Have you ever been outrageous?

One of my favorite guests on Ellen is beauty expert Kym Douglas. She's an attractive woman, always well-dressed, well-coiffed and well-prepared, and her demonstrations are completely nutty. Her specialty is showing how to make beauty products from household items -- if there's enough humor in them.

Kym immediately gets the audience laughing by smearing something on her face -- say, avocado or glue -- or pouring something on her hair like ketchup or beer. She always offers to demonstrate on Ellen first, and Ellen always declines. Then she moves on to beauty tricks like pulling her face back with elastic in a "secret face lift" or climbing into a tubful of skin-softening red wine.

I take great pleasure in watching Kym destroy her perfect makeup, hair and clothing. We were always taught, as little girls (and maybe little boys, too), that there were "good clothes" and "play clothes." Watching Kym smash this taboo and have fun with margaritas, coffee grounds and mayonnaise just delights the heck out of me, and Ellen's audience too. What she's doing works, because she keeps getting asked back!

Have you ever tried something a little outrageous in your presentations? Share in the comments!

See one of Kym Douglas' Ellen appearances below, and find more on Hulu.

7 tips for speaking up in meetings

Meetings. We hate them, yet we have to go to them. There are too many, yet not enough. We even call them ourselves from time to time. And the worst thing about meetings? Not knowing when we're going to be called on to speak.

There seems to be an ingrained insecurity in many of us when it comes to speaking up at meetings. Whether it's the discomfort of not having prepared arguments or answers, or whether it's the fear of sounding like an idiot when we do speak up, meetings are a stressful environment for many of us.

In a previous blog post, I talked about speaking off the cuff, and being prepared for those times when... you're not prepared. There are a lot of relevant tips there for speaking up in meetings.

But I wanted to be more specific today. You know you're going to the meeting, so how can you be prepared when it comes time for you to speak? Here are a few more tips.

1. Remind yourself that you have lots of good ideas

Before the meeting is a good time for a little positive self-talk and maybe some visualization. Picture yourself in the meeting, smiling, speaking with confidence, making good points and asking good questions. You have valuable ideas to contribute to the meeting. You are just as intelligent and important as the next guy or gal.

2. Look at the agenda

Not surprisingly, many people receive an agenda in advance and never look at it. So, let's make this first step super easy. Look at the agenda. Determine what topics are going to be covered, and see if anything applies to you!

3. Ask yourself: "Do I have to talk about any of these topics? Will I be asked any questions?"

If you see topics on the agenda that have anything to do with your position, your department, your area of expertise... anticipate. Anticipate what updates you might be requested to give or what questions your colleagues might ask you.

4. Ask yourself: "Do I want to address any of these topics myself?"

In looking over the agenda, you might see something you want to discuss, something you've been wondering about, or something that you need to share. If this is the case, prepare your question or suggestion in advance. Plan what you want to say, and practice it if you're unsure of how it might come across.

I suggest giving yourself homework. For the next four meetings, plan to have something to talk about. Task yourself with speaking on purpose, and prepare some comments, questions or suggestions. This will give you experience in speaking up and it will start to feel less awkward.

5. When something comes up unexpectedly, make notes, relax, then respond

If you have a fear of sounding dumb in your meeting (and who doesn't?), take a moment to gather your thoughts before you speak. Jot down a couple of points so you don't forget them, or so you can put them in a logical order.

Clench and unclench your hands and feet a few times under the table to get your blood flowing and provide a mini-relaxation response. Take three slow, deep breaths through your nose. Stay focused and don't let the beating of your heart distract you.

This doesn't guarantee that you won't sound dumb, by the way. But usually, you only sound dumb in your own mind. The rest of the people in the meeting aren't really that invested in how brilliant your ideas are. They're too worried about sounding dumb themselves.

6. Always remember: It's okay to say "I don't know."

Don't put so much pressure on yourself to know everything and have the answer to every question. No one knows everything. Read "5 ways to say 'I don't know'" for creative ways to handle this situation.

7. Also remember: Life is too short to obsess about how you're perceived by others

If you have questions, ask them. If you have ideas, share them. I'll tell you what others in the meeting are thinking: "I'm so glad she brought that up, because I don't want to look stupid by asking."

