In this episode, you will hear a conversation with Anthony LaMantia, Ph.D., of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech. Like my previous guest, Dr. LaMantia started out intending to be a clinician, not a researcher. But he did become a scientist, albeit one with an interest in theatre and literature. Hear how those…
In this episode, you will hear a conversation with one of the best storytellers on the planet. That’s not hyperbole. Craig Valentine won the World Championship of Public Speaking on the strength of his storytelling skills. Why does that matter to you? Because stories are your best tool for connecting your information with your audience’s…
Can you speak on saving energy and reducing greenhouse-gas emissions with passion and enthusiasm? Andrew Cooper is known for doing just that. In this episode, you will hear how this engineer-turned-energy-specialist has used his communication skills to change the culture of his organization and the people who are part of it. And who knows? You…
In this episode, you will hear from my colleague and fellow speaking coach Michael Davis. You’ll learn the reason why speakers tell stories. You’ll pick up on what makes a story—why it’s not just a collection of events. And why stories are the key to engaging your listeners in a way that you simply can’t…
As I wrote in an earlier post, research has shed light on how people (including your audiences) form those all-important first impressions. The two questions they are looking to answer, in this order, are “Can I trust this person?” and “Can I respect this person?” In this post, I focus on the first question. By…
All too often, when I experience someone’s presentation – especially a technical one – I see that the presenter and the audience simply are not connecting. There can be any number of reasons for a failure to connect, but most of the time it boils down to this: the presenter has disregarded his or her…