Featured posts
TransCanada chief uses rhetoric to lay the blame on rhetoric
When someone publicly states that they don’t trust rhetoric – watch out!
The Dirty Rhetoric Guide to Horrifying Writing
How to achieve a literary shiver – with topmost tips, from beyond the grave
Speaking tips from Taylor Swift
Mix it up! Taylor Swift’s new album contains ideas for building presentation power
Amplification rhetoric. Getting words to go LARGE!
How to borrow from the film-maker’s art, & use the optics of language to supersize your next presentation topic
Why Giving a Thanksgiving Toast is Like the Macy’s Parade
Something traditional, something contemporary, & something warm. Mix generously, and serve.
Alliteration Alert: It’s election time!
Alliteration and political slogans. A marriage sometimes made in heaven, but more often somewhere else.
Seven speech-techniques powering Obama’s UN Address
The seven secret techniques behind Barack Obama’s hard-hitting UN address
Spice speech
Originally posted on fool (with a plan):
I’m fascinated by branding. Not the marking-cows-so-the-don’t-get-rustled kind. The kind of branding that’s about identity and messaging and clear authenticity. How clear? If No One Hates You, No One is Paying Attention. That statement is the title of a great piece by Alf Rehn (@alfrehn), and gets at…
Oxymoron – the birthplace of brilliant
Don’t back-off from oxymorons. From contradiction comes brilliance
Five architect’s jewels for your next presentation
Award-winning architect Sanjit Manku demonstrates five stylish and copyable presentation techniques in this video
How to handle an ambush? With respect
Whenever you are faced with an ambush-question, keep calm, keep cool, and above all, keep respectful
Janet Yellen’s Double-Bluff of Darkness
Just like the Emperor had no clothes – your opponent can sometimes have no argument, and know it!
Immigration reform: Nancy’s hurling lemons – here’s how John can make lemonade
How to turn the tables when your opponent paints you into a corner
Rand Paul at Berkeley: Why his speech worked
A look at the mechanics of Rand Paul’s successful speech to Berkeley
Cathy McMorris Rogers and the SOTU response. Yoda or Jindal?
The secret Star Wars art of a successful SOTU rebuttal
A presentation pointer for Chris Christie, and he can take this to the bridge
Gov. Christie…. If there’s something you want to deny, whatever you do, don’t deny it!
Dirimens copulatio and LBJ’s War on Poverty Speech
LBJ’s “War on Poverty Speech” is not only a triumph of policy, but also an example of dirimens copulatio
For impact: It’s diacope baby, diacope”
Austin Powers, Kenneth Williams, James Bond and Sarah Palin. They all share a top rhetorical tip: The diacope
Antithesis: An easy way to sound profound
Naughty gets you straight into presentation heaven. Antithesis can prove it.
Stocking Inspiration: Your Holiday Party Speech
Our top ten tips for your office party speech this Christmas
Halloween horrors of putrid PowerPoints
Slides to send slimy shivers down the spine. Happy Halloween!
Playing with audience perceptions of size
Want to supersize or downsize your audience’s sense of scale? It’s all in how you arrange your words
Feeling horny. Reflections on questions inspired by a Middle East taxi
Ask the audience a question: Yes!
Spring it on them: No
Analogy: emotionally powering your sales logic
The technique of analogy packs power and emotion into persuasive description
Should I wear a neck-tie for selling diapers?
Dress-code creates credibility but can conflict with audience similarity. Where to strike the balance?
