What’s the difference between speaking and training?
What's the difference between giving a speech and training? I've had reason to think about that question recently as a ...
Take a lesson from Achilles
When it comes to thinking about how to present your material in a speech, take a lesson from Achilles. Let ...
Closers — How to Finish a Speech
I’ve written before on how to open a speech. How do you close one? Think about whom you’re talking to: ...
In Public Speaking, Address the Audience’s Safety Issues
It's hard to get anyone's attention these days. We receive, what, a billion marketing messages a day, something like that. ...
Understanding your audience
At the heart of great public speaking is understanding your audience. If you don't know who you're talking to, you're ...
The Speaker’s Focus Should be on the Audience; the Audience’s Focus on the Content
Consider the standard, garden-variety, dull-as-ditchwater business presentation. A business person shambles to the front of the room. People look up ...
The secret of great speechmaking
Why are some speeches and speakers great -- some few -- and so many are not? Ultimately, great speaking is ...
The Active Audience
Think about your audience for a moment. What kind of folks are they? If it's a business audience, then it's ...
What’s a sound bite?
The transformation of public discourse into something haiku-esque has been brought about by the advent of television and the 24-hour ...
How to deal with angry audiences
What do you do if your audience is hostile? How do you handle the emotions, the disagreements, the fear involved ...
