SpeakHQ Blog
Since the release of Confessions of a Public Speaker, I’ve been quietly coaching and training speakers, both individually but also as speake coach for Ignite Seattle, the largest open submission public speaking event in the Pacific Northwest. Over the years I’ve refined a full day workshop, filled with fun exercises and effective lessons, and I’m proud…
Read MoreI did an entire presentation on How To Overcome Tough Presentation Situations, based on Confessions of A Public Speaker. If you’re looking for the raw list of situations and remedies, they’re in the slides below.
Read MoreBased on the national bestseller Confessions of a Public Speaker, this fun, fast paced and practice centric workshop will surprise you. Taught by one of the best and most experienced coaches in Seattle, this day makes it fun and easy to improve speaking skills for a variety of common professional situations. You’ll gain confidence through constructive expert…
Read MoreFor any skill, the only way to improve is through practice. Reading about that skill is not practice. Watching other people do something is not practice. Reading and watching can only help you develop a skill if you apply what you learn while you are practicing. Most people do not practice, which is why most…
Read MorePeople laugh when I tell them I’m a professional speaker. They assume at first that I’m some kind of self-help guru or infomercial star. But when I explain that the average American says 15,000 words a day[1], mostly at work, and frequently to convince others of their ideas, they stop laughing. I explain I’m primarily…
Read MoreLast week I had the pleasure of speaking for a second time at Webstock in Wellington, New Zealand. Natasha Lampard, Mike Brown and all the organizers exemplify many great things organizers hope to achieve. They run an amazing event and I was inspired to share what I thought they did so well. Like great design, a…
Read MoreI did an entire presentation on How To Overcome Tough Presentation Situations, based on Confessions of A Public Speaker. If you’re looking for the raw list of situations and remedies, they’re in the slides below. Watch the presentation online here for free. Or view the slides below (download if you prefer – 2MB PDF): Below is the Q&A…
Read MoreOn Tuesday 1/28 I’ll be doing a free, live webcast (register here) about public speaking, hosted by O’Reilly Media. NOTE: The webcast happened and you missed it. The slides and Q&A can be found here. In Confessions of A Public Speaker I explained how to deal with 17 difficult speaking situations. In the webcast I’ll coach you…
Read MoreIt’s rare to get heckled when giving a lecture, yet it’s a top fear for many people. My own advice on dealing with hecklers is in the what to do when things go wrong chapter of Confessions of a Public Speaker. In short: Acknowledge them briefly and politely. They want you to step down to…
Read MoreThis month I’m posting every day, picking the top voted reader question and answering it. With 37 votes, submitted by Andrew Holloway, is: When do you know that you have something worth saying or teaching? I often find myself caught between two competing thoughts: that I don’t know enough to help anyone, and that I should help…
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