[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay] When I first thought of this topic about 10 years ago, heckler was the term I used. Today, the most well-known label is bullying. Essentially, they’re the same. Whatever you call this person, the behavior that’s demonstrated can be distracting at best and intimidating at worst. Hecklers or difficult audience … Read More
Communication Style
Are you Inclusive?
[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay] As a public speaker it’s always about the other person (or people). We know that—but the trick is to be inclusive when we’re conducting our presentation. Sometimes we think we’re doing just that but in fact we’re not. Before I present recommendations for speaking inclusively let’s revisit the value … Read More
Avoiding Communication Errors
[Image from Gaby Stein of Pixabay] Part of being human is making an occasional error and most likely we’ve all made errors. Avoiding communication errors is essential especially in the workplace, as it can be a detriment to building relationships with our colleagues. Here is a list of seven communication errors you want to avoid: Making … Read More
Storytelling: Your Golden Key
[Image by Alexa of Pixabay] Who doesn’t like a story? In case you’re wondering why that’s the case, it’s because most of us were read to as children and loved hearing stories. That brings us to the skill of public speaking. Knowing how to effectively tell a story while presenting to an audience is in … Read More
Thanks, but No Thanks
[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay] We’ve all heard it before and maybe even said it…“Thank you.” While those two words have immense value in some situations, that’s not the case when it comes to a speaker ending a presentation by saying “Thank you.” Some speakers even start a presentation by saying “Thank you.” The … Read More
Benefits of Practicing with Your Mirror
[Image by Dorothe of Pixabay] For those of you who’ve worked with me to strengthen you public speaking skills, you know the tremendous value I place on purposeful practice. There are several options available for practicing and among them is effectively using your mirror. As with all my posts, I conducted research on the topic … Read More
Is chatGPT an effective tool for public speakers?
[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay] Have you heard of chatGPT? If not, you’re probably familiar with artificial intelligence or AI as it’s commonly referred to. First of all, let’s understand the term chatGPT, which stands for chat generative pre-trained transformer. If you’re thinking that’s quite a mouthful, then you may wish to think about … Read More
Public Speaking Temperature
[Image by Gerd Altmann of Pixabay] When is the last time you took your temperature? To be more specific, when is the last time you took your public speaking temperature? Maybe never but you may want to consider doing this before your next speaking engagement. Here’s why I say that… Too often some public speakers … Read More
How Long?
[Image by Wikimedial of Pixabay] Imagine that you’re planning to deliver a speech. You have your to-do list and one of the items on your list is to practice, right? There isn’t one style of practicing however you may wish to consider these six guidelines for your next practice. 1. How long should you plan … Read More