It’s helpful to think of presentations like movies. The narrative in both formats should be dynamic, the characters interesting, and the plot full of twists and turns. That way, we have a chance to truly engage the audience in the story we’re telling. Today, let’s talk about how to introduce …
Recently, I’ve noticed an increasing number of generic presentations. Generic, meaning those generated by AI—not just the slides, but also the script. I even witnessed a live event where several presenters stared at their laptops, reading notes written from start to finish by ChatGPT. Long, unnatural sentences, zero eye contact …
On August 9, 1940, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Winston Churchill, published a memorandum titled “Brevity.” In this one-page document, he urged all officials to write shorter reports. This memorandum has never aged. What exactly did Churchill include in this document? Here is Churchill’s memorandum “Brevity”: —— …
What is anadiplosis? It is a rhetorical device that is all about beginning a sentence or line with the last word of the preceding sentence or line. I will give you an example: “The market was filled with uncertainty. Uncertainty created hesitation. Hesitation led to missed opportunities. Opportunities, when seized, …
What happened to the words YES, NO, I DON’T KNOW – that they are becoming less and less common in discussions of all kinds? How not to communicate? I must admit, this has gone too far. Every radio interview I’ve listened to recently sounds something like this: Question: Do you …
I get this question in every other training session I conduct. But before I give you my answer, I have a question for you. Which option would you choose in response to the question: How many slides should a good presentation have?A. Fewer than 5B. Between 5 and 15C. No …
When I think about passion in the world of presentations, the words of Carmine Gallo (author of several great books on communication, including Talk Like TED) come to mind: “Passion is everything. You cannot inspire others unless you are inspired yourself.” This is the essence of passion. Passion is the …
I’ve spoken many times at various events, training sessions, and conferences about the importance of pauses in presentations. Yet, I still feel that for most speakers, silence is seen as the enemy. They think every second must be filled with some kind of sound—this is why, in so many presentations, …
It is rare for a book release to become an event in itself. But that is precisely the case with this book. Say It Well: Find Your Voice, Speak Your Mind, Inspire Any Audience by Terry Szuplat is the first book in 20 years written by a former White House …
Were the greatest masters of communication born with talent, or did they develop their skills? The secret to communication mastery – new insights after a stay in the USA. I just returned from a two-week stay in New York, where I conducted a series of workshops for NBCUniversal, one of …
