As a budding entrepreneur embarking on my journey with my upscale men’s hairstyling salon, I vividly remember attending my first management seminar. This was, of course, many moons ago, yet one statement from that day has stayed with me: ‘Your business is as good as your worst employee.’ Quite the alarming thought, isn’t it? Fast […]
Read More...Every Moment Counts: Lessons in Opportunity from TV to YouTube Stardom
Want Success? You Never Know Where Your Next Big Break Is Coming From! A Blast from the Past Frippicism® Opportunity does not knock once. It knocks all the time we do not always recognize the sound. Earlier in my speaking career, I was mostly a keynote speaker. Recently, I was having fun reviewing a couple […]
Read More...Develop Your Storytelling Abilities: Life Lessons from Movie Stars and Hollywood
When we reminisce about Hollywood, it’s often the stories that movies tell that captivate us the most. Screenwriting teacher Robert McKee eloquently states, “Stories are the creative conversion of life itself into a more powerful, clearer, more meaningful experience. They are the currency of human contact.” Storytelling: The Cornerstone of Effective Leadership Many of us […]
Read More...How to Arouse Interest in Your Subject
You have 30 seconds to command the attention of your audience. Don’t waste it! Certain speech openings captivate, mystify, and create an emotional bond that keeps an audience in the palm of the speaker’s hand. What would you give to learn those essential opening moves? Those great ways to bond instantly with an audience so […]
Read More...How to Sound Intelligent, Powerful, Polished, Articulate & Confident
When you deliver a presentation, have a conversation with senior management, or network in your professional community do you sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate, and confident? To sound more intelligent: Pace your words, speaking just a bit more slowly to allow yourself time to select the most appropriate vocabulary and to give the impression of […]
Read More...Would Yoda Make a Great Public Speaker or Not?
If you are a fan of Star Wars, you know Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, first appearing in the 1980 film The Empire Strikes Back. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until its near […]
Read More...How Often Have You Hear Imitation is The Sincerest Form of Flattery?
No, it is NOT! How often have you heard, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” and believe it or questioned it? This is only the first part of a quote from Oscar Wilde. It’s absolutely clear what Oscar Wilde meant (so many forget the second half of the quote) when he wrote “Imitation is […]
Read More...Do You Want to Know What You Maybe Overlooking in Your Sales Process?
Rehearsal Is the Work in Sales Presentations Oscar winner Sir Michael Caine said, “Rehearsal is the work; performance is the relaxation.” That applies equally to delivering a sales presentation. When delivering a recent sales presentation skills training Dan, the national sales manager, told me, “It takes us a year to have the opportunity to deliver […]
Read More...What Happened on April 18? A few highlights.
On the evening of April 18, 1775, Dr. Joseph Warren summoned Paul Revere and gave him the task of riding to Lexington, Massachusetts, with the news that British soldiers stationed in Boston were about to march into the countryside northwest of the town. Paul Revere never shouted the legendary phrase later attributed to him “The […]
Read More...This Habit Will Dash Your Hopes of Success. Do You Irritate Your Audience?
Whenever you open your mouth, whether your audience is one person or one thousand, you want to get a specific message across. Maybe you want your opinions heard at a meeting, or you will be giving a formal talk. Perhaps you deliver sales presentations. To present, persuade, and propel with the spoken word, be aware […]
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