The New Year is a time of optimism. Of anticipation. Of hope. And the New Year contains this wellspring of expectation because it marks the beginning. The beginning of something unknown.
The very first moments of a speech share much with the New Year, and like the turning of the calendar, the first thing an audience experiences sets an all-important tone.
Read MoreLast night, a steady stream of ghouls, zombies, and werewolves crawled the streets, making wild gestures to add to the believability of their characters. Speakers looking to command similar attention and engagement from their audience must also pay attention to their hands and arms when presenting.
This action is known as gesturing, and it is more important than you think.
Whether firefly or public speaker, providing your audience with an authentic indicator of who you are is essential to your success. Audiences are looking for signals of authenticity, and when they are missing, their internal alarms are quick to signal an imposter.
Read MoreEach day, 27,000,000 business cards are printed in the United States at a total annual cost to employers in excess of $790 million dollars.[1]. Factor in the cost of professional design services, and this business expense easily surpasses one billion dollars annually.
No one ever questions this cost. ...
Read MoreBegin by appealing to the oldest part of your audience's brain...
You have the most critical, game-changing information on the planet to talk about, but if you don't immediately create a connection with your audience, your message will fall flat.
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