We all know that there’s a right way to speak in public, when we’re singing for our supper – As professional speakers we’re taught to use: The right language for our different audiences Words that are not too long- nor too complex Jargon thoughtfully Latin seldom The ‘F ‘ word carefully Clichés never All so very good, and very…
One of the key skills in developing ‘Flair‘ as a speechwriter and presenter, is learning to use the ‘tricks of the trades’ from all branches of the performing arts. Poetry, drama, creative writing, music and songwriting all offer useful lessons, for even the most experienced of us. Adding flair requires that you do 3 things…
Olivia Mitchell starts an interesting discussion on whether to begin your presentation with the conclusion right up front. It’s always a choice with risks attached. Do you give the game away and risk people jumping to conclusions before they understand the ‘how and the why’? Or do you risk annoying the crowd by keeping them…
You might not know that in the original script for the first “Rocky” movie written by Sylvester Stallone, in 1976, Rocky dies after the fight that ends the film? It might have saved us from the dreadful Rocky’s II through VI but I bet that “Rocky” (Which was a truly original piece of writing in the fat,…
Ok. it’s not ideal but sometimes were called upon to make a speech with little or no time to prepare, so what do we do? We spend the time on structure not content, that’s what. Structure is the skeleton of the speech and just enough structure allows us the freedom to fill in the gaps…
The story is the thing, understand that you’ve got a strong message and everything else will follow. So many business presentations have little or poor story structure. Here’s a short post on the simplest structure for business presenters. Once you’ve got the gist of the three-act thinking, here are a few other ideas that will…
Everybody knows that stories have structure. They start with ‘Once upon a time….’ and end with ‘happily ever after.’ And in between the beginning and the end, comes the middle. In Western culture, most novels, plays and films tend to follow a simple 3 act structure, with each act playing a particular role in driving…
It sounds like a presentation trainer’s cliche, but it’s not. In business presentations, the story is the thing. There’s a skill and a structure to creating interesting and compelling narratives. A craft started in the verbal tradition by prehistoric man, developed by the ancient Greeks, sharpened by the French, the Italians, Spanish and British over…
I love ‘Masterchef’, a televised cooking competition in the UK, where would be Michelin starred chefs are brought in, placed under lights and lightly grilled until they explode. It’s great telly and I’ve learned a whole new language too. I thought reductionism was what Marxists did in argument. But no, in cooking, as I’m sure you…