TED talk analysis: Ron Gutman “The Hidden Power Of Smiling”
Ron Gutman delivered a nice little talk at this year’s TED conference about the Power of Smiling. His talk was short and sweet, coming in at only 7:26 seconds, but it was… >>Read more
Authenticity:Why We Need It Now More Than Ever
I am always amazed at how much we trust the world. We trust bridges not to collapse, we trust other drivers to stay in their own lanes, and we trust most people to be generally… >>Read more
You’re on the spot, now what?
There’s nothing worse than being on the spot and not knowing what to say. It’s the perfect recipe for extreme embarrassment, and the horror of it can traumatize even the… >>Read more
How to Ask for a Raise
(Guest post by Sally M) Managing your career effectively can be a challenge. It’s hard to know which career move you should make next, and what steps you should take… >>Read more
Featured Speaker: Jeff Zelaya
Jeff is business development specialist who runs online marketing workshops for businesses and college students. He is the Founder of Florida Public Speaking and runs the… >>Read more
TED talk analysis: Ron Gutman “The Hidden Power Of Smiling”
Ron keeps it short, sweet, and engaging
Ron Gutman delivered a nice little talk at this year’s TED conference about the Power of Smiling. His talk was short and sweet, coming in at only 7:26 seconds, but it was packed with tidbits and interesting nuggets that helped make his point memorable. Let’s go through the talk and reveal what worked and what didn’t work for him, along with lessons we can all use to make our talks more memorable.
He starts with a story
Ron hit the ground running with a story. The first words out of his mouth where “When I was a child…” and he went right into an engaging story. Most speakers make the mistake of starting with some pleasantries like “It’s nice to be here” and “thank you for having me,” which just wastes an opportunity to truly grab your audience’s attention. [Read More...]
Authenticity:Why We Need It Now More Than Ever
I am always amazed at how much we trust the world. We trust bridges not to collapse, we trust other drivers to stay in their own lanes, and we trust most people to be generally honest. Effective communication is built on trust, and like a shaky bridge, people will avoid you if they notice you’re trying to get something from them or being disingenuous. Surprisingly, most advertising is the opposite of authentic communication. You never see an ad that says “Our product is pretty decent, but overpriced!” In a never-ending quest for higher profits, most companies lie straight to our face. And they have to, otherwise their stock goes down. The sad part is that we all know it, and yet we choose to play along. This lack of authenticity quickly sets the tone for our daily interactions, and soon enough we feel like actors in a bad play, disconnected from everyone else and isolated. [Read More...]
You’re on the spot, now what?
There’s nothing worse than being on the spot and not knowing what to say. It’s the perfect recipe for extreme embarrassment, and the horror of it can traumatize even the most resilient of hearts. In the past, I would start sweating profusely in an instantaneous attack of nerves that I hoped no one would see. Fortunately, there are ways to prepare for the unexpected, and these simple strategies have helped me gain the confidence to handle being put on the spot. Here are 3 easy strategies for improving your impromptu public speaking skills. Regardless of how you choose to handle these situations, the bottom line is to be authentic through your voice and actions. [Read More...]
How to Ask for a Raise
(Guest post by Sally M)
Managing your career effectively can be a challenge. It’s hard to know which career move you should make next, and what steps you should take to make more money. If you have been working for the same employer for a long time without seeing a pay increase, it might be time to ask for a raise. Every dollar counts when it comes to payroll, so you need good reasons to explain why you deserve a raise.
There are three parts to the raise process: research, preparation, and pitch.
Featured Speaker: Jeff Zelaya
Jeff is business development specialist who runs online marketing workshops for businesses and college students. He is the Founder of Florida Public Speaking and runs the site bestpublicspeaker.com. I asked him about how he started and how he handles the challenges of public speaking. [Read More...]
How to communicate social issues through art and parody
I’m using the term “art” very broadly here, because there’s really no other way to categorize these beautiful acts of self and collective expression. From people doing meditation flash mobs, to an Italian artist doing Artivism (I swear I made up that word, but Wikipedia disagrees), the world is experiencing the collective creative power of individuals trying to communicate something much larger than themselves. Here’s what you should know about using art and parody to communicate social change, along with some neat examples. [Read More...]
Speaker Profile: Seth Braun
Who are you? Seth BraunSend me your video and get free public speaking feedback
I’ve been thinking long and hard about how to provide the best value for readers of this site. I put a lot of time and energy into every post, and my overall philosophy is “Quality and Consistency.” Everything I post must be useful or insightful information that will can help you improve your communication skills (quality), and I will post something every week (consistency). As an aspiring professional speaker myself, I want to learn and improve but also help others improve. If we all communicate better, then the world will not only be a better (and easier to understand) place, but we will all benefit from each other’s growth. I also got inspired by a Steve Pavlina post that talks about continuously creating and delivering value to others. [Read More...]
