KEY TAKEAWAYS: Most remarks from panelists and guests at fireside chats are formulaic, safe — and instantly forgettable. But master storyteller Shonda Rhimes recently showed how women leaders and other speakers can be memorable when they trade safe, familiar answers for blunt language, personal vulnerability and an unexpected point of view. Read on for three […]

Are you eager to deliver a speech that creates a ripple effect — in your company, industry or community — long after your speech is over? Learn what makes a speech memorable beyond the moment. Use the checklist in this post to design your next speech to deliver the outcomes you seek — and drive […]

Most professionals get only a handful of formal speaking slots each year — but dozens of informal chances every week to speak, be remembered and quietly build their brand while simultaneously boosting their speaker confidence. All too often, however, businesspeople treat informal moments as casual instead of consequential. This post shows you how to use […]

Content not purposely designed to be remembered is easily forgotten. If you’ve ever listened to a panel discussion and left the room wondering what you’d just learned, you know this to be true (perhaps more often than you like to admit). This post explains why panels are especially vulnerable to the Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve, and […]

Are you working on a signature talk, keynote speech or book so you can share your Big Idea with the world? Take note: You may be missing important perspectives that aren’t yet visible. The fix: Invite one or more trusted thought partners to stress-test your Big Idea — and uncover the gaps you can’t see […]

If you’re searching for hacks to help you build stage confidence, you might be tackling the wrong problem. Too many presenters spend time upfront focused on delivery tips instead of getting really clear on what they need to say and why. Discover what public speakers often miss — and three things you need to do […]

Keynote speaker Joan Donovan captivated the wall-to-wall crowd March 24, 2026, at the University of Dayton in Ohio as she outlined — citing evidence — how today’s online information environment makes it easy to create and spread false or manipulative content to undermine democracy in the United States. The consequences are real, she said: Citizens […]

Your authority alone may earn you the right to speak. But whether people believe you is earned as you speak. Moment by moment, your audience is judging your character, credibility and executive presence — and deciding whether to trust you. Aristotle gave us a practical framework to shape those perceptions. Here’s how to use it. […]

Have you ever poured your heart into a speech or business presentation – only to realize later that your audience didn’t get it (or didn’t care)? That’s a lost and wasted opportunity. And it happens when you focus only on what YOU want to say instead of WHO you’re saying it to. Here’s how risk-taking […]

The key to nailing a difficult point – and creating meaning that lasts – often lies just beneath the surface, in a story a leader has never told. When a thought partner uncovers that story and helps a leader find the courage to say what’s unsaid, everything changes. The message sticks. It resonates. It lasts. […]

What if your next persuasive speech leaves your audience with gifts they never saw coming? Gifts they will remember and treasure – long after they leave the room? Read on to learn the expected and unexpected gifts of persuasion, and why the art of persuasion in public speaking is an act of service, not self-promotion. […]

A longtime client recently asked me to lead a “train the trainer” workshop for subject matter experts – in accounting, IT, credit, purchasing and other business services – so these folks could improve the content and delivery of their professional presentations. All 40 of these experts-turned-presenters shared the same goal: To persuade their audiences to […]