Mar 162015
 
The latest nearby TEDx conference happened a couple of days ago. I was fortunate to be a presentation coach for several of the speakers, so I watched a lot of the rehearsing as well as the main event. TED-style talks are an immense challenge, both for the speaker and for the people who support that speaker. Many variables come into play, some of which may be unexpected for people who only know the ...
Jun 172014
 
What do you say when someone asks you what you do? What do you say when you need to sell something? What do you say when you want to tell someone about your great idea? Pitching and catching We give business pitches for any number of reasons: to increase our network, to get new customers, to generate investment in our products and companies. In baseball, every pitch is thrown to somebody: ...
Apr 292014
 
Why are some presentations great and others horribly boring? There are two presentation skills that separate great presenters from the rest of us: They always have a goal. They make certain that every presentation has a point. The goal could be a company goal, like more sales, generating investment, or making the working environment better. It could be personal, like being seen as ...
Sep 162013
 
I like maple syrup because it is a great metaphor. (OK, I also like it because it is sweet and flavorful, because it goes great on pancakes, oatmeal and ice cream, and because they make large amounts of it near our summer place in northern Ontario.) But the thing I like to talk about with maple syrup is that it takes 45 liters of maple sap to make 1 liter of syrup. It’s a metaphor of concentration, ...
Jun 232013
 
While preparing for the workshop on pitching that I'm giving later this week, I've been thinking about the purposes of a pitch. So far I've got two: 1. To initiate a conversation. In other words, to get the other party (or parties) to say "How do you do that?" or "Tell me more." or "How can I help?" 2. To be remembered. Here's an example. You're talking to someone between sessions at a ...
Jun 182013
 
What do you say when someone asks you what you do? What do you say when you want to stand out of a crowd? The first words out of your mouth in these situations (after your name, of course) are usually a pitch. We all have to pitch every day, and, too often, when we're called upon to do it, we freeze, mumble, and miss the chance to enter into dialogue. And dialogue creates opportunity. Let ...