Syncrisis turns attack into advantage
How the term ObamaCare demonstrates that embrace can become the best form of attack
Presentation Ethos, Mr Burns, a Dental Nurse, and Me
Why social connection is an essential part of your credibility
Analysis of Malala Yousafzai’s speech to the UN General Assembly
How a 16 year old girl, moved the UN. Analysis of the speech of Malala Yousafzai
Ideas for the weekly team meeting
Talking points to rescue weekly team-meetings from the insanity of inanity: Broc Edwards’ new book.
delusions of inferiority
Originally posted on fool (with a plan):
Hold back, keep it muted, don’t stretch, stay safe. We tell ourselves we don’t deserve it. Bigger, better, faster, louder, that’s all for someone else. If we don’t try, we’ll never fail. Never have to regret the misstep, only what might have been. Funhouse distortions. Twisting, obscuring, cloaking,…
The “Ummm” Word
Originally posted on make a powerful point:
Everyone gets the Umms. Rampant umming and ahhing can agitate audiences and strike fear into the hearts of presenters. To help figure out what to do with the umms, (without resorting to drugs) we have a virtual panel of experts – public speaking coaches, toastmasters and professional presenters.…
Leap the first frontier: Connect early with your audience
To make an audience like and trust you as a speaker with credibility, look for the links that bind them together
Opinion is a persuasive tool
Don’t stick to the facts! Add the spice of opinion to your next presentation.
Sales presentations: Understatement makes a great big statement
A subtle presentation tactic packs powerfully under-stated punch
Review: “HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations” by Nancy Duarte
Nancy Duarte’s “HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations” sets out all you need to know
Sales presentation strategy
The goal of a sales presentation is to sell something. Be upfront about it.
PowerPoint slide synchronisation. My interview with Indezine
My interview with Indezine: Presenters and PowerPoint synchronisation: Perils & pitfalls
Sales pitch strategy
In sales presentations, creating common ground with your audience will create credibility
Policed presenters lack yahoo moments
Why Marissa Mayer’s decision to cancel Yahoo! teleworking has ominous overtones for presenters
When your first public speech is in the service of others
When you need to speak-out in support of others, emotion moves mountains
Maria Miller and the jewel of Epanodos
How the rhetorical figure of Epanodos will carry your message to your audience
Book review: Your Best Just Got Better
A personal productivity book that will improve not only how you work, but what you work on
Broc Edwards guest-post: Downton Abbey and dealing with the FutureNow
Originally posted on fool (with a plan):
I really enjoy Downton Abbey and I’m super excited about the new season. A friend turned me on to it this Fall and my wife and I quickly watched the first two seasons. I really shouldn’t be able to relate to it – after all, it’s a period…
7 business speaking tips from the Inaugural Address
The 2013 Inaugural Address contained valuable tips for business presenters. Here’s the top 7
First Reaction: President Obama’s Second Inaugural Address
President Obama appeals to the support of the people, as he takes the fight to the Congress
Corsets come off in Downton Abbey. Time they come off for us as well
Mobile technology makes a mockery of © . Try © for ‘collaborate’ instead
Seasonal variation in presentation
We think in seasons. How can we add those seasons to our presentations?
Conjuring presentation magic for Halloween
Inspiring our presentation skills with the world of magic and illusion
Seven points for powerful debating
The seven top tips for debaters, as demonstrated by the 2012 Presidential contenders
The Third Presidential Debate 2012. Analysis and Commentary. And Who Won?
Our analysis and commentary on the third and final debate of the 2012 election, and who won!
Debating the Presidential Debate. This week: Rhetoric
Originally posted on make a powerful point:
Over $1.1billion has been spent so far on this year’s presidential debate. The American public, tired of two wars, a recession and a flagging economy is also suffering from campaign fatigue. There’s an outcry against political rhetoric. Yet it’s rhetoric that moves the needle. Witness the debate in…
Making presentations with an iPad. It’s time.
Why the iPad is now a proven tool for presentations by Peter Watts Some months ago I blogged about presenting with an iPad. At the time I was still tiptoeing into the world of Keynote and tablet-based presenting. I’m upgrading my recommendation from a cautious “give-it-a-go” to an enthusiastic “go-for-it”. After three months of extended […]
The Presidential Debates: Round 1. Our Analysis
Our first analysis of the Presidential Debates. How did the candidates perform from a public speaking point of view?
Ed Milliband Conference Speech. Showing how it’s meant to be done!
Ed Milliband’s victory. Showing us how a good old-fashioned speech should be done.
