Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) was an Italian economist who noticed that 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the people, and that 20% of the peapods in his garden produced 80% of the peas. He invented… Read More »Presentation Pointer: Find the magic 20
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
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
Define a problem that your audience faces. Then solve it. The human mind tends to fixate on problems: rubber-necking is a case in point. Presentations about problems have both emotional and intellectual appeal. The problem, well-defined, elicits our feelings; the… Read More »10 Commandments of Great Business Presenters