Nothing says “I love you” like Chocolate! Champagne! Roses! But let’s face it, unless you’re The Bachelor(ette), there are only so many days a year that you can spend handing out roses and murmuring sweet nothings to the one you (hope to) love. Life, in other words, is not all Valentine’s Day. Usually it’s work, Read More
From (A)pologies to (P)itches to (W)edding Toasts
Public Speaking Tip 80: The Right Apology Makes Both People Feel Better (Even If You Don’t Think You’ve Done Wrong!)
When corporations do wrong, they often blow their apologies. An example: After the deadly Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, the Chairman of BP, which was responsible for untold damage, famously said, “I want my life back” and — wait for it! — “We care about the small people.” Well, we “small people” can do better! Read More
You Can Save Thanksgiving with the Right Key Message
Ah, Thanksgiving! For some of us, it’s a warm, relaxed opportunity to catch up with people we love and don’t see often enough. For others, it’s a living hell. When you mix alcohol, proximity, long-held resentments and, sometimes, people who don’t want to behave, you’ve got all the ingredients for an explosive feast of flaring Read More
How to Give a Commencement, Valedictorian, or Graduation Speech
A graduation speech is part entertainment, part inspiration — and the best way to win over any audience is to show your understanding of what entertains and inspires them. So start to prepare your commencement or graduation speech by thinking about your audience. Step One: Know the Graduates You’ll Be Talking To If you’re the valedictorian of your class, Read More
The Standard Elevator Pitch Gets A Makeover: Dan Pink’s Six Alternatives For Better Pitching
I recently picked up Dan Pink’s book, To Sell is Human — and what jumped out at me was his chapter on pitching. Pink starts by telling us about the original “elevator pitch.” This wasn’t (as we now think of it) a pitch you can deliver in the time it takes to ride an elevator — it Read More