My Dad always used to say, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” My Dad (and Henry Ford, who coined the phrase) were right. It drove me crazy when he said this, because I knew he was right. I’d go off in a huff to tackle whatever … [Read more...] about How you feel about yourself impacts how you communicate
Your lizard brain and stage fright
Your amygdala, that almond-sized tyrant in your brain, does serve some great functions, but it’s hell on keynote preparation! To my knowledge no tiger has every charged the stage and eaten anyone giving a speech, but your amygdala acts like the … [Read more...] about Your lizard brain and stage fright
Beware cognitive overload!
Communicating a complex idea to a new audience is always a challenge. TED Curator Chris Anderson’s advice in TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking is extremely helpful. Let’s dive in to what he says. When you want your audience to … [Read more...] about Beware cognitive overload!
We’re humans, not demographics
TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking has so much to offer it’s worth a whole month of poseyblog’s time. Today we’re talking about people. When you give a talk, you are a person. Talking to people! Focus on your humanness and your … [Read more...] about We’re humans, not demographics
You are not a game show host
poseyblog is all about TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking this month. This book is the essential evangelist’s field guide – full of detailed, useful advice for speakers. This week let’s look at who and how to be on stage. “The … [Read more...] about You are not a game show host
We need to hear from YOU!
TED Curator Chris Anderson’s TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking is both lofty and pragmatic. If your job/your idea requires any kind of evangelism, this book is your field guide. I loved it so much we’re spending the whole month on … [Read more...] about We need to hear from YOU!
The Clueless Narcissist
Reading your slides is about the worst thing you can do in a presentation. Being a clueless narcissist is almost as bad – look what happened to Erlich Bachman. This arrogant person thinks it is simply amazing to be on stage, and he thinks it is … [Read more...] about The Clueless Narcissist
“This bozo is reading his slides”
What’s the worst thing you can do in a presentation? Read your slides. Guy Kawasaki is hilarious on this topic. This is what he says your audience is thinking, “This bozo is reading his slides. I can read silently to myself faster than this bozo … [Read more...] about “This bozo is reading his slides”
Are they listening to your keynote? Kinda.
In the tech industry, being on the keynote stage is a critical rite of passage – whether you’re presenting at a big industry conference or your own company’s annual user conference. (A TED talk is another animal. Different audience, different … [Read more...] about Are they listening to your keynote? Kinda.
Find your crescendo
In last week’s post we talked about the danger of artificially choreographed presentation technique. Your audience hopes to connect to and learn from the real you. You hope you’ll convert them to your big idea when you’re on stage. What we’re after … [Read more...] about Find your crescendo
