How to be a great host (at Ignite)
Ignite Seattle, an evening of fast presentations, runs like clockwork. We think of the evening as a show, and each…
Category: Public Speaking
Haiku Deck: a simple way to make better presentations (review)
I recently wrote a harsh review of Prezi, focusing on how that tool makes it easy to make distracting,…
Why I hate Prezi
One of the many jokes about Powerpoint is how much time people who use it spend picking transitions between…
Commutapult: the great commute of the future
I’m often baffled by which things online are popular, as it has little to do with what’s good. The…
my NPR interview about great speeches
Yesterday I was interviewed on NPR about great commencement speeches, and presentations in general. They had me on for…
What makes a good commencement speech?
I’m being interviewed on Wed on NPR about commencement speeches. Update: I was interviewed yesterday on NPR about this. You can…
How To Get Paid To Speak
Many people attend lectures at events and think: “I could do better than that” or “I have an amazing…
How to become a motivational speaker
I get asked about this often. Most of the news here isn’t good. There is a stigma around the…
What does “motivational speaker” mean to you?
Update: A post based on these survey results was posted: How to become a motivational speaker.
On Writing vs. Speaking
Paul Graham wrote recently on his perspectives on the written vs. spoken word. Graham admits he’s more confident as…
Is speaking easier than writing? Some advice
I get many emails asking about writing, in response to the popular posts I’ve written about writing. Recently Shawnee M.…
In defense of flubs (and Rick Perry)
It is foolish to confuse a moment of forgetting with stupidity. All people who speak make mistakes. We forget…
How to give a perfect demo
There is a moment in bad product demos when everyone knows the speaker is in trouble. We watch them…
Why conferences cost so much
Great post on AndyBudd.com on why conferences costs so much: Let’s assume that this $1000 a ticket conference happens…
An Open Letter To Speakers
To follow up on my open letter to conference organizers, here’s an open letter for speakers. Dear Speaker: Most…
How to show time during a presentation
João Adolfo Lutz asked me recently about noting time progressed / remaining in slides: I’d like to know what…
Discovered: The Amazing Dr. Fox Video
One famous speech in public speaking history is the Dr. Fox lecture. Researchers hired an actor to pose as…
An open letter to conference organizers
Dear Conference Organizer: For centuries you and your peers have helped spread good ideas. For that, I like you.…
How to Prepare: a Checklist For Great Talks
To help celebrate the recent release of the paperback edition of Confessions of a Public Speaker, as well as…
Toastmasters on Confessions (Podcast)
To celebrate the release of the paperback edition of Confessions of a Public Speaker, here’s a kick-off post for…