Embrace Your Constraints: Pecha Kucha Night
Last week I went my first Pecha Kucha Night in Winnipeg. What’s “Pecha Kucha”, you ask? Pecha Kucha was started in Tokyo in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in...
View ArticleiPads, Autism, and the Story You’ll Tell
The other day I watched two brilliant stories. They contrast the amazing diversity of stories being told these days, and got me really excited for the opportunities we all have to tell stories of our...
View ArticleThe Evil Villain of Communication
We’ve all fallen prey to it before. Your text message says, “See you there at 8″, and they showed up in the morning instead of evening. Or the Help instructions say, “Select the brush icon from the...
View ArticleStories from the Christmas Tree
The Christmas season is filled with symbolism and memories. It’s always interesting to learn about the various Christmas traditions that families have. Now that we have a family of our own, Anna and I...
View ArticleFree eBook: 10 Tips For Your Next Presentation
Presentations are a powerful way to spread your ideas and make them stick. Any time you give a talk, you have the opportunity to draw your audience into a compelling story, to persuade them, change...
View ArticleSlides Are Harmony
Funny thing about this thing we call a “presentation”. Usually our first thought when we’re getting ready to give one, besides the possible dread or stress, is the visuals, the slides that will be on...
View ArticleTake Your Eyes Off Yourself
If you’ve ever gotten up to make a speech, you likely know the nervousness and anxiety that comes in the moments before you actually start talking. In a speech I heard last week, Doreen pointed out the...
View ArticleFocus on the Hero
A couple weeks ago I had the chance to give a presentation for the sales team at Golden West’s Steinbach centre about how to give more effective presentations. Yes, a presentation about presentation....
View ArticleJump Before You’re Ready
Several years ago I went skydiving. After four hours of on-the-ground training the instructor and pilot took us up to 2500ft and dropped us out of the pane, one at a time, to have our 2 seconds of free...
View ArticleTickle the Elephant
It’s the reason you plan to wake up early to exercise, but end up hitting snooze instead. It’s also the reason all the facts, stats and graphs in the world can make your audience change. “Perched atop...
View ArticleThe Fear and the Power of Connection
A discerning speech mentor recently pointed out that when I give a speech, I look towards the audience, but I don’t really look at them. My gaze scans the audience, but never really make eye contact...
View ArticleDon’t Let That Smartphone Kill Your Confidence
Do you ever use your smartphone for public speaking? A new study would recommend against it. “When people use smaller devices, their posture contracts, increasing stress and decreasing testosterone...
View ArticleJerry Seinfeld on How to Write a Joke
When you watch a great comedian tell jokes, it’s easy to assume that they’re just naturally funny. They seem to just go up there and talk, and everything they say is automatically hilarious. How do...
View ArticleDon’t Aim at Success – My First Tapestry
I recently heard about Tapestry, which is an app with an interesting take on visual storytelling using words, photos and the simple “tap”. The combination of text, visuals and pacing caught my...
View ArticleIntroducing Toastimer
William Morris once said, “If you want a golden rule that will fit everybody, this is it: Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Useful and...
View ArticleAnswer “Why”, Win Your Audience
Remember that kid who sat in the back in math class who, in the middle of the teacher’s explanation of some theory, would raise his hand and ask, “Why is this even important?” The teacher, sensing the...
View ArticleLet “Maybe” Open the Door
Some would say that maybe is a weak word for public speakers. It lacks confidence, and shouldn’t be uttered from the stage. I’m here to confess my undying love for the word. I love saying maybe when...
View ArticleSpeaking in Your Underpants
If you’ve ever asked for advice on how to overcome pre-speech nerves, no doubt you’ve heard the sage advice: “Just imagine your audience is wearing nothing but underwear.” Helpful advice? Maybe for...
View ArticleThe notes that you missed
Chances are we didn’t notice. Playing in piano recitals as a kid, any missed note would throw me off entirely. I’d stop to correct it, or smile sheepishly towards the audience, as if to assure them...
View ArticleSpeak to Show You’re Listening
In crowded airspace, some of the best, most well-considered voices too often stay silent. Why bother adding to the noise? If you’re not willing to join the yelling match, how will your voice ever be...
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