Get to the point, please! That’s what I was thinking as my family and I were listening to the long-winded audio tour of the famous Civil War battlefields at Gettysburg, PA. I bought the condensed version, but it was way too much information for our needs. We sat in the car for ten minutes at Stop #1, then Stop #2; by stop #8 we abandoned the man on the CD. It was getting dark, and we wanted to finish our tour – on to Devil’s Den, and the Peach Orchard, and the Eisnehour Farm. We were very disappointed in the …

Adrienne McLean from Sydney, Australia is the first Certified Instructor in Australia. She is looking forward to expanding the program throughout the country. Adrienne’s story matches many of the individuals coming into the Certification Program. She has had a very successful position in the chemical manufacturing industry and was looking for a change. She was looking for a professional career which combines her passion for speaking with the luxury of being her own boss. The SpeakersTrainingCamp was just what she was looking for. I enjoyed spending some extra time with Adrienne – working with her during …

On the first day of school President Obama’s speech was televised to school children all over the country. Here is my analysis of his speech. As in all of my coaching, I strive for comments that are 50% positive and 50% constructive suggestions for change. I summarize with the top-two priorities:
Here’s what I liked:
1.Outstanding use of stories and examples to make his points: getting up at 4:30 am to work with his mom on school projects; missed having a father; Michelle Obama came from a simple family but went on to college. He gave 3 …

In the SpeakersTrainingCamp workshops you will often hear me coaching people to smile more. Audiences want their presenters to use a great deal of facial expression. I’ll often have someone who challenges me by asking, “Why should I smile? I’m not saying anything funny?” The reason for smiling is because when you smile you are conveying friendliness toward your audience and enthusiasm for your topic. The audience is reading your face for clues. I’ve noticed that people over 35 years of age often look like they are frowning when their faces are in a …

Everyone has at least two fantastic signature stories that will add great interest in his or her presentations.  Signature stories are usually personal – something from your life, and something that has a strong message behind it.  You want something memorable.  One of my favorite stories, “I Wanna Be a Philly,” answers my Dad’s question about what I want to be when I grow up.  To develop your own story, dig deep into your past, paint the pictures with words, and fill it with emotion, using gestures and the sound of your voice.  Notice that in this clip I use …