Don't miss out on opportunities to learn, to engage, to be heard, because you're so worried about what others think of you. You're the only one who is hurt by hiding in fear, but you're not the only one who gains by speaking up.

What other tips do you have for speaking up confidently in meetings?

What employers really want: Communication skills

Industry surveys are regularly published regarding desirable skills for new hires or ongoing training needs identified within industries, and oral and written communication skills are becoming more common at or near the top of these lists.

This Computerworld survey came out in 2007, suggesting that communication skills have become a desirable skill of IT workers:

"Survey respondents said writing and public speaking are two of the most important soft skills they look for when hiring new employees."

In this survey, oral communication places fifth of 29 non-technical skills perceived to be needed by manufacturing engineering graduates for professional success.

In this study, mechanical engineers were asked, "How prepared were you to start the practice of engineering?" and "How prepared does your supervisor think you were?" The perceptions of the engineers vs. their supervisors about their communication skills indicate a lack of sufficient training:

"For example, in response to a question about the strength of the degree program/strength of employee preparedness in 'Communication, Oral and Written," 65% of the early career engineers responded with 'sufficient' or 'strong.' But over half of the industry respondents who supervised MEs felt entering MEs communication skills were 'weak.'"

The Journal of Accountancy asked financial executives to rank the top three skills important to them when hiring staff and managers:

"Communication skills stood out, ranking higher—third overall for both staff and managers—than finance staples such as financial analysis and budgeting and forecasting. Since oral and written communication are often not emphasized in accounting curricula or CPE, these results suggest CPAs in business and industry should consider pursuing specialized training."

More recently, the National Association of Colleges and Employers 2011 report ranked verbal communication as the #1 most desirable employability skill.

What's my point? In almost every industry -- even technical professions, where traditionally oral communication was not considered a critical part of the job -- communication skills are one of the main factors that will lead to workplace success.

If you didn't get this training in college (and even if you did, heck, college was a long time ago for some of us), where can you go to improve your speaking skills? In my blog post "5 ways to stop repeating the same mistakes," I pointed out that, while practicing is important, getting useful feedback is more helpful in fostering growth and improvement as a speaker.

To build on the skills you already have, or to start from scratch, you will need training. Join a program (this one is soon to be offered online), get one-on-one coaching and, at mininum, get honest feedback from your supervisors about what they expect from your communication and presentation skills.

The world is changing; not many employees can hide away in a "mad-scientist cave" (as one of my clients put it) anymore and avoid communicating with fellow staff, team members, clients or prospects. Make yourself a marketable new-hire or increase your value to your current employer: Get public speaking training.

What do you want me to write about?

As you know, I'll make a public speaking post out of anything: a sandwich, a pie crust, an old rocker or a track star. I see examples and analogies related to public speaking everywhere and all the time.

But I'd also like to know what you'd like me to write about. Is there a topic I haven't covered, or haven't covered enough?

I've been writing this blog since October 2006; I have over 1,100 posts. Sometimes it feels like there's nothing else to write about! But I know there's plenty more to be said, and plenty more ways to say it!

There are a few requests I've received that I've yet to write about... sometimes it takes a while to marinate before I can figure out how to say what I want to say. And sometimes there's research and background information I need to have in place before I can write. So if you're still waiting for me to address the issue you requested, I haven't forgotten! They're all in my drafts and will come to the forefront eventually.

Please share in the comments any thoughts you have on blog posts you'd like to read here and, if it's a topic I know something about or can find something to write about, I will.

Also, just a quick note of appreciation for all the Twitter retweets and "likes" on Facebook that keep these blog posts alive. And I always appreciate your comments, so please keep them coming!

Four tips for a better networking event

Here's a quick tip for making your networking event a success: Get rid of the tables.

Recently I attended a networking mixer at a conference, at the end of the day, in a room that had been set up banquet-style for earlier breakfast and lunch events. There were tables set up around the perimeter for service providers, nonprofits and other groups to promote their businesses. And there was a dessert table.

Unfortunately, because the room was set with tables -- and there was no structure to the event -- a person would come in, get a brownie and coffee and sit down at a table with the same people she had been talking to all day.

There was no motivation for attendees to move around and meet new faces. Nor was there motivation for them to walk around and look at the information displayed at the tables.

How would I improve this event?

