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…
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…
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…
In 2001, while practicing my speech “Ouch!” in front of an Advanced Toastmasters Club, I was shocked and perplexed by a comment from two of the advanced members. At this point I had given my speech several times and had received an enormous variety of feedback. I thought I had heard it all. This comment,…
One of my favorite shows on TV was Mythbusters. I love what they do and how they do it. They scientifically confirm or deny urban legends and myths in a fun way. It got me thinking about some of the classic myths about presentations. Early in my speaking career, I received one of the worst…
First, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I don’t usually go as deep as I will in this article. Maybe I should do this more. You tell me. Also, what I’m about to say may lead people to opt out of my newsletter and choose never to read my blog articles again. I’m OK with that. Why?…
Picture this! You are on a tour boat in the everglades, and you can smell the saltwater as you feel the cool breeze off the water on your face. The sky is blue with puffy white clouds, and the other nine people in the boat are pointing to new scenery popping up all around you.…
Yup! You are the C.E.O. of your dream. Is that scary? Is that an eye-opener? Think about it. You can delegate, hire consultants, have teachers, but you are still 100% responsible. Yes, 100%. It’s your dream, not your parents, not your kids, not your friends. It’s yours. Think about it. Dreams are yours. The desire…
Mark Brown and I were in the middle of recording a new podcast episode; and, out of nowhere, these words of brilliance flowed from his lips, “Create an atmosphere of intimacy.” It stopped me in my tracks; and I let out an audible, “Hmmm.” So, what did he mean? Great question. When you and I…