My sun sign is Libra–the scales. Whether my need for balance derives from the accident of my birth, or my experience as a speech coach is hard to say. But from where I sit, most presenters are out of balance.… Read More »Public Speaking Skills: Oh balance, where art thou?
Installing forty blinking boxes around Boston to promote a TV show for Turner Broadcasting is like yelling “Fire!” in a crowded theater. In this case, Marshal McLuhan is wrong. The medium (boxes) was NOT the message. Our interpretation of the… Read More »Communication Skills: Madmen Admen in Boston
Let the pageant begin. The dignitaries, Secretaries, and adversaries, enter, stage left. The attendant lady and lord, Sergeant-in-waiting and Sergeant-at-arms, say the ceremonial to introduce the President of the United States (POTUS), who looks small and determined. I check out his… Read More »Public Speaking Skills: Inner dialogue during the State of the Union (SOTU)
The title of this blog is the title of one of the best books on presentation ever written. It’s by Henry M. Boettinger, and it’s pretty hard to find. It’s been out of print for quite a while, it’s expensive,… Read More »Public Speaking Training: A Great Book to Own
I went to a slew of parties over the holidays. When people asked me what I do, I found myself saying, “Consultant,” or “Speech consultant,” or if I’m feeling really insecure, “Itinerant rhetorician.” I am essentially dodging the phrase “presentation skills”… Read More »Presentation Skills for Scientists
My friend Charlie Green, co-author of The Trusted Advisor and other books on the role of trust in selling (www.trustedadvisor.com), invited me to dinner with his speech coach, Patricia Fripp (http://www.fripp.com/). Patricia is a dynamo, and continues to send me… Read More »Speech Writing: Nice Sermon, Pastor, Who Wrote it?