How to Set Up a Webinar Experience That Keeps Your Audience Listening

Many of us spend a great deal of effort promoting our webinars. We send invitations, write compelling descriptions, and persuade people to attend. Have you noticed that once they arrive, many presenters make a common mistake? They begin with an agenda slide. An agenda...

The Emotional Charge of the F Word: Why Smart Leaders Think Twice

 When my brother, Robert Fripp and I were little, if our mother was upset or frustrated, she would swear by saying, “Sugar” or “Spit.”  All the emotion without teaching her two sweet, innocent children ‘naughty’ words. Recently,  I watched the Michael...

What a Story Contest Really Teaches You About Speaking

Recently, I had the pleasure of giving a rehearsal coaching session for the National Speakers Association Northern California (NSANC) Last Story Standing contestants. Six speakers. Six powerful stories. Five minutes each. And every single one of them was...

Do You Have the Talent and the Patience for Great Success?

As a seasoned professional speaker, I am frequently asked for advice by up-and-coming speakers. They enjoy my programs on How to Open Your Presentation with Impact and Under the Magnifying Glass: Good to Great Presentations. However, there is one piece of advice they...

When Brilliant Executives Suddenly Need Presentation Skills

I am frequently asked how I work with executives who are exceptional at what they do and have never had the time, opportunity, or need to improve their presentation skills. Until. A new position. Higher visibility. And a mandatory 45-minute presentation to senior...

Why Coming to America at 20 With $500 Seemed Like a Good Idea

January 18 is my personal anniversary. It is the day I arrived in the United States. When people ask, “Why did you come to America at age 20 with no job, no contacts, and $500?” my honest answer is, “It seemed like a good idea at the time.” And it did. At that point...