with a new year comes lots of marketing hyperbole. Lots of "New year, new you!" and "Step into your greatness!" kinds of posts, articles and of course, paid programs. Every January, I feel the pressure. Do you feel the pressure? MORE

I was recently contacted by a woman who manages a small team of young, inexperienced salespeople. She was primarily concerned with their lack of self-awareness; their behaviors in front of clients and prospects were less-than-stellar. One person bites their nails in meetings. MORE

Here's a good example of the importance of using appropriate and inappropriate cultural identifiers. link] [link]. cultural identifiers. Bill Maher. cultural sensitivity MORE

If you are feeling dissatisfied with your life, it could be because you have not learned to speak up in public in order to fulfill your soul’s desire to make a difference. I believe we each have a gift to give the world. We each have some contribution to make that adds value to humanity […]. MORE

Kudos to Hong Kong based Malcolm Andrews for publishing a great infographic on how to deliver a world-class presentation. Malcolm is UK national who has been involved over the last 10 years in the development of business management and communication skills for companies across Asia. MORE

The Zen Master of data visualization has died. I am sorry to have to report that Dr. Hans Rosling passed away today in Uppsala, Sweden. He was just 68. A profoundly mournful day for anyone who knew Professor Rosling, obviously. MORE

Do you sometime struggle to decide how to open your presentations? MORE

People use speech patterns of popular culture because they are, like, popular. Part of the fun of life is to copy what we hear said in films and TV because it is a way to share common experience. Common experience is a great way to engage others. However, as my mom used to say, “Everything […]. MORE

There’s a book called “What to Say When…You’re Dying on the Platform” by Lily Walters. It’s full of clever quips and responses for when things aren’t going your way during a presentation or speech. My partner Tony loves it. I could never use any of it. MORE

Is this the world’s worst ever research presentation? We are indebted to Marc Jadoul for discovering this little gem. The renowned researcher, Dr Fisher-Katz, addresses an audience of undergraduates on her specialist subject, Nano Electronics. MORE

Mark Twain once gave the following advice to writers: Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. American novelist and columnist Florence King was … Continue reading → Grammar Florence King grammar Mark Twain public speaking very writing MORE