Rob’s blog

Ep. 17. Practice. No, really practice.

Ep. 17. Practice. No, really practice.

Think rehearsal and preparation kill your spontaneity? This episode could change your mind — by showing you how rehearsal actually frees you to make spontaneous choices in the moment. Tips, techniques… and an excuse to use coloured highlighters. What more could you ask from a podcast?

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Ep. 11. Use slides well… if at all

Ep. 11. Use slides well… if at all

The world is full of speeches weighed down with terrible slide decks. Don’t let yours be one of them. This episode, we look at how to make PowerPoint work well for you and your audience — and I make the case for not using slides at all.

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Ep. 10. Ease up on the statistics

Ep. 10. Ease up on the statistics

A flood of statistics can lose your audience. Let’s talk about how to chose a gem of a statistic and put it in the perfect setting… and then make it part of what drives your story, instead of dragging it off course.

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Ep. 9. Suspense!

Ep. 9. Suspense!

One of the most effective ways a speech can hold an audience’s attention is suspense. And withholding a little information can whet their appetite for the answer to the question, “What happens next?”

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Ep. 8: Consider all of your audiences

Ep. 8: Consider all of your audiences

The folks in the room are just one of the audiences your speech is going to reach. Here’s how to think through who else may be listening in… and how you’ll account for them when you’re writing your speech.

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Ep. 6. Defend your narrative arc

Ep. 6. Defend your narrative arc

Between “helpful” suggestions from others and your own creativity, it often isn’t easy keeping a speech on topic and on track. Here are some tools for sticking to the path.

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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.

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