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
My aunt and uncle just moved into a retirement community in New Hampshire. Going through their books, they found one my grandfather had given to my mother. The book is Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling. “To Nancy, from Daddy,… Read More »Scientific and technical presentations: Wise Whys
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
You must know what TED Talks are. If you do, skip the rest of this paragraph. If you don’t, please go to www.ted.com and click on any one of the videos that you see. Or go to one of my… Read More »Tips from TED: 10 Commandments of Public Speaking