Obama v. Romney: Blogging the 2012 US Presidential Debates
Teaming up with Gavin at the Make A Powerful Point blog, we’re analyzing the US Presidential Debates. Come join the fun
Round. Nick Clegg’s Conference Speech Problem
Speaking “in the round” is always a horrible mistake for a presenter. Just ask UK Liberal Leader, Nick Clegg.
Changing minds, when minds are set
How would you convince an audience that 500 years of established fact, might just have been wrong?
Held up? Time to resource a presentation web library
Dead-time can be prime-time for tracking down presentation resources
Originally posted on fool (with a plan):
Want a leg up professionally? Need a career boost? Become a better public speaker. I can hear the collective response: Ohhh, ugh, groan. Not public speaking. Yawn. That’s lame. Give me career advice I can use. Maybe more school or certifications. I hate public speaking. And that’s a…
That Back-to-School Feeling. No kids required
New pens and fresh paint. Bringing Back-to-School to your presenting
Obama: The greatest speech-maker of our time?
Originally posted on Grist Present:
The simple answer is ‘yes’. When Obama turns it on, he is simply brilliant. This section from a speech has been put to music, and well-crafted by a team that are very, very good at what they do, but take away the flim-flam and you are still left with something…
No longer able to protect the crown jewels from the cameras? Time to embrace them
Prince Harry’s misfortunes demonstrate SmartPhone cameras are ubiquitous. Your Intellectual Property is going to get filmed, like it or not. What to do?
What have the Romans done for us?
A lot more than just the bridges, the aqueducts, and so forth! They taught us how to present
The fine art of presentation distraction: Romney creates a Ryan smokescreen
The timing’s wrong. The choice is wrong. Why did Romney just name Ryan as VP pick?
Stories and social media; At the roots of success
California based “Back To The Roots” demonstrate a case-study in sales and social media engagement
Running with the Olympic Blade Runner: Oscar Pistorius in London 2012
Oscar Pistorius, The Blade Runner: Exemplifying the power of taking part
Seven take-aways for beating block
Getting out from behind your desk is the the sure-fire way for beating block
Call me maybe. US Olympic Swim Team show presenters the way to go gold
US Swim Team demonstrates how to have a distinctive voice, how to win at Social Media, how to have a life, and how to win a gold
London 2012. Olympic Opening Ceremony. 7 points for presenters
The London 2012 Opening Ceremonies had Olympic sized ideas for presenters
Romney tax trap: The power and the pitfalls of tropes
Mitt Romney’s tax issues illustrate the destructive power when rhetorical tropes turn bad
You people… Mrs Romney has a message
Even if we can’t like an audience, it is imperative that we at least respect them
The passion of De Rochefoucauld
Originally posted on Manner of Speaking:
François VI, Duc de la Rochefoucauld (1613 – 1680) French Author “Les passions sont les seuls orateurs qui persuadent toujours. Elles sont comme un art de la nature dont les règles sont infaillible; et l’homme le plus simple qui a de la passion persuade mieux que le plus éloquent…
7 steps to beating presentation procrastination
7 ideas for ways to beat the procrastination that keeps you from your public speaking goals
Microstyle: The art of writing little
Christopher Johnson’s “Microstyle: The art of writing little” provides a travel guide for writing in the information economy.
Social media presenting sales
Social media, sales, and public speaking can all benefit when they work together
Stories, anecdotes, and diversions
Stories and diversions bring the power of the senses to your presentation. Just make sure you know the way back out
How many PowerPoint slides should I have?
Super-sized slide-decks suggest inadequacies. How many slides is too many?
President Obama’s speech responding to Supreme Court decision: Analysis
President Obama’s response to today’s SCOTUS health-care decision will be crucial to his re-election. Here is an analysis of which techniques we should be listening out for.
Presentation books: The Pin Drop Principle
Published this month, new presentation skills book “The Pin Drop Principle” offers useful ideas for the experienced presenter.
Vocal power to project your pitch. YouTube site will show you how.
Vocal power has always been essential for attracting a crowd. Here’s how you can boost yours.
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