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Haven’t posted in a while, so here goes. One of my favorite things to do is collect examples of rhetorical techniques – such as metaphors, antithesis, analogies, etc. Here is a terrific antithesis from Marcus Lemonis, the Profit, who says this at the beginning of... Read More →

A short while ago the ABA’s Legal Talk Network and  The Modern Law Library interviewed me for a podcast on Presentation Skills for Attorneys. I’m excited to announce that they just published the podcast! You can go directly to the podcast and listen to it here. And... Read More →

Well, I admit it. I don’t post on the blog much. It’s obvious. Writing isn’t my thing. In fact, it is so not my thing that it took me quite a few years to finally finish my book on presentation skills for attorneys. Yep, that’s how much I would prefer to... Read More →

Let me tell you a story. I teach my 3 to 3.5 hour in-depth training seminar on public speaking to law firms, corporate executive groups, businesses, bar groups, associations, public agencies and the like. I fly all over the country to do this. And when I do it, no matter where I... Read More →

In a presentation setting there is the “us” – the audience – and the “them” – the speaker(s). As a speaker, you want to always try to breach the “us/them” dynamic. Makes sense, doesn’t it? The last thing you want between you and your audience is a barrier. Especially one... Read More →

It is amazing how many speakers appear bored when making a presentation. There they are, up in front of a crowd with a golden opportunity to impart knowledge, create excitement or persuade a group to embrace a new idea and yet … they look as if they’d rather be almost anywhere... Read More →

Remember, I’m coming to you as the person who really, really wishes that speakers would dispense with PowerPoint slides altogether. I think this supposed tool has ruined a lot of good speeches. BUT, since I also understand that I’m in the minority with this viewpoint,... Read More →

How do you deliver the conclusion of your presentation? It’s understandable to want to coast across the finish line, especially if you feel like your speech and your speaking performance were on point. But successful speakers know that you can undo all of that work if you... Read More →

Let’s make something clear: PowerPoint is evil. This may strike you as being an overstatement. Evil? Seriously? Seriously. PowerPoint truly sucks. It has single-handedly ruined hundreds of thousands of presentations and corrupted many otherwise intelligent speakers. My advice?... Read More →

There are two critical things you need to know about handouts. Or maybe I should say, there are two criticial DON’Ts: DON’Tpass them out while you’re speaking. It will distract audience members and, since speakers generally speak while passing out these materials, it... Read More →