1. I would get rid of the banquet-style seating. People would remain standing and be more inspired to move around the room. This networking event was only an hour long, not too much time for people to have to stand. A few chairs could be scattered around, but not enough for everyone to sit down.

2. I would encourage the flow of traffic by having the desserts and coffee spread around the room instead of in just one place, again encouraging people to move and mingle.

3. I would move the vendors to the center of the large room, to make them more visible and create additional traffic flow. The room was too big for the number of attendees who showed up at the end of the day. Had the vendors' tables been set up in a square in the middle of the room, with vendors inside and attendees outside, the vendors would have had more visibility, and the attendees would have been more inclined to move around the tables on their way to dessert.

4. I would structure some actual networking, perhaps a speed networking activity, where a pair of attendees takes two minutes each to introduce themselves and chat, then moves on to the next pairing. This structured event could take a total of 15 minutes or less, and the attendees would actually get to meet someone new before going back to the comfort of their colleagues.

If you're going to call it a "networking event," some effort needs to be made to allow for and encourage networking. It's not a networking event if participants stay in one place the whole time, talking to the same people they came with.

How would you improve on this event?

The one habit you have to change to be a better speaker

If you want to be a better speaker, today's post is meant for you.

First of all, here are a few of the reasons I've heard for why someone would want to be better at public speaking:

1. To open up more opportunities at work by taking on greater responsibilities
2. To build reputation and visibility in their field
3. To stop dreading requests to speak by dealing with speaking anxiety
3. To have a unique voice and be heard, both at work and in personal life
4. To be more effective at expressing themselves
5. To build confidence, self-esteem and self-respect
6. To have a marketable skill when changing jobs or starting a business

There are a lot of reasons that a person would want to improve their speaking skills, which mostly tend to boil down to:

Money

Reputation

Confidence

But you'll never reach these goals or reap the benefits without practice.

One of the most difficult habits to change for part-time or unpaid speakers (those of you who speak occasionally as part of your job or for community events) is the habit of not practicing, or waiting until the last minute to practice a presentation.

I hear the argument, "I'm so busy," more than any other argument against practicing. If this is a work presentation, you explain that you have too much other work. Yet -- somehow -- you manage to get your other work done.

If this is a presentation outside of work, you explain that you have kids to pick up, a volunteer meeting to attend and errands to run, yet -- somehow -- you manage to find time to watch your favorite TV show, meet a friend for drinks or get a manicure.

If you don't WANT to practice, that's your choice. But be honest about it. Not to me -- to yourself.

Realize that you are making choices about how you spend your time. Realize that you are choosing what you prioritize as important.

And realize that your presentation is only as good as the time you take to make it good.

When your work is (pardon the expression) half-ass, it shows. If you truly want to be a better speaker (and you say you do), and you want to take advantage of the benefits listed above, then practice is required. Time is required. And not the day before it's due, for five minutes, in your head.

If you want to be a better speaker, for any of the reasons listed above and more, figure out how to prioritize your time to make practice part of every presentation you create. Make the choice to fit it into your schedule.

It's pretty rare in this life to get something for nothing. Success comes from hard work. Hard work includes practicing your skills so you get better at whatever it is you choose -- in this case, public speaking.

No more excuses. No more arguments. Make the time. You will be rewarded.

If you need more arguments in favor of practice, check out these posts:

Practice makes... improvement (video)

Winging it -- not okay

What's your excuse for not being prepared?

Seven ways to practice public speaking at work

Doing the bare minimum

Inspired to speak: The King's Speech

Experience vs. practice

Practice like you mean it

Time will pass anyway...

Raise your hand if you've ever waited until New Year's Day to start a new diet or exercise program. Raise your hand if you've ever waited until Monday, or your birthday, or the first of the month.

I see a lot of hands...

We tend to like the order and structure of starting something new on the first day of the month or year, or the beginning of the week, or a significant day like our birthday. We like starting something new on what we consider to be a fresh, clean slate.

The problem with this is that Monday comes, your birthday passes, and you haven't started. Sometimes these symbolic dates are so far into the future that, when they come, you've moved on from your original intention. Or you get to the date and you haven't done your "research," so you're not prepared.

What's wrong with starting today? Want to quit smoking? How about starting today? Want to stop drinking soda? How about starting today? Want to spend more time with your kids? How about starting today?

