On June 20th in the Wall Street Journal, in response to the media coverage of Tim Russert’s untimely death, Peggy Noonan wrote in her Declarations column, “When somebody dies we tell his story and try to define and isolate what… Read More »Public Speaking and the Importance of Character: A Life’s Lesson
Ford Harding has lifted his pen to engage with me on a subject of profound importance to sales professionals, leaders, and anyone who seeks to influence others. That subject is the emotional sea on which all decisions float. FUD (fear,… Read More »Presentation Training: FUD, GOG, Ethics and Rhetoric
FUD is Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt. I first heard the term when consulting at Gartner. I was working with the analysts in preparing for a Gartner Symposium, and several of them used FUD at the start of their talks to… Read More »FUD in Public Speaking and Persuasion
Public speaking is a talent before it becomes a skill. A talent is a latent ability, something that is dormant inside you. When you work at it, it becomes a skill. If you do have a potential talent for speaking… Read More »Public Speaking: Talent or Skill?
What should you do when the lights are so bright that you can’t see your audience? 1. Make sure you know where the audience is and look in that general direction with focus and confidence. The audience won’t know that… Read More »Presentation Tips: Blinded by the Light
I just returned from an engagement during which I was asked to give partners in a professional service firm 10 minutes to pitch the firm to a brand new prospect, played by another partner sitting across the table. Most partner/presenters… Read More »Presentation Tips: Listener-centric Messaging