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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 […]

CEOs and business leaders: When you have a crucial point to make – and you need to drive it home – don’t ignore the power of repetition as one of the public speaking basics you need to master.   Last weekend, my husband and I left a church service rather uninspired by the minister’s sermon. “Where […]

With business now the most trusted institution in the world, it’s time for business leaders to seize the day – to advance civil discourse, listen and then take a stand on issues that align with their corporate values. It’s time for business leaders who may have been “waiting it out” to engage in executive communications […]

Unhappy with your performance during your last virtual presentation? Follow these corporate speech coaching tips to the letter if you want your next virtual talk to go better.   2020 was the year that leaders at all levels had to learn – and fast! – how best to connect with their audiences on camera. Maybe […]

Learn the one thing you must do as a speaker to avoid epic fails (aka speeches gone wrong).   I was doing some catch-up work last week and tuned in to a recorded virtual presentation on a timely business topic delivered by an executive a few weeks ago. I tried to pay attention (really I […]

Working on a speech for a virtual audience? Give your creative juices a jolt with these five ideas for a fresh approach to your opening lines.   Getting a virtual audience on the edge of their virtual seats is no small feat.   The best presenters agonize over their opening lines – and rightly so! […]