May 5, 2009
The moment arrives. You begin to speak. Within minutes you notice a few audience members drifting away. A couple are mezmerized by their cell phones, a few are diligently making doodles on your handout and several are giving significant consideration to the cobwebs on the ceiling. “What is going on?” You think back on your preparation…
- The research is sound.
- Your slides are just right.
- The topic is pertinent to the audience.
- You’ve given some thought to your voice, hands and posture.
- You even had a good writer check your speech for structure and clarity.
Where did it all go wrong?
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April 15, 2009
This week’s post is an introduction to the method I use to craft meaningful stories, and the acronym I’ve created to share it. – Robert
We have all been there before: sitting in our seats listening to a darned good speaker who makes us laugh and reflect and nod like bobble-head dolls, all on cue. And then, three to five minutes after the speaker is done, we can’t remember what it was that kept us so engaged much less what we were supposed to do with it. Any time this happens the presenter failed either to ask this question… “What is your purpose?” or to deliver on its answer.
The first time it was asked of me had nothing to do with speaking.
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