3 rules about adding humor to your speech

My cousin Bobby, he can tell a joke. I envy him. Me, not so much. I can’t always remember the punch line. Which, you might not be surprised, is a joke-killer. So, in my presentations, I don’t start with a joke. If you can tell a joke, however, it can be one of the best ways to...
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Include questions to answer concerns

It goes without saying that a Q&A session occurs at the end of most speeches, unless there are time constrictions. Most speakers welcome a chance to hear how their message went over and clarify any areas of uncertainty. But just as obviously, you don’t usually want that...
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Getting second-person perspectives to build a first-class speech

When you’re gathering material for a your presentation, don’t overlook the potential of quotes, interviews and articles to help support and advance your points. It adds credibility if done well, and can also reinforce your message with a touch of humor, humanity or...
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Find the story that tells your story

Now that we’re going through the different support materials of a great speech, it’s worth breaking out different types of components. (See Tuesday’s post for a full rundown of where we’ll be going and when.) Today I want to put the focus on stories and...
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The makings of a great speech

Just like a culinary masterpiece begins with the best ingredients, crafting a great speech begins with getting the best support material you can and knowing what you can do with it. Even if your planned speech is something anecdotal or casual, you will want to give some real...
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The shortest, best tip for a great speech

When researching and writing your presentation, there are two steps that we’ll be looking at. You’ll need to gather all the raw data – facts, case studies, interviews, background, anecdotes, etc. And you’ll need to establish the most basic structure of your speech. I have found...
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Building your message from the ground up

I have been going over a lot of material that I hope has been helpful in laying the groundwork for your speech and understanding how you can connect more by knowing your audience and their needs. Now that we’ve laid that groundwork, it’s time to start with the real foundations –...
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The 4 types of speeches … and the one to focus on

One fine day I was chatting with someone and they happened to state that they were terrible at extemporaneous speaking: “all that last-minute stuff and such.” Whoops! Okay, I know I’m a speech geek, but this is important. Before you can learn to be a better presenter, we have to...
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A brilliant speaker begins with a brilliant speech

Over the course of my 25 years instructing attorneys, business executives, politicians and others I have learned some of the comments that I can expect when we start. And one I am almost certain to hear is that they don’t need any help crafting their message and just want to...
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