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Before I leave the topic of getting to know your audience beforehand, I wanted to say one last thing about a situation that seems to be everyone’s worst nightmare: last minute requests to speak at work meetings. Since this subject is one of the ones I am most asked about, I... Read More →

In this series targeting some strategies to help know your audience, I have given two tips that will help you be prepared and target your speech with specific information. First, I told you that you need to plan on arriving early and connecting with the attendees one on one to... Read More →

You may occasionally need to present material to a city council or other governmental board. Go beyond the usual here. Don’t just find out what political party your audience subscribes to. That isn’t going nearly far enough. Find out if they are up for election, what... Read More →

As I mentioned last time when I was talking about judges, there are some very specific aids that legal professionals have in the area of getting to know some pertinent background info on their audience. There are limitations when it comes to juries, but that doesn’t mean you are... Read More →

A good client pitch should be a dialogue, not a monologue.When speaking to an important client, it’s tempting to want to impress them with PowerPoint presentations that have lots and lots of bullet points and complicated graphics. This is euphemistically called a “dog and pony... Read More →

Remember back HERE when I made a case for using online searches to find out what you can about your audience beforehand? I’d like to tell you a story about why this is so helpful. Recently, I expanded my practical legal skills seminars to Florida.  We were holding our seminal... Read More →

As we’re all aware, there’s a world of information about us, singly and in our respective groups and affiliations, available online. That is something that should concern each one of us, but since it is also a fact of 21st century life, it can provide you with a means to find out... Read More →

One of the easiest tips about speaking is also one of the most ignored: Meet your attendees one-on-one. If you think of the last conventional talk you’ve heard from a conventional speaker, he or she arrives after everyone else has assembled, talks to few people (if any), and then... Read More →

Some of the tips I have to offer about public speaking may take some time to teach well and even more time and practice to learn capably. But some hints can be summed up in a few words and executed easily by any speaker at any skill level. One of my favorites is only two words... Read More →

Can you imagine going to a dinner party where the host and hostess put out all their favorite dishes and beverages without any consideration for the dietary restrictions or tastes of the group they were serving? It would be a breach of etiquette at the very least, and result in a... Read More →