Episode 029 — Use a Lavalier and Learn from Star Trek: Discovery

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5775992/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””] 2 Minute Tip: How to Use a Lavalier   A lavalier, or “lav,” is a small microphone a speaker will clip to their blouse, shirt, tie, collar, or jacket. That microphone usually connects to a battery pack/radio transmitter the speaker wears on their belt or waist. Usually the sound quality isn’t quite as good as a high quality hand held mic, but it can still be…

Episode 028 — Confirm Value and Avoid Offensive Language

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5753640/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””] 2 Minute Tip: Confirm Value At the end of a presentation, I like to ask the audience, “Was this helpful?” or “Was this valuable?”   Usually there is still a lot of energy in the room and folks will answer with an enthusiastic, “Yes!”   Obviously, this is great for my ego, but it also does a couple other things. It gives the audience members a…

Episode 027 — Purge Stale Material and Introduce Yourself

 [podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5731696/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””]   2 Minute Tip: Purge Stale Material   If you do a lot of public speaking, it’s likely you have some go-to lines or jokes that you like. Eventually the can stop resonating with your audience. Times change. Technology changes. Speakers grow and change. It’s important to periodically step back and maker sure your quips and comments are still relevant and getting the reaction you want….

Episode 026 — Bring Candy and Read Storytelling with Data

    2 Minute Tip: Bring Candy   Fun-size candy bars, Hershey’s Miniatures, Jolly Ranchers, and other candies are great, inexpensive treats to bring for your audience. You can toss them out as little rewards and incentives for folks who participate. Despite the low cost, folks often become enthusiastic at the prospect of winning a little treat regardless of their income level. Use this to your advantage to increase audience…

Episode 025 — Sit up Straight and Tell a Story

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5681934/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””]   2 Minute Tip: Sit Up Straight   Generally it’s best to stand while you speak. If you’re running a webinar, presenting on a conference call, or going through a phone screen interview for a new job, st6anding may not be feasible. In that case, it’s important to sit up straight, just like your kindergarten teacher told you.   When you slouch or lean back in…

Episode 024 — Take More Pictures and the Story of my Hiatus

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5660595/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””]  2 Minute Tip: Take More Pictures   Images are often better than text in PowerPoint Slides. You can use them to support a point you are talking about, to make an analogy, or to make a humorous aside. But how do you get this pictures? The best source can be your own photo library — if you have enough pictures in it. You already own the…

New Episodes Return on August 22, 2017

Hi, all —   I appreciate everyone who has stuck around while the podcast has been on an unscheduled hiatus. I had an unexpected medical emergency in the beginning of June and had to put everything else on hold while I focused on my recovery.   I’ll share more details about what happened and the lessons I learned and relearned when the podcast resumes on August 22.   Until the, don’t…

Episode 023 — Memorize Your Intro and Learn from Lincoln

2 Minute Tip: Memorize Your Intro  Think back to a recent presentation you saw. Do you remember how it started? What do you remember about the speaker’s effectiveness?  Do you remember more about the beginning of the presentation or the middle of it?  The first 2-3 minutes of a presentation are critical. That’s when you have to hook your audience so they’ll join you for the rest of your journey. You…

Episode 022 — Where Can We Learn More and Manage Audience Expectations

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5381626/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””] 2 Minute Tip: Where Can We Learn More?   It’s highly unlikely any of us as speakers will be in a situation where someone wants us to tell them absolutely everything we know, along with the background on all those details and to do it in one super long session. They may still want the information; they just don’t want to sit through it all and neither…

Episode 021 — Call To Action and Prepare for Losing a Laptop

[podcast src=”https://html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5360387/height/0/width/0/theme/standard/autonext/no/thumbnail/yes/autoplay/no/preload/no/no_addthis/no/direction/forward/” height=”” width=””]   2 Minute Tip: Use a Call To Action   If you’ve ever left a meeting and wondered, “What now?” the speaker probably did not use a Call To Action. The Call To Action tells the audience what the speaker would like it to do. That could include things like:   Take concrete steps Consider some new ideas Implement a plan Develop a plan Change its…