If you had to guess how many presenters you have heard speak, how many would you say? Have you heard hundreds? Maybe even thousands?  Depending on how many meetings you have attended, you may have even heard tens of thousands of people speak on business, policy, religion, education, etc.  Of all of those speakers, how much of what they said was memorable? Chances are not too much. They spoke, and you heard them, but their message went in one ear and out the other.  I challenge you to start studying every speaker and presenter you hear! It’s time for you to become a “speaker crit ..read more

Have you ever built a home?  Even if you haven't, you know the basics of home construction. The process of home building is similar to the process you can use to create your next speaking message. This metaphor is important because the end result will be what you envisioned when following all the steps. You need a plan; you need materials; and you need to put them all together correctly to create your dream home. Having come from the construction industry, first working as a carpenter, then as an architectural draftsman, and finally as an estimator - plus having made seven additions to ou ..read more

You have been using “Golden Threads” for many years, yet you're probably not calling them “Golden Threads.” You've used them in describing a movie, a trip across the country, and a recent speaker you heard give a powerful presentation. A "Golden Thread" is one sentence that describes your message and makes it clear what talking points you should make. The “Golden Thread” for this blog is, “When you create a “Golden Thread” for any message, it will help keep you focused and ensure your audience knows where you're going to take them with your message." The benefit to you is that helps you quickl ..read more

You can find anything for purchase on the internet, and you likely buy things online, as the internet has become the shopping place for almost half the people on earth. Rachel LeWinter recently wrote an article titled "The 65 Weirdest, Most Hilarious Things You Can Buy on Amazon," which is helpful if you’re looking for something unique. Are you looking for a rubber chicken purse? How about a dodgeball game using fake burritos that has 25,000+ five-star reviews? Or a five-minute toilet timer that times you when you go to the bathroom? It is so popular it was on the TV show Shark Tank, and it ha ..read more

Part of making an excellent speaking presentation is having the ability to read the audience correctly. You might look to see whether or not laughter followed when you told a joke, and whether or not follow-up questions were asked or did you receive a standing ovation? These examples are indicative of you being connected to your audience and maintaining that connection until the very end of your speaking engagement.  However, there will be times when your audience isn’t easy to read. They may sit with their arms folded, look away from you as you speak, be largely unresponsive, and they ma ..read more

You’ve heard the expression, "repetition is the mother of all learning." Think how often you have used repetition to learn things. When you were young, learning math, you had to say it over and over again and then write it over and over again: 2+2 = 4. Now, as an adult, you never think of these things anymore. You simply know 8×8 is 64, and 9×9 is 81. These answers are automatic if you have used them enough in the past. Now 13x13 is…Maybe you didn’t know this one instantly, likely because most school teachers stopped at 12 x12, and therefore any number over 12 was not repeated and remembered ..read more

How many coaches do you have to help you reach your full potential and maximize your skill level? Most ordinary people don't have any coaches. Instead, they try to figure things out themselves. The typical entrepreneur usually has one or two coaches, yet the extraordinary entrepreneur has many more.    Devang Patel, a long-time speech coaching client and now good friend, has 12 coaches. Devang is a financial advisor and serial entrepreneur who owns many businesses and franchises. He has coaches for every business, as well as a life coach, general business coach, spiritual guide coach ..read more

Public speaking is a private conversation held publicly. The keyword is a conversation; it’s not a scripted presentation. The wonderful thing about this is that you’re already very good at conversing; you have been doing it your whole life! Imagine something strange or unique happened to you today. You go home, see your loved one, and describe what happened. Most likely, in your mind, you picture the experience, and then you relay that to your loved one. You don’t use notes, and you didn’t memorize anything. Instead, you saw it in your mind and then relayed that experience to the other p ..read more

When asked about their strengths, most people would not list speaking in front of an audience as one of them. Yet, almost everyone who interacts with people in some way will have an opportunity to speak in front of a group, whether in a business, religious, social, or political setting. Based on years of observation, here are the three biggest misconceptions about speaking and how to overcome them to become an even better speaker.   Misconception #1: Effective speakers are just born that way. Sure, you were born with particular abilities, talents, and innate qualities that allow you ..read more

Think back to when you heard a speaker say something like this near the end of their presentation: "OK, now it is your turn to ask any questions, and hopefully, I will have some answers for you before we end this session."   That is what most ordinary speakers do; they end their presentation with questions and answers about what they shared in their formal presentation. Unfortunately, that is just about the worst thing you could ever do if you are going to be an extraordinary speaker.   The better way to approach it is to have a Q&A throughout your presentation. Here are two ways ..read more