While personal New Year’s resolutions are wonderful, consider adding a professional resolution, as well. And if you do, consider resolving to enhance your communication skills.

The recommendation has a chorus of support:

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJanuary 1, 2022Business communication, Public speaking coaching, Professional Communicators, Presentation training

Slow Down!

When the time comes to present, you get up and start your presentation. But once you start, you can’t stop...not even to breathe. You’re off to the races. You easily finish in the time allotted, and when you ask for questions, there are none.

Was it good? Probably not.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldMarch 1, 2021Presentation coaching, Presentation training, The Professional Communicators, Rate of delivery, Talking too quickly, Nervous presenting

Paint Pictures in Your Presentations

To engage your audience, your words must help your listeners paint vivid mental images that bring your content to life. It’s why you must always follow this simple rule:

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldDecember 1, 2019Public speaking, Presentation training, Storytelling, Professional Communicators, Business Communication, Business presentations

Tell A Story

Thirty-five thousand years ago, in a sandy-floored cave illuminated by the flicker of fire light on the tropical island of Indonesia, a human hand reached out of the darkness and began to paint. Animals, murals, everyday objects, still life, but all…stories. Whether in art or oration, stories have been part of the human tapestry since the very beginning.

Stories are the epitome of effective communication.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldNovember 1, 2018The Professional Communicators, Storytelling, Presentation training, Public speaking, Oral communication, Business presentations

The Kitchen Sink

Maybe your kitchen sink looked like mine when I was single--full of every plate, pan, utensil, and glass. When I caught a glimpse of it, I would feel frustrated and overwhelmed. To escape that distress, I would just avoid it. But it’s not just the kitchen sink that can get overloaded; presentations can also get packed with everything from the speaker's proverbial kitchen, and when they do, audiences get overwhelmed and tune out.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldSeptember 1, 2018Public Speaking, Public speaking coaching, Public speaking training, Presentation training, Powerpoint design, Slide deck design, Management presentation preparation, The Professional Communicators

Pure Art! Pure Color! Pure Baseball!

In 2008, architecture firms lined up for the opportunity to pitch their plans to build a new iconic baseball stadium in the heart of Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood. It was a dream contract, and firms clambered to win it.

While many of the pitches focused on design elements and amenities like a retractable roof, new-age materials, luxury boxes, enhanced concession stands, club seating, and other revenue producing features, one architecture firm took a different approach. One firm took a winning approach.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldAugust 1, 2018Public speaking, Public speaking coaching, public speaking training, Presentation training, Management presentation preparation, Oral communication, The Professional Communicators, Pitch training, Sales pitch coaching

No Mulligans

It’s a Saturday morning and you are in the middle of a friendly game of golf. On the 8th hole you walk up to the ball, set your target, and select a club. You start your backswing, shift your weight forward, strike the ball, and follow through. You look up to see the ball flying hundreds of feet...off target and toward the adjacent fairway. Humiliated, you announce to your group that you are “hitting another ball.” You’re taking a mulligan.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could take a mulligan in every aspect of our lives? In many things we can--transferring schools, changing jobs, switching careers. These are all are do-overs.

In public speaking and presenting, there are no mulligans, no second chances, no do-overs.

Speaker SoundbitesKurt MacDonaldJuly 1, 2018Public Speaking, public speaking coaching, Public speaking training, Presentations, Presentation training