I love this quote by Earl Nightingale:

"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."

We know that the thing we want to accomplish will take time -- like getting better at public speaking. We'd like to start working on it, to take a class or get coaching, but it seems like an insurmountable task. "I'll never achieve what I want to achieve," we tell ourselves. And so we never begin in the first place.

But as Earl Nightingale says, the time is going to pass anyway. In six months, you can be exactly where you are now, or you can be a person who's lost ten pounds, quit smoking, reduced your debt by $5,000, or given your first conference presentation.

Take baby steps. Do something small but significant. Tell yourself you're not going to wait around any longer. Yes, do the necessary research to make it stick, but do something now.

Rufus Wainwright said in an interview a few years ago:

"I'm in the midst of negotiating and writing an opera, and that has always been my life-long ambition. It is really something I thought I would do years down the line, when I was fat and bearded.

But I realized that you really have to start yesterday if you want to get your dreams accomplished. It's all about action."

This quote is from 2008. By July 2009 his opera was finished and had premiered in England. Now it's 2011, and Rufus Wainwright can say he accomplished his dream to write and produce an opera. Will he write more? Who knows? But he set his mind to it, took action and now he can say he did it.

Time's going to pass anyway. Why wait until next Monday to start achieving your dreams, bettering yourself, heck -- just getting things done? Why not start today?

What have you been putting off that you could start now? Please share in the comments!

Are you motivated or committed?

I was reading the testimonial this weekend of a women who lost over 100 pounds and is now running marathons and getting certified to become a personal trainer. One of her secrets to success was expressed in this sentence:

"I don't believe in motivation; I believe in commitment."

This was a new concept for me, but I totally get it. Motivation is a feeling that many of us rely on to occur before we can get anything done. Write that book? I'm not motivated today. Get outside and exercise? Not motivated. Prepare for that presentation I have to give Tuesday? I'm just not motivated.

Motivation also frequently comes with rewards attached, whether internal or external. An external reward might be acknowledgement from the boss or a commission after a successful sales presentation. An internal reward might be how great you feel after a workout or the improvement in health. But motivation and rewards tend to go hand in hand, and oftentimes we're not motivated unless we see the reward at the end of the tunnel (and in the case of exercise, even the future rewards aren't enough to make us get out there and move our behinds!).

Commitment, on the other hand, is an action we choose to take no matter how we feel.

I frequently don't feel like exercising, but I get up out of my desk chair, put on those workout clothes and I go. Because if I always have to be motivated to exercise, then I will barely make a dent in my health and fitness. I'm committed to exercising, and that means (most of the time) I make it happen whether I feel like it or not.

Many of my clients aren't motivated to practice their presentations -- even when there is a reward in sight -- but when they commit to putting in a certain amount of time or practicing a particular skill, they get it done. Because they know the presentation will be better if they do, whether they feel like it or not.

Motivation is fleeting; it changes with the weather, with the seasons, with how much sleep you've gotten, with other life circumstances. A commitment is not necessarily easy to make or keep, but at least it doesn't rely on feelings that may be here one day but not the next.

The idea scenario would be commitment plus motivation; this would be the holy grail of accomplishment! But realistically, that is only going to happen sometimes, whereas plain old commitment can be achieved every day.

What are you working on that you need motivation to finish? What if you made a commitment instead?

Is your presentation like shampoo?

Click the ad twice to see it full size

In group coaching last week, there was some dissent about having to do the same 3-minute presentation more than once.

The first time participants delivered the speech, they were videotaped and given a written critique. They had a week to revise and improve the presentation, then were videotaped and critiqued again, and that was the end of that speech. There is one other speech required, for fun, a 45-second acceptance speech the final week, the same length as those given at the Oscars.

After delivering the 3-minute presentation only once, a couple of group members felt that they were over it and wanted to move on to a new speech. They were bored with it already (and granted, were delivering to the same audience for a second time).

Here's my response to their complaint.

Most of us who speak on a regular basis do not give many different presentations. We are more likely to give one or two presentations over and over. Like old-timey shampoo instructions, we give a presentation, then "rinse and repeat."

Whether you are giving sales presentations on your product, speaking to community groups on heart disease, or training new employees on company policies, you are probably giving the same handful of presentations on a regular basis.

