When Steve Jobs got into high gear as a speaker, many people reported that he seemed to have a reality-distortion field around him. No matter how unrealistic his claims at any given moment, people said they couldn’t help being mesmerized:… Read More »How to be a rock star speaker
Every speaker struggles with a balance: A talk needs to be brief enough and interesting enough to ensure an audience will hear it, but it also needs to contain all of the information that the audience needs to know. Use… Read More »Capture Attention–4 Ways to Get Through to Your Listeners
In this series of posts, we’re looking at ways to capture attention and keep it. I make a distinction between “neck up” attention and “neck down” attention. The former is when the listener has to make an effort to pay attention.… Read More »More Ways to Capture Attention
In my mind, there are two kinds of attention: neck down, and neck up. Neck-up attention is when the listener has to make an effort to pay attention. Neck-down attention is when the listener is riveted to the speaker: she… Read More »Ways Great Speakers Capture Attention
Another way to be a highly persuasive speaker is to be “real.” Your audience will find you more trustworthy, and so they will be more willing to hear–and agree with–your point of view. To do this, understand what you are… Read More »Find a Sense of Truth to be Persuasive
For great advice on how to introduce a speaker, look no further than Richard C. Borden’s 1935 classic Public Speaking as Listeners Like It. Answer the following four simple questions briefly and skillfully, and you will effortlessly create a pleasant… Read More »9 Tips on How to Introduce a Speaker