I’m deep into the second novel in Veronica Roth’s dystopian young adult series, Divergent, and the more I read, the more I see parallels with public speaking. ***SPOILER ALERT: The main premise of Divergent is about to be revealed.*** The Divergent novels (Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant) are set in a world that’s separated, Apartheid-style, into five “factions”: Candor train throughout Read More
Authenticity and Avatars
Public Speaking Coaching? It’s About You!
Why Does Public Speaking Coaching Matter? WNYC is my local NPR station. It has roughly a million unique listeners every week — more than any other public radio station in the U.S. (maybe the world!). So it was a total thrill when popular morning host Brian Lehrer kicked off a show on coaching with this quote from yours truly: Public Read More
Public Speaking Tip 32: For Great Public Speaking, Be Miserable (Not!)
Have you ever noticed (sure you have!) how comedians can get things dead on right? Dan Greenburg did it in his classic book, How to Make Yourself Miserable. This makes him a public speaking expert. Sort of. How to Be Miserable When You Speak in Public It isn’t enough to be miserable, according to Greenburg. If you want to not Read More
Public Speaking Tip 30: Want to Be a Great Public Speaker? It’s a Process!
The Public Speaking Process Is… Many Things People often ask me how long it will take for them to become a great public speaker — and of course, the answer is, “I don’t know.” That’s because I don’t know… How fast you learn… What great means to you… And, before we start speaker coaching, which public speaking process will Read More
Public Speaking Tip 14: Learn from Babies, the World’s Best Communicators
Who Are the World’s Best Communicators? TV stars like Oprah Winfrey? Politicians like Bill Clinton? Motivational speakers like Tony Robbins? The many speakers who deliver TED talks? I think the world’s best communicators are babies! Here’s why: Baby Communicators Make Themselves Heard Think back to the last time you were around a screaming infant. Chances Read More