Do you get bored with those presentations? Maybe. Do you sometimes present the same material to some of the same audience members? Possibly. Should you give up on improving the presentation and settle into a comfortable rut? Never!

During my long career in nonprofits, I frequently gave the same presentations over and over. When I was a teen program coordinator for a domestic violence agency, in fact, I gave the same presentation to dozens of high school classrooms and thousands of students each year -- for six years. Some speakers might start to feel like they could do the presentation in their sleep -- and they would. But how is that good for your audience?

I would constantly tweak the presentation to make sure it was fresh and interesting. Based on work I was doing with our agency's clients, I was constantly adding new and better stories. Based on evaluations I received from the students, I was constantly refining the way I expressed my message. For six years, this presentation evolved, and by the time I left that organization, the presentation (and my program) was ten times better than it had been when I started.

These days, I still have a handful of presentations I give over and over. Although I'm regularly adding new offerings, the fact is, some of my presentations are standard issue and will be requested repeatedly.

It's my responsibility as a speaker to keep my material up to date, interesting to the audience (even if some of them have heard it before), and continually evolving. The minute I stop doing that, I get bored. And if I'm bored, my audience is bored. And then I've failed.

Look at repeat presentations as an opportunity to cultivate your skills as a presenter, to develop in your writing, your delivery, your ability to connect, and your stage presence. Repeat presentations can be challenging, but there is no reason you can't make them an avenue for growth.

If you want to be a successful speaker, you have no choice.

Is your preparation ritual more trouble than it's worth?

On an episode of the Graham Norton Show, Graham asked his guests about preparation rituals. Here's Josh Groban's response:

"I used to have some crazy pre-performance quirks. I've decided to get rid of all of those because I'm the personality type that if decide that I'm going to start needing things before I go on stage, it's just going to escalate to the point of being completely intolerable.

In the first two or three years of my career, I decided in my own crazy mind that I couldn't go onstage unless I had some kind of patterned or colored socks and underwear. I know, it sounds crazy, but I could not have white underwear or socks. I just thought if I go out onstage in white socks and underwear, it's gonna be the worst show I've ever had in my life. So I would actively find polka dot underwear to wear onstage."

As former professional basketball player, speaker and life coach Fran Harris told me when I interviewed her about her pre-performance rituals, "Honestly, a ritual can cripple you as much as it can aid you in succeeding. So, I try not to get obsessive about anything but just to develop the skills necessary to perform."

Do you have a specific preparation ritual when you speak, play a sport or perform? Have you ever found your ritual to be more trouble than it's worth?

See my preparation rituals series here.

Can your audience feel you?

Last night's performance of "Without You" by James Durbin on American Idol showcased one of the aspects of performance that speakers might not only overlook, but consciously try to avoid: Emotion.

There's something embarrassing to adults (especially in a business environment) about showing too much joy, too much sadness, too much quirkiness, too much anything that might reveal a crack in the exterior of the finely crafted and orchestrated "professional" public persona.

Don't make your gestures too big. Don't smile too much. Don't let your voice be too colorful. Don't draw attention to the fact that you are human. Because audiences want to see a flawless, restrained, professional, serious, business-appropriate presentation. Right?

Wrong.

Your audience wants a connection. Sure, they want and deserve good content, but there's no reason you can't give good content and also help your audience relate to you better as a person.

When you hold back part of who you are, the emotional part, the audience only gets a part of the picture. They feel that something's missing, they feel that something's incongruent. What's missing is the rapport, the relationship, the part where the audience feels a little of your pain, your joy, your silliness, your concern, your anger, your disappointment, your pride, your uncertainty, your wisftulness. When you feel it -- and show it -- they can feel it, too. It's a gift from you to them, and it's a gift your audience appreciates and cherishes.

James' performance was not without mistakes, but perfection was not the goal. James told a story with his song, of personal sadness and feelings of loneliness.

Randy Jackson called the performance "Emotionally perfect."

"This is a mark of truly a great performer. I could feel your emotion when you started that, as we were watching the package and you thinking about your family and the journey that you're on here. And I tell you man, just fighting back through the emotions, for you to give a vocal like you gave -- no, it wasn't perfect, but it was emotionally perfect.... And that's what the audience really feels."

After James' performance, he had this to say:

"Every single week, I leave everything on this stage. Everything."

Can you say that about your presentations?

