A professor in Nanjing, China had the bright idea of getting his students to put on a play with Japanese students. This was a bright idea because most historians tell us that the Japanese army massacred 300,000 civilians in Nanjing… Read More »Persuasive Speaking: Trust is the Cornerstone of Presenting
People make fun of engineers–ribbing them for their introversion and poor communication skills. I don’t feel that way. Whenever I work with them on their technical and scientific presentations, I find them to be eager and open to new ideas. … Read More »Technical and Scientific Presentations: Engineering Better Talks
You will have noticed, if you’ve read through these postings, that I am a fan of Henry Ward Beecher, one of the greatest speakers in American history. Even Lincoln looked up to him. Here is a description of Beecher written by… Read More »Presentation Skills: The Bang at the Beginning
Titles are important. My Dad was an editor and sometime in the 1950s a manuscript crossed his desk entitled, “Big Yeller Dog.” He liked the book and decided to publish it, but he asked the author if he could change the title… Read More »Presentation Tips: The Title Slide
First of all, Ellen DeGeneres is an amazing performer. She is relaxed (or appears to be), self-effacing, and playful–not mean, like some of the previous hosts of the Academy Awards. And instead of joking about things going on “in the… Read More »Effective Speaking: How Much Emotion?
I will be glued to the TV on Oscar night because I’m fascinated by the power of the acceptance speeches. They’re a balancing act between emotion and concision; between sincerity and craft. Too much emotion and the speech can be… Read More »Public Speaking Tips: What’s a Good Oscar Speech?