The Blog / Archive

Many clients come to me because they want to be great public speakers. Typically, they are people who are already really good, and they’d like to get to the next level: the “wow, they’re terrific” level, the “get paid to give keynotes” level. I love working with people like this because they’re motivated, and they’re already good, so we can really dig into the small things that will make them more effective. Every now and then, though, a client wants to be great, but they seem to want to get there without discomfort. I might say, “You’re more powerful when … Read more

Some popular advice for budding public speakers is, “Watch how so-and-so does their TED Talk, and copy them!”  This…isn’t great advice. We never want to just try on someone else’s speaking style—it’s like putting on their suit. It might look kind of okay, but it doesn’t fit right, and you might trip over the cuffs. If you’re going to really study how other people speak, go all the way. What do they do? How do they do it? Is their style like yours, or not so much?  What do you think their intention is? How do they make you feel? … Read more

A few years ago, Ignite CSP was working with a company on their big annual event. Several of us were coaching their speakers, and one of my clients was the person tasked with speaking for a few minutes at the very beginning. I was excited—the kickoff speaker!  Getting the opportunity to craft the first few minutes of the whole experience is an honor, and a a big deal. All actors and directors know that you’re going to spend longer on the first couple of pages of the script than almost anything else in the play—you’re teaching the audience how to … Read more

You’re comfortable in front of a crowd. You know you are engaging, maybe even charismatic. You seldom stumble over your words, and you just don’t get nervous. You might even get a few laughs here and there! This sounds awesome! Why would this be anything but terrific for the people lucky enough to describe themselves this way? Because people like this often get complacent. They’re not worried that they’ll fall flat in front of the audience, so they don’t prepare as much as they should. They rely on their innate confidence to carry them through. The primary problem is this: … Read more

When you write your presentation, you’re using your brain in a specific way, to convey messages in writing. But when you deliver that presentation out loud, you need to use the same information in a different way, to communicate with people verbally. Unless you’re very practiced at writing the way you speak, this shift from your writer-brain to your speaker-brain can be bumpy. This is why we recommend that you always practice out loud. When you replicate, as closely as possible, the circumstances in which you’ll be presenting, you can catch all kinds of problems before they occur. The phrase … Read more

Practicing your presentation is a gift you are giving to your audience.  Even if you feel totally comfortable, spending some time bringing some forethought and planning to what you’re going to say signals to the people listening to you that you cared enough to put your thoughts in order. Don’t skip this.