New Series: The Cultures of Storytelling
I am hoping by now that everyone knows WHAT “storytelling” does for influencing and persuading audiences and WHY it works. Without citing any of the
January 14, 2019
Blog
Our blog posts offer a rich gathering of insights, tips and suggestions designed to help you become more polished, more influential and more impactful in how you communicate with others. Skim to a title that strikes your interests or needs. And come back often because we are serious about keeping it fresh and useful for storytellers everywhere.
Our Top 8 Thought Leadership Articles of 2018
Happy New Year! If you’re looking for top tips for public speaking and executive communications, this post is for you. we’ve rounded up our most
January 8, 2019
Stepping out of the Lab: How to Translate Healthcare Insights for Your Audience
Our fourth quarter was a super interesting one, just like the first three of 2018. In short, it was a great year. In fact, our
December 17, 2018
How to Give a Killer Presentation: 10 Questions from UXDX
For the UXDX Conference in Ireland in 2019, I was invited to answer 10 questions about how to begin to get prepared to give a
December 14, 2018
How do you choose the one idea worth sharing in your speech?
Three public speaking tips from executive communication coach Acacia Duncan that can help you hone in on your one idea for a successful TED-style talk.
December 10, 2018
Coaching Speech Clients to Crank a Reluctant Wheel
Our speech coaching practice rests on iterating: Helping clients crank a reluctant wheel from event invite to idea to proof to story to imagery to
December 3, 2018
TED-style Talk Success: Leadership Matters
You could call it the TED talk effect. We have come to expect people to share complicated, technical, even scientific and medical concepts in an
November 29, 2018
One Lesson from 10 years of TEDxColumbus
As TEDxColumbus marks its 10th anniversary, let’s memorialize the culture of support that TEDxColumbus has created for the speakers to deliver such consequential and memorable
November 19, 2018
TEDxColumbus: 10 Years of Ideas
To celebrate 10 years of TEDxColumbus, I present to you the ideas we’ve hosted on the stage. Curating and coaching most of these talks has
November 12, 2018
Four Stages of Learning for Public Speaking Mastery
When working on any skill, especially one that has to do with public speaking, it helps to remember the four stages of learning that can
November 7, 2018
Talk Like Someone’s Listening: Series Recap
Time flies when you’re having fun. It’s hard to believe our Talk Like Someone’s Listening video series has already come to a close. The series
October 29, 2018
The One Imperative for an Effective Communication Culture
To shape a culture where the complex messages truly resonate in clear and concise ways, it hinges on one thing: feedback.
October 15, 2018
[Video] Start with Why
Don’t bog down your message. To present a compelling presentation, public speakers should start with “why” the audience should care, and simply get to the
October 8, 2018
Make It About the Green, Not Red
I remember back in elementary school, lining up in gym, tensing all my muscles, just waiting for the teacher to yell, “GREEN LIGHT!” I’d take
October 1, 2018
[Video] They Want Answers, Not Questions
Ah, rhetorical questions. They are a favorite tool of public speakers. But are they useful? (Don’t answer that!) Rhetorical questions are asked not for the
September 24, 2018
This is One Time to Think Small
Your talk is only as good as someone’s ability to receive and understand it. When choosing words for your presentation, think small.
September 17, 2018
[Video] Death by Bullet Point
More is NOT always better. For years (and years, and years) one of the most common complaints about presentations has been bullet-ridden and text heavy
September 11, 2018
That’s all the time we have.
If audiences want short talks, why is it still so hard for speakers to oblige them? Here are three strategies we use when helping speakers
September 4, 2018