For starters, stop trying to just wing it. You’re not an improv actor, OK? Your goal as a speaker should be to have inscribed on your tombstone, “He Made His Point, and Bored Them Less.” To accomplish this lifetime achievement,… Read More »How Not to Bore an Audience (1 of 3)
We are animated, lively speakers in real life. Why not bring this to your next presentation?
Creating 10,000 presentations in the course of your career and rehearsing them all with great care will not necessarily guarantee you presentation mastery. Neuroscience, and common sense, show that factors other than blind repetition must prevail. For example, if your… Read More »Rehearsing Presentations: Is there a better way to practice?
When working on scientific and technical presentations, I am often amazed by the wonders of the science being presented and, at the same time, shocked by the speaker’s lack of awe or appreciation for the mystery and power of his… Read More »Scientific Presentations and the Gettysburg Address
Matt Latimer, a Republican speech writer for Bush and Rumsfeld, has written a very entertaining book called Speech*Less. In it, he chronicles his misadventures as an idealist in a palace of racketeers. Here he is describing the 2008 campaign from… Read More »A movement becomes a racket
Whenever I’ve been a panelist, I start out thinking it’s easy—a no brainer—and then, as I get closer to the event, I change my mind. I begin to realize that I will be on display for all to see and… Read More »How to be a good panelist