Rob’s blog

A great podcast for speechwriters (and other storytellers)

A great podcast for speechwriters (and other storytellers)

"Tell a story" is advice you'll often hear about speechwriting. Telling a story—and telling it well—can be a key to connecting with your audience, and making your message memorable. What you won't hear as often is how to tell that story, and how to tell it really,...

read more
Boring slides aren’t what’s wrong with PowerPoint.

Boring slides aren’t what’s wrong with PowerPoint.

Kindly allow me a short rant. Because this article from Business Insider is driving me a little nuts: PowerPoint presentations are the standard for presentations in the workplace. Except that they kind of suck .... It's not really Microsoft's fault. PowerPoint gives...

read more
How to use humor in a speech (without getting burned)

How to use humor in a speech (without getting burned)

One of the best perks of speechwriting is the way it lets you indulge your sense of humor. Nearly every time you sit down to write a speech, there’s a chance to tell at least one joke. That’s not something most other communicators get to do nearly as often. (Try...

read more
Why leaders should embrace gotcha questions

Why leaders should embrace gotcha questions

The long-standing Republican hostility toward the news media was on full display last week after the CNBC GOP presidential debate. And it led them to fall into a trap that tempts many speakers: settling for easy wins instead of preparing for difficult questions. Even...

read more
A guide to formatting speaking notes

A guide to formatting speaking notes

You’ve written the speech, and it has everything: moving anecdotes, a few telling facts, a gripping narrative, a rousing call to action and a conclusion that will have your speaker's audience on their feet. (Clapping, not leaving. Important distinction there.) Best of...

read more
Wake up your audience by turning up the contrast

Wake up your audience by turning up the contrast

Even the most interesting topic can be rendered inert by the simple application of a dull speech. Audiences are human, and they crave a little drama along with their intellectual content.Nobody knows drama better than Nancy Duarte, famous for her concept of the STAR...

read more

Find me on...

Why, yes — I’d LOVE to speak at your event

Public speaking and speechwriting: the essential guides

(photo of books with text) Leadership communications: the essential guides

Looking for advice on public speaking, speechwriting and leadership communications? Here are some of my most comprehensive posts, on topics that people ask me about most often.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Mastodon