Much has been said and written about the power of eye contact—how much, how little, when, where, how to fake it… Here’s what I suggest: If you’re speaking to a group, take one thought or sentence or chunk of idea to one area of the audience. Find a person to look at and … Read more
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Have you ever given a webinar or recorded an instructional video? Years ago, the first time I ever hosted a webinar, I was startled to realize how discombobulating it is to speak to…no one. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been talking to myself for ages, but this, sending my energy and content and little … Read more
I’ve had several conversations lately that revolve around the idea of being true to yourself, or being authentic, in conversation. One person said, “Sometimes in a conversation I just feel unfinished, like it’s not honest if I don’t say what’s on my mind, even if we’ve been talking about the topic for a while.” Another … Read more
You’re on a conference call. You host a podcast. You’re leading a webinar. In all of these scenarios, the only tool of communication available to you is your voice. A few points to remember: For reasons researchers are just beginning to understand, we gather relevant information about the words someone … Read more
By this point, just about everyone has been told to use stories or examples of some kind in their speeches and presentations. We know that stories are memorable, they engage the audience, they make us relatable, and they make more of an impact than data alone. But sometimes we don’t know what “telling a story” … Read more
It can be hard to think about doing something every day. Three times a week, maybe, or twice a month…but every day? And yet the things we’re best at, we learned to do by practicing them every day, every chance we got. We immerse ourselves in language, and we learn to speak. We read … Read more
The genius of the original, 140-character Twitter was that it forced the writer to budget her thoughts. No wasted words, no rambling. Just the message, distilled. Early telegrams were like this, too. Reportedly, the Wright brothers announced their accomplishment in 1903 by sending this telegram: “Successful four flights Thursday morning.” When every word, every … Read more
One of the most common pieces of conventional wisdom about public speaking is to research your audience. What do they want to hear from you? That’s fine advice, if you’re talking to a predictable, homogeneous audience. But how often are we doing that? Even a standing staff meeting with a team you know well … Read more
One of my favorite things about traveling is coming face to face with all the assumptions I make. I don’t know I’m doing it, but when you live your life around the same people in the same place most of the time, you start to think, “This is just how this is.” I’m in … Read more
A longtime friend and colleague, Josh, wrote last week with some thoughts in response to the post titled “Ask questions.” Here is what I wrote: So often when we’re not sure what to say, maybe in a situation when we have to talk with people we don’t know well, we try to turn the … Read more
