A speaker begins a presentation. He doesn't do a great job on the introduction, so you don't get his name, but whutevs. This meeting is supposed to be about new timekeeping rules, right? Now, there's a slide of a dog on the screen. Now he's telling some story about his grandfather in the Army. What was the topic? What are we doing here?
Read MoreThe things you do with your hands in normal conversation are “distracted habits.” The problem is that, in your speech, they become “distracting habits.”
Read MorePublic speaking is the intersection of argument and art. It's the pushing of your ideas through your personality into a particular space and time with a particular group of people. But receptivity to your message can be affected positively or negatively by a host of elements that have nothing to do with your speech. We call those, "para-aesthetic" elements.
Read MoreA good public speech happens in the wonderful intersection between your ideas, your audience, and you. That “you” is super-important.
Read MoreYour approach to your audience can have many shapes, but in general it will fall into one of three types: concave, convex, or somewhere in-between. The one that works best for you can depend on many factors: your subject matter, your audience, and where you feel most comfortable.
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