Best Practices for Speeches and Handpicked Clips from Outstanding Speakers around the World
One of the most sought-after skills in business communication is storytelling. Today, let’s break it down into 3 easy steps. First, what not to do: “We have a revolutionary pain-relieving product. And progress has been a bit slow. And we need additional funding to accelerate our efforts” This kind of structure is probably what you frequently hear in the workplace. …
How to Speak Like a Storyteller Using the ABT Framework Read More »
This article was co-authored by Lindsay Murphy. As data professionals, we often find ourselves immersed in a world of technical skills, focusing on programming languages, statistical analysis, and machine learning algorithms. In an industry that is expanding rapidly, it seems like there are always new and exciting technical skills to learn. While these skills are …
The Most Overlooked Skill for Data Professionals Read More »
Have you ever left a presentation knowing it was really great, but unable to put your finger on what made it so special? Maybe you’re not even sure what you learned. But you just know the speaker really moved you. The reason? Delivery. Delivery is everything. If there’s anything you take away from this article, …
Tone: 3 Strategies You Need to Avoid a Stale Presentation Read More »
If you were asked to give a 5 minute presentation off the cuff summarizing your favorite TV show, movie, book, or cinematic universe, you could probably do it. No questions asked. And people would want to listen – because people want to hear interesting stories. Now turn it around and let’s say you have to …
How to Make Dry Subjects Come Alive in 3 Simple Steps Read More »
As presenters, we always wonder, “How can we better engage our audience?” If we devote 45 minutes for a talk, how much goes one ear out the other, or way over everyone’s head? In higher education, this is essentially a question of active vs passive learning. The standard college lecture is an example of passive …
3 Easy Strategies for Interacting with Your Audience Read More »
The first few seconds of your presentation are pivotal. Will you capture your audience’s attention or will they lose interest for the next 15 minutes? With the rise of social media, the importance of those first few seconds cannot be understated. According to a LinkedIn internal study in 2018, viewer completion rate increased by 200% …
How to Hook Your Audience: 3 Steps for a Catchy Opening Read More »
One of the most dreaded parts about giving a presentation is the time crunch. You have so much to explain – and in only 10 minutes. But even worse is needing to redo that presentation for a smaller audience – in half that time! After the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, that pressure to execute …
Presentation Too Long? Edit with these 3 Easy Steps Read More »
Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. The rule of three, used extensively throughout our cultural media from writing and speeches to movies and music, revolves around one simple principle: use a 3-part structure. Here are a few idiomatic examples: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Blood, Sweat, and Tears. Government of the …
Audiences crave novelty. That’s why stories with their ever-evolving narratives are such a compelling presentation device. Lists of facts, on the other hand, are often monotonous, predictable, and easily forgettable. Would you rather listen to: “John works at the museum during the night, the school during the day, and owns a craft business on the …
Putting together a Powerpoint deck is the easy part. Presenting those slides in a way that not only carries your message, but makes the audience care is the true challenge. The science behind exceptional presentation lies in the storytelling principle called “Chekhov’s gun“: “If in the first act you have hung a pistol on the …
