Look around wherever you are. See how businesses get attention.
You’ll find examples of stellar speaking tips that you can use.
My husband, Jim, and I just returned from London. Enjoy these pics of street scenes, bill boards and museum posters. Each pic affirms our Speak For Yourself@ communication principles.
Speak For Yourself® Principle: Magic Power of 3 – use 3 words to convey your message ➡ MAKE – EXPLORE – IMAGINE @ Tate Modern Museum
Another example of The Magic Power of 3 from the Tate Modern: LIGHT. COLOUR. ACTION.
Find great quotes! From our visit to the Churchill War Rooms.
Another Speak For Yourself® Principle: Find the humor! Pic taken at the Notting Hill Portobello Road Market. Note: I’m writing this blog while sipping my espresso ☕️
Speak For Yourself® Principle: Be yourself. Perfect quote while walking around Covent Garden.
Another fun mural supporting my theory that we are all creative.
Your fun challenge on how to communicate with power
➡ Observe with purpose.
➡ Take pics. You can use them on visuals and they won’t look like everyone else’s boring stock photos.
➡ If it works for the Tate Modern Museum, street murals, and bill boards, it can work for you.
All photos taken by Karen or Jim in London. We are not professional photographers as you can see! That’s what makes them work on business blogs and business presentations. Be unique and use YOUR photos to make your messages stick.
Merriam-Webster has just added 1,400 words and definitions, a glow-up to their iconic dictionary.
It says a word gets into the dictionary “when it is used by many people who all agree that it means the same thing.”
A window into the world today – my Top Ten new words & definitions
➕ Glow-up (noun) ➡ “Informal term for a (perceived) dramatic positive change in someone or something’s physical appearance. The related verb, glow up, refers to undergoing or causing such a change.”
➕ Parasocial (adjective) ➡ “A one-sided emotional connection with someone (especially a celebrity or fictional character) whom one does not know personally.”
➕ Uncanny Valley (noun) ➡ “That creepy feeling that results from something artificial appearing almost—but not quite—human.”
➕ Sunday scaries (plural noun) ➡ “The feelings of anxiety or sadness that arise on Sunday from the knowledge that the weekend is almost over.”
➕ Cuffing season (noun) ➡ “A time of the year when people who are not married or in a relationship begin looking for a short-term romantic partner to spend the colder months of the year with.”
➕ Whack-a-mole (noun) ➡ “A situation in which a new problem appears as soon as an existing similar problem has been addressed.”
➕ Superfood (noun) ➡ “A food (such as salmon, broccoli, or blueberries) that is rich in nutrients.”
➕ California sober (adjective) ➡ “Using only marijuana while abstaining from alcohol and other drugs.”
➕ Mandela Effect (noun) ➡ “A phenomenon in which many people collectively misremember a specific fact, event, or detail in a consistent manner : the experience of many people having the same false memory.”
➕ Crashout (noun) ➡ “Vehicular crash / dramatic ending or failure / a disqualifying loss or defeat / mental or emotional breakdown / tantrum.”
No words removed!
Gregory Barlow, the president of Merriam-Webster, dictionary, said that the company did not remove any words in its latest update.
Barlow added, ““The online dictionary has limitless space to add all the words that merit inclusion, even if some words turn out to be relatively ephemeral.”
Whether you’re talking to your client, colleague or child, when you lose their attention, you lose the connection.
Then you lose the sale, or the buy-in, or the mutual agreement.
⚠️ You lose.
The Jam Tasting Study
Yes, I know you haven’t been to a jam-tasting lately! While this study used jam (go with it), it’s been replicated with other items like wine and beer.
Premise:
100 people are asked to taste jams.
There are 40 bottles of jam in one area and 6 bottles in another area.
The outcome: More people favor the table with more tasting opportunities.
BUT, which table had more sales?
40 jams to taste: 3% sales.
6 jams to sample: 30% sales!!
Bottom line:
⚠️ A confused listener tunes out.
⚠️ A confused buyer says no.
Confusion creates noise. Confusion causes mental fatigue. Confusion defaults to a “no”.
How does confusion negate your messaging?
⚠️ When you say too many things, your main value gets buried.
⚠️ Listeners refuse to burn extra energy trying to figure out what you’re talking about.
Ok, I’m a UT Alum and a Longhorn football fan. And, I even own longhorns that look like their mascot, Bevo!
Texas’ comeback
It seemed unlikely after a MISERABLE first half. I almost went to sleep.
But…
Arch Manning, UT’s quarterback, delivered in the 4th quarter as Texas shocked Ohio State, ranked #1, in a 20-point comeback.
It marked the first time since 2004 that a top-ranked team has lost a 20-point fourth-quarter lead.
Why is this relevant to you and your next speech?
