We are all above average. At least, the studies show that most of us think we are above average. This psychological marvel, known as “illusory superiority,” shows up in a wide variety of human activities, including driving ability, health, memory, and IQ. In fact, 93 percent of us think we are above-average drivers.

I’m assuming that you recall enough high-school math to know that we can’t all be that good. Alas, we are more average than we think.

For speakers, this feeling of superiority is particularly dangerous, because adrenaline heightens certain of our sensory responses, leading to above-average feelings of…

I’ve talked since 2007 about techniques, neuroscience, and rhetorical devices designed to make you the best communicator you can be. In the end, though, I never forget — and you should never forget — that it comes down to passion. You’ve got to show up and be present in order to reach people through communication, and that takes passion. Otherwise, don’t bother.

Passion is both authentic and charismatic.

We don’t fully trust people until we’ve seen them get emotional — angry, sad, ecstatic — because these moments allow us to take the measure of their values.

What gets them angry, sad, or ecstatic? That’s how we…

Most public speakers whom I’ve been checking in with of late are impatient to get back to face-to-face presentations. And those are on the way; anecdotally, I’m hearing of more and more in-person events being scheduled or planned for October and after. I have little doubt that, barring some huge pandemic step backwards, we will be mostly in person by early 2022. Of course, I hope the wheels of time turn faster than that, but this whole pandemic era has moved much more slowly than most people imagined it possibly could.

One of the interesting side effects of the pandemic…

When I ask people what they do to prepare a speech or presentation, the most common answer is, ‘pull a slide deck together.” That is mistaking the tools for the house; it’s thinking about the process the wrong way. A more sophisticated answer talks about storytelling, or a theme, or a series of points that the speaker wants to make.

I had one client tell me, “Make me sound like John Wayne.” Leaving aside the relative merits of the actor in question, that approach puts the delivery ahead of the content.

I’ve generally found it’s better to start with the…

Who makes a better public speaker — an introvert or an extrovert?

Most people would immediately say, ‘that’s a no-brainer — the extrovert.’ And it seems like common sense, right? The extrovert is more comfortable with large crowds, more energized by groups of people, and happier talking rather than listening. Introverts prefer alone time, small groups, and introspection. That makes for an easy decision — the extrovert wins by a country mile.

And yet. Over the years, as I have worked coaching speakers, a surprising number of the top professionals have turned out to be introverts.

How could this be…

Back in November I took a shot at predicting the future of meetings — how virtual they would be once we were able to go back to work. I theorized a 2-tiered system, with virtual meetings persisting for the cost savings and speed they offered, but face-to-face meetings predominating when the quality and importance of the meeting mattered and cost took a back seat.

At that point, here in the US, we were still in quasi-lockdown and waiting on our vaccines. Now, half a year later, vaccination is relatively widespread, COVID is on the retreat, and most businesses are accelerating…

What is charisma? I get asked that question a lot, especially by public speakers who want more of it, and by audience members who want to know how the magic happens.

Let’s start by talking about what charisma is not. It’s not something you are born with. It is not something that some people are gifted by the Fates and others are not — a matter of luck. And it’s not something that comes from exactly the same place in every human who does have it.

Charisma is the expression of strong emotion, emotion directed outward, not inward. It is…

I work with public speakers. Like any freelancers, speakers need to self-promote, take responsibility for the health of their own business, and yet work well with their clients. Over the years I’ve watched some great speakers thrive and others with similar talents never get very far out of the gate.

What makes the difference? Fortune, and being in the right place at the right time, of course are factors not to discount. …