1 day agoMember-onlyHow is the Hybrid Workplace Really Working?Remember Zoom fatigue? Perhaps it’s only a distant memory now as you’ve returned from the pandemic to a full in-person schedule. …Hybrid Work3 min readHybrid Work3 min read
Mar 17Member-onlyThe Real Purpose of Eye ContactAmong the many common misunderstandings about body language is a very basic one: the real purpose of eye contact. We humans, especially in the West, are obsessed with eye contact. Getting it right is considered essential to good working and personal relationships. People who fail in this draconian test are…Communication3 min readCommunication3 min read
Feb 17Member-onlyOne Simple Thing That Will Ease Your Public Speaking AnxietyAdrenaline can cause speakers to do odd things. It can cause a kind of tunnel vision, where the speaker gets fixated on an idea, or uses the same word or phrase over and over again or gets lost down a rabbit hole and can’t find their way out. It can…Public Speaking4 min readPublic Speaking4 min read
Feb 2Member-onlyFacts Don’t Convince Audiences. Here’s What Does.If you ask most people, they will tell you that human cooperation, from politics to simple daily interactions in the street, has gotten worse in the past 60 years. …Public Speaking4 min readPublic Speaking4 min read
Jan 17Member-only5 Predictions for Public Speakers in 2023I’ve occasionally made predictions for the new year in public speaking. When I went back to check on recent years, I realized I had given up predicting the future during the pandemic, because, well, who the heck knew? But we’re post-pandemic now, or almost, or beginning the end of the…Predictions3 min readPredictions3 min read
Jan 3Member-onlyWhat Should a Speaker Wear in 2023?What should a speaker wear in 2023? As we continue to emerge from the pandemic and find our way back into public spaces and onto public stages, we find ourselves in a different world in terms of dress. During the pandemic, the workers who were fortunate enough to work from…Career Advice3 min readCareer Advice3 min read
Dec 15, 2022Member-onlyThe 5 Types of Public Speakers in Demand Right NowWhat do audiences want to hear from speakers, coming out of the pandemic (if in fact we are finally emerging)? With the caveat that there are no good databases or sources for that kind of information in the rather Byzantine speaking world, I’ve been talking to industry insiders, speakers, meeting…Public Speaking4 min readPublic Speaking4 min read
Nov 28, 2022Member-only9 Things I’ve Learned About Public SpeakingOne of the glories of the Internet is Maria Popova’s The Marginalian. Recently, she wrote about the sixteen things she has learned from sixteen years of doing her blog. I was inspired by her wise list and thought how much of it — with a twist — was useful for…Public Speaking7 min readPublic Speaking7 min read
Nov 18, 2022Member-onlyHow to Make Pitches & Presentations More MemorableThe research shows that audiences remember a dismal 10–30 percent of what they hear in a typical presentation. Can that be improved? I gave a speech about body language 15 years ago and had a member of the audience approach me about 5 years ago saying that he remembered nothing…Public Speaking3 min readPublic Speaking3 min read
Oct 17, 2022Member-onlyWhat We’re Missing in the Hybrid WorkplaceAs the pandemic has worked its dreary, disastrous way with us over the past couple of years, the talk in communication circles has been about the new hybrid nature of the workplace. Meaning, of course, that we can now handle a mix of in-person and virtual interactions, from one day…Hybrid Work4 min readHybrid Work4 min read