🐄 UT’s Coach Sarkisian challenged his team to forget an “abysmal” first half.
🟧 I challenge you to forget past horrible speeches, or even a botched first half of a speech you are in the middle of presenting. Move forward.
🐄 The Longhorns had to figure out a way to slow Ohio’s star wide receiver, Jeremiah Smith.
🟧 Do you need to recalibrate your delivery, or update some bad ppt visuals, or align your content to overcome your audience’s obstacles? You have to figure out a way to strategize success, even making tweaks during your presentation.
🐄 Sarkisian told Manning during halftime, “There is no such thing as a 21-point touchdown pass. It is just going to take time.”
🟧 Guess what? There is no such thing as a flawless unprepared speech. It just takes time. You improve every time you make a presentation. One at a time.
🐄 Ryan Day, Ohio’s coach, after the first powerful half, was asked, “How does it feel to have this 20-3 lead?” He responded, “A game is four quarters.”
🟧 Best advice ever. It’s not over till it’s over. Please remember, especially when you feel you’ve had a bad presentation opener, or a crummy past speech, a bad speech can be resurrected by a strong close.
🐄 About luck…
🟧 Luck favors the prepared. Thank you, Joel Litman, for one of my favorite quotes!
🟧 I’ll add that it is nice when luck lands in your lap! When the Buckeyes kicker missed a 45-yard field goal with about 4 minutes remaining in the game, that provided the perfect momentum for my Longhorns to keep on keeping on. You have to keep on keeping on too.
🐄 The Texas Longhorns took a one-point lead with 25 seconds left in the game. 🐄
Photos Copyright – all longhorn pics taken by me at our Star Ranch
🐄 Content source: “Manning delivers in 4th as Texas stuns Ohio State in 20-point comeback”, ESPN, https://apple.news/AhqX4Q1ujRceOZy6_XV5vnQ
“Ask me anything you want to ask me, and I’ll tell you what I want you to hear!” Dolly Parton
Dolly said it best, and did it best.
While it sounds like a witty quip, it’s a masterclass in strategic communication.
To get heard above the noise and command the room, incorporate these three strategies during your next presentation or Q&A opportunity ➡
🎤 The Pivot: If a sensitive question catches you off guard, acknowledge the question briefly and pivot back to your core objectives. Know your boundaries and what message(s) you want to present.
Did we ever know anything about Dolly’s personal life or her family?
🎤 The Strategic Smile: Deliver heavy messages with grace. A strategic smile requires a warm facial expression, not an all-out wide grin. Your warmth will defuse room tension and you’ll maintain control over the narrative.
Dolly exuded this strategic smile at all times, no matter what.
🎤 The Headline First: Lead with your primary message. In short, punchy sentences, give the audience your most critical information immediately before diving into supporting data. If you don’t define the takeaway, your audience will invent their own. They will fill in the space.
Ok, you’re not Dolly. But you are the author of your organization’s story.
The next time you face a tough town hall or a high-pressure board meeting, channel your inner Dolly.
Command the room.
Know what you can and cannot say.
Anticipate difficult questions.
Stay authentic.
Thank you to Ann Zimmerman Gallant, former Wall Street Journal journalist, for this blog idea.
You don’t go to sleep thinking, “Darn, I WISH I had seen another PowerPoint presentation today.”
But, you might end the day saying to yourself, “I wish I had been more inspired today.”
Inspiration comes from stories that reinforce your message that can be supported by great visuals.
Five practical steps to dance with your deck of slides
📺 Define Your Core Message First ➡ Start with your content. Know what you want to say, to whom you’re talking to and why they need your info. THEN design your deck.
📺 Share One Idea per One Slide ➡ Do the T-Shirt Test. Ask yourself, “Does my visual fit on a T-shirt?”
📺 Design for Consistency ➡ Stick to the same fonts, colors, and layout style throughout. Preferably use the same fonts and colors of your organization’s brand.
📺 Add More Visuals, Use Less Text ➡ Bullets kill. Paragraphs are even worse! This may sound novel… visuals should be visual.
📺 Practice for Seamless Flow ➡ Rehearse, looking out and not at your screen. Know your beginning and end. Practice through your entire deck so transitions feel natural and the timing stays tight.
📺 A very cool bonus trick to regain your audience’s attention, and have them look at you rather than the screen ➡ You can turn off your visuals without turning off your computer or messing up the order of your ppt deck by (drum roll 🥁 🥁 🥁): pressing the “B” key on your keyboard. This turns your computer screen and the screen others see to black.
To restore your visuals, press any key and your screen will be restored, exactly where you were before you turned the screen to black.
This horrible visual was created with AI assistance.
🎤 The Pivot: If a sensitive question catches you off guard, acknowledge the question briefly and pivot back to your core objectives. Know your boundaries and what message(s) you want to present.
