Wherever you stand on the issue of guns, it’s hard to deny the power of Emma Gonzalez’s short speech at the “March for Our Lives” rally last weekend. As many have remarked, it wasn’t just the things she said, but the long, dark empty...
I was meeting with a new client the other day who was about to show me his PowerPoint deck for a presentation we’ll be working on together. He prefaced it by saying he tried to follow the recommendations in my book to emphasize images over words. My expectations...
One of the most important keys to a successful presentation is forward momentum. Few things are more frustrating than listening to a speaker who zigs and zags, stops and starts and takes forever to get anywhere. I tell my clients to think of their presentation as a...
Last year I attended a conference breakout session on a topic that really interested me. The room was packed with like-minded people, all hoping to get something of value from the program. Then the presenter kicked things off by talking about himself, and only...
A smart presenter is prepared for absolutely anything. There are so many details to manage, some of which can make or break your presentation. Why leave anything to chance? That’s why I create checklists. Lots of checklists. I have checklists for: Things to do...
If you’re a fan of Bob Dylan or Patti Smith (or both) this video is must viewing. But even if you’re not, it’s worth watching for some important lessons on how to keep calm when things go off the rails during a presentation. If you hadn’t...
