Ep. 100 The Legendary Brian Tracy He started out with nothing, had multiple failures, and even slept in his car! Today, Brian Tracy is a speaking LEGEND! He sits down with Mark and Darren sharing his experiences and wisdom learned at ‘the school of example’, including the two KEY QUESTIONS every speaker must ask and…
What would a speech coach say? University of Houston 2015 Commencement Speech First, let me say that this is Matthew McConaughey. He’s a movie star and not a professional speaker. He’s a celebrity brought in to give an inspiring commencement speech. For those graduates, that alone makes the event even more unforgettable. I think it…
Ep. 99 The 2021 Master Of Influence Since 1993, the National Speakers Association (NSA) has recognized those who have influenced the speaking profession in a significant way with the Master of Influence Award. In 2021, that honor was given to Toastmasters International. How are the organizations different? How can they complement each other? Mark and…
Have you found your voice? Is your voice active? Passive? Is it the voice of hope? Are you the voice of reason? How about the voice of rebellion? Some presenters, when on stage, may say words but have no real voice. No matter what subject matter you speak about on or off stage, you can…
Ep. 98 COACHING RESULTS With Denise Marek, Worry-Management Expert “My stories are now UNFORGETTABLE!”, says Denise Marek, award-winning speaker and author, eight months after being coached by Mark and Darren LIVE on Episode 65. She shares her amazing results after incorporating their recommendations, explains how her speaking and writing have improved, and proves that qualified…
Ep. 97 Live Coaching With Maureen Zappala, Imposter Syndrome Expert In this episode, Darren and Mark work with Maureen Zappala on the opening story in her keynote. They help her to more deeply embrace the significance of clarifying context, re-living the emotion of the moment, escalating conflict in a story, and using callbacks to make the message sticky. These potent adjustments will…
When we are kids, we dream like rivers flow. It’s what we did for hours. We don’t ask ourselves if we can. We just dream. That’s what makes it a dream. Nothing is held back, and there are no limitations or boundaries. We dream big! We don’t even know how to dream small. Why would…
YOUR NET? May 25th, 1961 President John F. Kennedy said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” For me, winning the World Championship was a true miracle from above, but that…
Ep. 96 Your Speaker’s Journey Have you ever felt like you’ve stopped making progress? Or that you should toss a story because you don’t think it works? Using case stories from a few of their coaching clients, Darren and Mark offer encouragement and insight about the ‘mile markers’ on YOUR speaker’s journey. They also unpack…
This was posted on June 16th, 2016, from The University of Pennsylvania (From 2011). What would a speech coach say? First, let me say that this is Denzel Washington. He’s a movie star and not a professional speaker. He’s a celebrity brought in to give an inspiring commencement speech. Just having Denzel show up at…