Derrick called and spoke a mile a minute. His boss, the founder of a new hedge fund and the primary money runner had to speak at a capital intro in a week. Could I come and help? I asked if… Read More »Business Presentations: Hedge Fund Capital Intro
We often think that the placebo effect comes from the belief that a sugar pill is actual medicine, which leads us to the conclusion that if we believe something is good for us, we get a positive physiological response. I… Read More »Interpersonal Skills: the Placebo Effect
Let’s call her Sheila. Like many in the financial services industry, she sells with the aid of a pitch book, printed in landscape format and containing information about the history of her firm, her team of colleagues, their range of… Read More »Sales Presentations: The Biggest Mistake
What I have to say about lecterns and podiums is academic, but nevertheless worth mentioning. A podium is a raised platform on which a speaker (or an athlete) stands (look left.) A lectern is the upright object on which he or… Read More »Presentation Tips: Lectern vs. Podium
Science, like the rest of us, advances through trial and error, better known as dumb luck. One summer day in 1991, neuroscientists in a lab at Parma University wired up a monkey’s brain for a simple experiment. They wanted to… Read More »Public Speaking Skills: Mind Maps of Gesture
Um and His Cousin Er I hate speech coaches who don’t let you say “Um!” I listen to a lot of speakers, and a few “Uhms” don’t bother me. They make the speaker seem normal and conversational. On the other… Read More »Speech Training: Speech Disfluencies