Why You Should Never “Wing It”

Remember, one of Mimi’s Laws of Great Speaking: “Never make an audience nervous.” It’s not just that the audience is reminded of 8th grade speech class. They are more sophisticated now. With the popularity of TED Talks, people are used to well-structured excellence from the speaker on stage. They expect you to be smart, polished,…

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The More You Know, the Better the Flow

Picture it: your audience is sitting in front of you. They are potential clients or customers. Here’s the way I see it. If there are five or fewer adults in your audience, they will remain adults, exhibiting the sophisticated behavior of giving you their attention. In my 30 years of speaking in front of groups,…

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Get Rid of Your “Um’s”

Have you ever heard a speaker who punctuated each sentence with “um?” Did you ever get distracted by the excessive use of “like?” Have you ever found yourself counting the “ya knows?” When someone asks, “What do you do?” is your first word “um?” If your answer needs to be a 30-second intro or a…

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