Top business schools ranging from Columbia to Wharton teach storytelling as a way to prepare leaders to deliver compelling, persuasive messages that appeal to both heads and hearts. Firms ranging from KMPG to Deloitte now couple candidate recruitment with storytelling, and companies like Nike and Disney include “storytelling skills” among other qualifications for open jobs. […]
10 Workplace Behaviors You’ll Regret (and How to Avoid Them)
Work is hard — which is why it’s called “work.” Every day, we face challenges that range from solving difficult technical problems and making hard choices between competing priorities, to deciding what to delegate and generating new solutions to old problems. And we’re expected to do all of that while staying calm, cool, and collected. For many of us, maintaining a […]
How to Get a Standing Ovation
First let us ask, have you ever actually gotten one? We’ll bet it was a memorable moment in your life if you did. (And we’d love to hear about it.) But we’re thinking that most people have only seen others getting one: actors in a theatrical performance, concert performers, State of the Union address givers […]
Your, Um, Filler Words Are, Like, Killing Your Credibility. Here’s How to, Uh, Fix This in 4 Weeks
It doesn’t matter how elegantly your PowerPoint presentation flows, how artfully you can field difficult questions, or how perfectly balanced your mix of statistics and stories is. If you’re filling your delivery with filler words like “um”, “uh”, “like”, “right”, “so” or “you know”, you’re wasting valuable air time, undermining your professional credibility, and giving your listeners multiple opportunities to tune […]
The Biggest Mistake You’re Making When Generating Ideas
When you hear the word “innovation“, you probably picture thought leaders like Elon Musk (Tesla), Steve Jobs (Apple), or Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook/The “Lean In” movement.) You also likely think about the ability to generate big, bold, brilliant ideas–not just once, but as a regular practice. You may also be comparing yourself to your colleagues who seem […]
How to Grab Your Audience’s Attention, Immediately
Steve Jobs once commented, “People who know what they’re talking about don’t need PowerPoint.” Whether that’s a slight exaggeration or a big one, it is true that most of our sales pitches and presentations rely heavily on visual aids and collateral. These can be a crutch for those of us who might not know our […]
The Presenter as Storyteller (Part 2)
In our last article (“Can a Good Story Save a Boring Presentation?”), we suggested that you try to add stories to enliven otherwise dull, data-driven technical and financial presentations (the kind where the audience wants “Just the facts, ma’am”). Individual stories about the folks who actually produced the data you’re reporting on can be a […]
Can a Good Story Save a Boring Presentation?
If you have read any of our books or articles about public speaking, or if you have taken one of our presentation skills classes, then you already know that we believe the answer to this question is a resounding YES! Which leads us to another question: Can EVERY presentation benefit from the inclusion of a […]
10 Reasons You’re Talking Too Much, and What to Do About It
Whether you think of yourself as Chatty Charlie, Reserved Rebecca or someone in between, chances are you have experienced the power of saying more with less. If you’ve ever worked in an office where someone stage-whispered “layoffs are coming” across the cubicle farm, you’ve felt the panic that rises from three words. You may have […]
‘I’m Sorry’ Can Undermine Your Career. Here’s What to Say Instead
We all make mistakes. From minor ones like mispronouncing someone’s name (which, depending on the person, could be a big deal) to major ones like making an expensive misguided hire, every single one of us can remember the workplace errors we’ve made that are cringe-worthy for ourselves, and painful for others. For those of us with a conscience and […]
12 Phrases that Will Make Your Audience Put Down Their Cell Phones and Pay Attention to You
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once gave this pithy advice for making a good presentation: “Be sincere. Be brief. Be seated.” As a professional speaker and presentation coach for the past two decades, I agree with this public speaking wisdom, and I would add one more tip: “Be memorable.” Read the rest of the article
3 Tips for Presenting in English When You’re Not a Native Speaker
As a coach and international business school instructor, I have worked with hundreds of current and future leaders who are accomplished, bright, and capable — and who quickly lose their confidence and competence when making business presentations. For a subset of these leaders — those who need to present in English when it isn’t their […]
Stop Ending Your Speeches With ‘Any Questions’ and End With This Instead
You have a big presentation to make to your client, your funders, or your boss. You’ve spent hours developing a deck that’s concise, crisp, and visually stunning. You’ve practiced the delivery so that you speak with clarity, calm, and confidence. You’ve tested to make sure your tech is glitch-free, proofread the printed materials, and developed an […]