The audience makes the speech — so virtual and recorded speeches are challenging

The audience makes the speech — so virtual and recorded speeches are challenging

I’ve been speaking in front of groups for 40 years. The current pandemic has turned some of those live events into virtual connections or recordings. The audience is remote, or missing. And that changes things completely. A speech or class is not a one-way communication. Obviously, if there is an audience, they can ask questions….

How I ended up giving 5 speeches at the Content Marketing Conference this April

How I ended up giving 5 speeches at the Content Marketing Conference this April

I never planned on speaking five times at the Content Marketing Conference. Because that’s just nuts. The conference is in Boston on 16-19 April. This will be my fourth time speaking there; Byron White of WriterAccess curates a great collection of speakers and it’s always a blast. Honestly, I go to a lot of conferences,…

A writer’s life: What I did for clients in 2017 (and could do for you, if you want)
|

A writer’s life: What I did for clients in 2017 (and could do for you, if you want)

I made a pretty decent living as a writer this year, and I’m grateful — not many writers can say that. I thought it might help other writers and whatever friends and fans I have out there to peek into how I did it, so here’s a retrospective of a writer’s life in 2017. I…

Learn to think like (or influence) an analyst this Monday, 5pm at the PRSA conference

Learn to think like (or influence) an analyst this Monday, 5pm at the PRSA conference

The PRSA 2017 International Conference is in Boston this year, starting this weekend. My talk on Monday at 5pm is called “How to Think Like an Analyst (or Influence One).” It’s in the Suffolk room at the Marriott Copley Place. I’ll be covering topics including: What is a thought leader? How are thought leaders different…

Public speaking: navigation, humor, insight, information, advice, and stories

Public speaking: navigation, humor, insight, information, advice, and stories

As an author, I get called on to do speeches from time to time. My Writing Without Bullshit speech is now connecting pretty well, based on how audiences are reacting to it. The reason is that, like my writing, it’s tight: every slide has a purpose, and most of those purposes have a payload. It…

See “Writing Without Bullshit” live in New Hampshire, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, and Boston

See “Writing Without Bullshit” live in New Hampshire, Cleveland, Salt Lake City, and Boston

My speaking schedule is filling up. You can hear me talk about the absurdity of the way we communicate — and what to do about it — at the following events. Yankee Chapter of the PR Society of America (PRSA) Newington (NH) May 2 at 3:30pm Great Lakes Oracle Conference Cleveland, May 18, keynote speech at 9:45am, then…

The true meaning of the generalities in the Trump speech to Congress
|

The true meaning of the generalities in the Trump speech to Congress

Donald Trump’s first speech to a joint session of Congress was typical of such addresses. It was unusual for Trump in that it was clear, well-structured, and got most of the facts right — but like the average State of the Union, it was a mixed bag of gritty legislative proposals and pabulum. Let’s take a look at…