A Blog By Speakers, For Speakers.
Speak Less, Influence More!
By Amanda Gore, CSP, CPAE, GSF Wayne Dyer often used a powerful metaphor: “If you squeeze an orange, what do you get?” Of course, the answer is orange juice. His point? When life puts you under pressure, what’s inside is what comes out. After 38 years of speaking, my last five have been the most…
Your First Thirty Seconds: Arouse Interest in Your Subject
By Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE, Cavett Award Recipient Imagine you have just 30 seconds to transform a room of strangers into a captivated audience that will hold on to your every word. This is your moment to make a powerful first impression in any presentation—whether it’s a high-stakes sales presentation to win a training contract,…
The Payoffs of Speech Customization
By Jim Cathcart, CSP, CPAE Two hundred doctors had assembled for the event. It was a leadership conference at the LA Biltmore Hotel for hospital chiefs of staff. As I sat in the audience, I saw one physician after another “present his papers.” These were the dullest speeches I’d ever heard! The audience was half asleep and…
Keynote Speakers: Rethinking the Throne – Is Content Really King?
By Kelly Swanson, CSP, CPAE For decades, the mantra ‘content is king’ has echoed through conference halls, asserting that experts are chiefly valued for their knowledge. This perspective suggests that we, as speakers, are paid for our expertise. Indeed, in roles such as coaching and training, this holds true; clients pay for tangible results and…
Dancing With Your Audience: How Neuroscience Can Transform Your Speaking Impact
By John Edwards, CSP Have you ever wondered what separates mundane monologues from magnificent messaging? The answer lies not just in your content but in the neuroscience of how your audience receives it. By understanding how the brain processes information, you can transform yourself from a forgettable fact-giver to a memorable mind-mover. The Speaker-Audience…
The Outsider’s Advantage: Why Your 10,000th Time Should Feel Like the First
By Louis Katz | If I ever needed a sign that I wasn’t cut out for something, I’d have an easy one: I’m Boise’s most “Why don’t you just give up?” comic. That’s not an official title, but it should be. If there were an award for resilience bordering on stubbornness, I’d have a mantle…
Emceeing: It’s More Than Transitions and Bios!
By Anne Bonney, CSP | I attended four planning meetings. I read through the run of show they sent me a week before. I printed out the script they provided and made my own notes so I could eloquently present what they requested. I color-coded my notes for quick reference so I could spend the…
Ransomware Prevention
By Bryce Austin, MDSG | There were seven people sitting around the table in the aftermath of this ransomware infection: the CEO, the VP, the CFO, the Special Agent from the FBI, the business owner, the forensics technician, and the company’s CISO (Chief Information Security Officer). “Don’t pay,” was the CEO’s vote. The VP agreed…
Speak Like You Mean It: Finding Your Voice by Rediscovering Your Life
By Joe Curcillo | When you take the stage, you offer more than just a message—you offer yourself. Your story, your experiences, and your viewpoint matter. However, we often get distracted by the details: the slides, the gestures, the script. While these elements have value, they do not truly engage your audience. What truly connects…