Before you read any further, take a few minutes (5:46, to be exact) to watch this YouTube video of 14-year-old standup comedian Dylan Roche. Isn’t he hilarious? He also provides very good examples of three elements that standup comics and public speakers have in common. 1. They both perform in front of a live audience. […]
Tag: Ellen Dowling
The World’s Worst Presenter
One of our favorite TV shows, Whose Line is it Anyway?, frequently includes a bit called “The World’s Worst . . .” in which the players must come up with various examples of the worst characteristics of a variety of professions. The world’s worst surgeon, for one example: (Player mimes performing an operation.) “Am I […]
You Need Both the Steak AND the Sizzle
Recently we read a most interesting account (on a wonderful site called Futility Closet) of an experiment conducted in 1970 at the University of Southern California School of Medicine that proved that, if the speaker is enthusiastic and displays engaging body language, the audience will give him/her a high approval rating, even if what she/he […]
Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are (We See You Hiding Behind that Lectern)
We were amused to read in the Albuquerque Journal that the new governor of New Mexico, Michelle Lujan-Grisham (described as “diminutive” by the Journal), joked in her inaugural speech that one of her first acts as governor would be to order all lecterns in New Mexico to be lowered. This got us thinking about how […]
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 […]
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 […]