This is the season when people wrap up projects, move on to new assignments and start retirement. And that means awards ceremonies, farewell parties, and, of course, tribute speeches. If you’re asked to write or deliver a tribute this summer, keep in mind that it’s an opportunity not only to praise the recipient for their achievement or service, but to inspire the people around them. Follow these three tips to make your words memorable and meaningful. Read More...

You've no doubt heard the term "smoke-filled room" before. And you can probably conjure up a picture of one in your mind, filled with insiders secretly deciding the fate of a political contest. As the tour guide on Chicago's Big Bus will tell you (and Wikipedia will confirm) the term was first used to describe the atmosphere inside the Blackstone Hotel on Michigan Avenue. While smoking inside hotels throughout North America is becoming more and more rare, a "smoke filled room" lives on as a metaphor for a secret political gathering. I wonder if the Blackstone has put a plaque on the wall? Read More...

“I love deadlines,” Douglas Adams, the late author of the sci-fi classic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy once admitted. ”I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” And fly by they do. Writers’ lives are ruled by deadlines. Speech and presentation writers are no exception. When the clock strikes the appointed hour and the speaker steps onto the podium, he or she has to have a script in hand. 
 
A New Yorker cartoon does a good job of conveying the “life and death” feel of deadlines. In the picture, a man looks up from his computer to see the grim reaper and says: “Thank goodness you’re here. I can’t get anything done without a deadline.” Few people would welcome the harbinger of death with the same enthusiasm, but all of us can benefit from managing our deadlines. So, with that goal or ghoul in mind (sorry I couldn’t resist the pun) here are three tips. Read More...

Geeks do it. Bankers do it. Even scientists and engineers do it. And I’m not talking about “falling in love”. These groups are often accused of speaking a lingo the rest of us can't understand. By lapsing into insider talk, tech terms and acronyms it's easy for a speaker, no matter what their background, to leave an audience in the dark.

Think of a topic you know intimately. Now imagine trying to explain it to someone who knows nothing about it. To paraphrase the psychologist and linguist Steven Pinker, we're often unconscious of what we know and assume other people know it as well. That’s a sure recipe for poor communication.

You can make technical topics clear to non-experts, especially if you're willing to address your subject from the point of view of the listener. Follow the tips below for great results. Read More...

Ok, maybe wearing a zebra-patterned outfit like balloon-launch coordinators do is too much to ask. But if you deliver speeches or presentations - or write for someone who does - face the facts: it takes some effort to stand out from the crowd. Every day thousands of people step on to the podium to speak. Yet, only a fraction of the talks they give are memorable or move audiences to action. Follow the tips below to raise the chances that you’ll engage your listeners and get them onside. Read More...

I’m leading two speechwriting workshops back to back that will give participants the skills they need to tackle virtually any speech assignment and meet the toughest deadlines. Join me for Write Out Loud: Strategic Speechwriting Skills and Value Beyond Words: Advanced Speechwriting Skills. Read More...