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Do you have a speaking opportunity sitting in your inbox? Are you wondering whether to accept (or decline) the invitation? Get clarity – and get off the fence – with this advice.   The keynote speaker concluded, and the virtual event was over. Despite the incredible speaking opportunity given to this highly anticipated speaker and […]

Before you deliver another presentation to your next audience, learn the most important question you must ask about how to write a speech.   More than once, I’ve had a conversation like this with an executive who needs help putting together a speech or presentation for a business audience outside the organization: Me: What kind […]

Are you doing what the best organizations are doing with their DE&I communications? Here’s some executive communication coaching to help you find out by testing your DE&I speeches and other executive communications against three secret ingredients.    I have a T-shirt I got a couple of years ago during an Aileron workshop for entrepreneurs that […]

Timing is everything at work and in life. If your communication strategy for an upcoming event calls for a keynote speech from your CEO, how far in advance should you contact a speechwriter? Learn from this experience I had recently with a marketing VIP here in the U.S.   Last week I received a desperate […]

Anytime you have to write and deliver a speech, it’s common to face a challenge or two. But what if something happens to disrupt the event? Keep this story close at hand in your bank of ideas for speeches, and learn how to pivot when problems arise.   When it comes to a speech, the […]

Are you writing a speech with a crucial message and feeling the need to bounce your ideas off of a trusted colleague? Effective collaboration is the difference between a futile partnership and a phenomenal one. Here are 10 tips for leaders who want to collaborate with a thought partner to write more powerful speeches.   […]

Getting ready to present at a virtual conference soon? Take 5 minutes to watch this public speakers training video. Originally created for a professional association, this video will help you come across as professional as possible online. Business conferences in 2020 were in large part experiments after in-person events did an abrupt about-face, landing squarely […]

Are you a business communicator or leader who struggles to create a speech or presentation? Here are five burning questions that communicators and leaders have been asking about how to write speeches.   We had a lively discussion during my breakout room session at the virtual HERStory Business Communication Expo presented by IABC Greater Cincinnati. […]

You can’t deny it: Verbal slop and drivel often find their way into speeches and presentations. Don’t let this happen to you! Instead, learn to do what amazing public speakers do.   Did you know there’s an entire week each year – Words Matter Week – dedicated to stamping out “verbal slop and drivel”? That […]

For years communication pundits have written about our need as individuals to talk less and listen more. If you want to become a better communicator, check out “An Effort to Understand,” a new book by David Murray. He’s executive director of the Professional Speechwriters Association, editor and publisher of Vital Speeches of the Day and […]