Speeches and presentations

Speeches throughout history that inspired action (part 2)

Want to motivate yourself as a public speaker? Read motivational speeches that inspired action. This is part two of a five-part series showcasing speeches throughout history that changed the world. SPEECH: “The luckiest man on the face of this earth” SPEECH DATE: July 4, 1939 SPEAKER: Lou Gehrig BIG IDEA: I am grateful for the […]

Speeches throughout history that inspired action (part 1)

Want to motivate yourself as a public speaker? Read motivational speeches that inspired action. This is part one of a five-part series showcasing speeches throughout history that changed the world. SPEECH: “Give me liberty, or give me death!” SPEECH DATE: March 23, 1775 SPEAKER: Patrick Henry BIG IDEA: We can no longer hope for peaceful […]

Your quick guide to effective public speaking

Are you getting ready to speak in public for the first time? Or perhaps you speak in public now and then but would like a fast refresher on how to make your next speech come off poised, polished and professional? Here’s your quick and easy guide to effective public speaking – complete with nine simple […]

What to look for in audience surveys after you deliver a keynote speech

If you deliver a keynote as part of a larger meeting or conference, sending out a quick survey right afterward is a great way to begin judging whether your message has begun to resonate with your audience. After the surveys come back, it’s well worth your time not only to review the quantitative results but […]

3 mandatory elements of truly motivational speeches

Speakers deliver motivational speeches for one reason: to provide the insight, guidance and encouragement people need to achieve a defined goal. For a B2B company, that goal might be taking risks to innovate and then launch an exciting new product – or responding fast to build on momentum gained in a niche market. But unless […]

How to write an award-winning speech

Every speaker I know wants to write and deliver an award-winning speech. But what makes a speech award-winning? The best of the best? Worthy of recognition or a prize (like a standing ovation, perhaps)? It boils down to three simple things: An award-winning speech innovates. An award-winning speech communicates. An award-winning speech resonates. Let’s dig […]

Public speaking tip: Don’t throw too much stuff at your audience

Have you ever heard a speaker say this? “Today I’m going to share a lot of information with you about Topic X, and I apologize in advance for throwing so much stuff at you all at once – but it’s all very important.” Yikes. Sharing a lot of “stuff” without a clear message or main […]

1 thing you must do after your keynote presentation is over

A couple months ago, I’d written a keynote presentation for an executive who needed to travel across the country to deliver it at a major industry conference attended by peers, partners and competitors. Several days had passed, and I hadn’t heard anything. I was wondering how his keynote presentation went since he’d been under the […]

Ethics in public speaking (don’t do this to cure writer’s block)

Sometimes speakers like to put some initial thoughts on paper for their speechwriters to use as a starting point. It’s the speechwriter’s job to first decide whether this material should be used, and if so, how it should be used. Yes, I’m talking about ethics in public speaking. Here’s a true story: Recently I wrote a speech for […]

Public speaking tip: Connect the dots when sharing facts and figures

In certain speeches, sometimes it’s important to the message to share a few facts and figures, numbers and statistics. Here’s my question for public speakers: Do you take the time to connect the dots? A colleague of mine in the Professional Speechwriters Association, Carlos Razo, has a Ph.D. in economics. As special assistant and adviser […]