Recently, a participant in one of our workshops asked me how to handle a situation where she sends a pre-read deck, then has to present it to people who have (presumably) already seen her deck. I was in a rush and gave an okay, but not fantastic answer. It has been haunting me ever since. […] continue reading
About 8 years ago, while visiting my parents in New Jersey for the weekend, I got bored enough to peruse my mother’s Prevention magazine. Actress Amy Brenneman of ABC’s “Private Practice” was being interviewed on her beauty secrets. Boring. As a speaker coach, what did interest me were her comments on Botox. She boldly admitted […] continue reading
In 2010, researchers at The Catholic University in Washington D.C. conducted a study about the attention span of lecture attendees. They found that most people stopped paying attention to a speaker only 30 seconds into the speech. That means a lecturer has half a minute to grab the audience’s attention—and try to hold it. When […] continue reading
When trying to persuade people to think and act differently, we study their wants and needs, what they care about, what keeps them up at night. Sometimes we reach them by making clear, concise arguments that address those concerns. But often it takes a little something more to engage an audience. Presentation metaphors can help […] continue reading
