Blog
Articles about communication patterns and the situations behind them.
Not generic tips. Starting points for what's actually going wrong and what changes it.
Moderating and hosting events
How to be a good event moderator
The moderator is not the star of the day, and that is exactly what makes the job hard. What to prepare, what to ask, and when to get out of the way.
Read the articleLast speaker at the conference? Make it work
The closing slot is the worst slot and the best opportunity. The room is tired, half of it is checking train times, and that changes what you can do with it.
Read the articleThe why of the TED Circle
Why TED puts the speaker in a circle on the floor instead of behind a lectern, and what that does to the distance between you and the room.
Read the articleSpeaking, nerves and delivery
Rehearsing in front of a mirror? Be careful
Rehearsing in front of a mirror feels productive. It also trains you to watch yourself instead of your audience, which is the opposite of what you want.
Read the article5 books for dealing with public speaking anxiety
Anxiety before speaking is a response to uncertainty, not a personality trait. Five books that take that uncertainty apart from five different angles.
Read the articleHow to stop saying uhm and other filler words
Filler words are not a speech problem, they are a thinking problem: your mouth is faster than your sentence. Which is why the usual advice does not work.
Read the articleThe importance of timing in public speaking
Timing is not only staying inside your slot. It is saying the right thing at the right moment, at a speed the room can follow.
Read the articleThe power of a smile in presentations
The cheapest thing you can do on stage, and the first thing that disappears when you get nervous.
Read the article8 ways to connect with your audience
Connection is not charisma. It is a set of choices you make before and during the talk, and most of them are unglamorous.
Read the articleStory and slides
How to create a great story using the Story Pyramid
Every story that works builds, turns and lands. The Story Pyramid is the shape underneath, with a free template to fill in.
Read the articleWhy people cannot handle a lot of text on your slides
When there is text on the screen, people read it. They cannot read and listen to you at the same time, so you are competing with your own slide.
Read the article6 different types of presentation goals
Before you build anything, decide what you want the room to do differently afterwards. There are six answers, and they lead to six different talks.
Read the article404, the story of a page not found, by Renny Gleeson
A four minute TED talk about error pages that is really about how you treat people at the moment something goes wrong. A review.
Read the articleReading about it is easy. Seeing it in your own talk is not.
Every two weeks I send one real work situation that shows the gap between what someone meant and what actually landed, and what to try instead. No lists of tips.
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