What can the moviemaker, Pixar, teach you to make your next story a box office hit? Pixar Animation Studios has created some of the most magical, memorable, and mesmerizing movies of all time. For example, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, and Up! all have worldwide gross revenues in excess of $725 million each. What, you ask…
How can Benjamin Franklin and Lil Wayne teach you how to find your voice and be an outstanding presenter? There are no cover bands in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Comparably, there are no “cover speakers” in the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame. A “cover speaker” is a speaker who uses other people’s…
This week, I am honored to present an interview with nationally acclaimed leadership and communication expert, Christie Ward, Leadership Facilitator and Principal of the Impact Institute™. Since founding The Impact Institute in 1999, Christie has focused on communication, leadership and team-building topics that result in more productive teams and effective leadership. She is known for…
How would you like to inspire your next audience like your favorite clergyman, coach, or keynote speaker? Well you can with my latest lesson: The Secret of the inspirational Speech – From Descriptive to Generative It is said that the inspirational speech is the highest form or oratory. It ranges from a clergyman delivering a…
Let’s say you’ve got a very important presentation that’s due this week. The more you prepare, and the closer you get to the deadline, the more nervous you get. How can you control your nervousness so it doesn’t sabotage your presentation? How do you get those butterflies to fly in formation? I’m going to share…
As I write this article, the Games of the 30th Olympiad are taking place in London. Regardless of the country you are rooting for, there is a technique used by every coach to motivate his or her players. This technique is as ancient as Shakespearean times, and beyond, and every country in the London 2012…
When was the last time you did something for the first time? Again? I’ll repeat the question. When was the last time you did something for the first time, again? It seems like an Oxymoron, right? First time? Again? What do I mean by, “doing something for the first time, again”, and how can this…
Journalist, writer and political commentator, Walter Lippmann, said, “When everyone thinks the same, nobody is thinking.” I have coached literally thousands of executives, leaders, mangers, entrepreneurs, sales people and Toastmasters on breathing life into their business presentations. I can break down the content of their presentations into two categories: Conformity Contrarian What is a…
Oooh weee! I can’t wait to tell you about this lesson, it’s big and it’s important! In engineering there is a phase called “Design Freeze.” “Design freeze” means that no further changes to the design. It is a cut off point for the engineers, because if they continue to change the design past a certain…