A few years ago, my wife and I took our 3-year-old daughter Georgia shopping for her Halloween costume. She wanted to be a black cat, so we got her a black leotard, white gloves, black velvet cat ears, and a… Read More »Lend Me Your Ears!
A client company was preparing to deliver a one-day seminar to its major clients. Let’s call it the Acme University. “It’s time to give the sales guys a rest,” said the new VP. “Let’s show off the brainiacs who invent our… Read More »Internal speakers bureaus make good business sense
Those of you who don’t know my colleague Patricia Fripp are in for a treat. Fripp is a former President of the National Speakers’ Association, and is a member of their prestigious Speaker Hall of Fame. Not only is she… Read More »Guest Blog: Good Questions Uncover Value
Matt Latimer, a Republican speech writer for Bush and Rumsfeld, has written a very entertaining book called Speech*Less. In it, he chronicles his misadventures as an idealist in a palace of racketeers. Here he is describing the 2008 campaign from… Read More »A movement becomes a racket
A few years ago I attended my aunt’s memorial service, where anyone was invited to say a few words. I felt the need to tell a quick story that would remind everyone about her contagious enthusiasm for birds. No matter… Read More »Rehearsed vs. extemporaneous speaking
With the arrival and success of the TEDTalk, we are losing some public speaking distinctions. For example, what’s the difference between a speech and a presentation? I’m not sure if anyone cares, but I have always felt that each is… Read More »What’s the Difference Between a Speech and a Presentation?