Ep. 13. Don’t meet your audience’s expectations
By all means, meet — or beat — your audience’s expectations for what they’ll get out of your speech. But not for what you put into it. Here’s how to be surprising and unpredictable, but still reliable.
Ep. 12. Make your audience a little uncomfortable
Every instinct tells us to make our audiences comfortable. Yet a little discomfort can lead to some of the most powerful experiences your speech can offer. Here’s how.
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.
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.
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?”
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.
Why, yes — I’d LOVE to speak at your event
Public speaking and speechwriting: 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.
