There’s lots of opinions about how to start a speech. Some say start with a joke. Some with a story. Some with a confession. Some even use video to break the ice. All of those can work, but in this post I’m more talking about what comes next—how do you hook your audience and have them leaning in after the opening? First, let’s agree on one thing: Every audience is cold. They… Continue reading
The secret to making any meeting, speech or presentation outstanding
Congratulations - you’re about to give a speech! Or maybe you’re speaking at your bi-weekly team meeting, or it’s a presentation at your company’s annual dinner. The problem is you’re boring. To be fair, it’s not so much you that’s… Continue reading
How to Keep Your Audience Leaning In
I was speaking to my BOS-Community members this week about the emotional roller coaster your audience goes through. It’s a good thing. Just like a great movie, you don’t want your audience at a peaked state for long. You also… Continue reading
How to warm up a cold audience before you speak
There’s nothing worse than stepping on stage and looking out to 200 blank stares. Your content might be pure gold, but the audience isn’t warmed up. Just like firing up your car mid-winter and trying to drive right away -… Continue reading
How to get powerful audience participation every time
I’m a sucker for audience participation - the more they respond the happier I am. The trick is how to get it. Maybe you lead staff meetings, present to customer prospects, lead seminars or present from the main stage -… Continue reading
Why you need to SLAP your Audience to be Memorable
In the late 19th century, in a lab at the University of Berlin, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus was staring intently at a long list of nonsensical 3 letter words. Curious about the slippery nature of memory, Ebbinghaus was carefully measuring… Continue reading