Watch James' performance below:



http://www.americanidol.com/videos/season_10/performances/

Is your speech too "speechy?"

Why is it so easy to write in clichés? Why are so many speeches and presentations full of trite platitudes like "humble thanks," "heartfelt wishes" and "I'm so honored to be here?"

Because we've heard it all before. It's easy to write a speech in clichés, because after so many weddings, graduations, award banquets and retirement dinners, it's the first thing that comes to mind; we've come to believe that that's what makes a speech a speech. That is, formal, flowery, wordy, grandiose and as far away from a natural conversation as you can get. Speechy.

Speechy is boring, it's unoriginal, and it causes your audience's eyes to glaze over. But how do you get away from it? How do you even recognize it?

A client told me that she didn't even realize the writing she was doing for her speech was so clichéd, and it makes sense, because clichés are almost invisible. They're quick little shortcuts we use to make a point without having to reinvent the wheel or, for that matter, think for ourselves.

If you want to know if your speech is speechy, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I heard it before? And if the answer is yes, have I heard it a LOT?

Obviously, it's pretty hard to come up with completely original content for every presentation you give. Even professional writers are guilty of using the easy cliché. Every culture has expressions, idioms, and humor that will fold naturally into a speech, and you don't have to go crazy trying to avoid every possible common expression.

But if you hear it frequently, especially at formal occasions where people give speeches, try to think of some different words to express your thought.

2. Is this my voice?

You may want to give "heartfelt thanks" to all your guests, but is that really the way you would say it if you were hanging out having a beer together on the deck?

A speech can certainly be an opportunity for heartfelt thanks, but if those aren't words that would ever come out of your mouth on other occasions, then don't say them. A speech, like any other presentation, should still be conversational, natural and authentic. You still want to come across as YOU.

3. Am I trying too hard?

A speaker sometimes sees a speech as an opportunity to use big words, too many words, too many adjectives, and too much pomp and circumstance. In an effort to impress the audience, the speaker spends days with the thesaurus, thinking up variations on "fabulous," "amazing," "wonderful," "tremendous" and "dynamic."

And oftentimes, the speaker puts untold pressure on himself to be pithy, profound, and poignant (oh yeah, you bet I used the thesaurus on that sentence). I still remember the high school valedictorian a few years back using the word "jocularity" in his speech. Really? How many of the students in his class even knew what that word meant?

Keep it simple. Express your deep and sincere feelings in a way that's meaningful to you and your audience. Make jokes, name names and kiss butts if you must. But do it in your own language, your own words, your own voice.

Short and sweet

I'm a big fan of Elizabeth Warren, the consumer advocate and Harvard professor who is heading up the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. I've written about her here as well.

In her typical folksy style, Ms. Warren spent just under seven minutes on The Daily Show explaining what the agency is meant to do and how Congress is trying to block or delay the agency's work.

In her short time, she used analogies, humor, conciseness, and the rule of three -- a technique that gives a satisfying rhythm to your speech -- to make her point while educating the audience.

Here's her plain English explanation of the agency (with a little humor):

"What this agency really wants to do is, it wants to make prices clear, it wants to make risks clear, it wants to get rid of the fine print -- the word 'barf' in the middle of these contracts -- so that you can actually make direct comparisons.

In other words, to try to make a financial market work for families. That's what this agency is all about."

Here's a classic example of the power and rhythm of the rule of three:

"Millions of Americans today live one bad diagnosis, one pink slip, one interest-rate-reset away from complete financial collapse."

Here's an analogy that she started during one portion of her talk and came back to a few moments later:

"We had this fight out in the open a year ago. Over the whole question about what we're going to do about financial reform. The fight was there. It was high noon, we had it out in the middle of Main Street....

The fight isn't over. the fight moved from Main Street to the dark alleys. Now the game is, 'Let's just see if we can stick a knife in the ribs of this consumer agency.'"

And my favorite of her "rule of three" examples, with some nice alliteration as well:

"Right now there are bills pending in Congress to delay the agency, to defund the agency, to defang the agency... make it toothless so it won't get anything done."

She is also an expert at sticking to her key point, in this case, that the agency exists to serve middle class families.

Ms. Warren is an inspiration to me, with her down-to-earth personality and her use of multiple effective public speaking techniques to get her message across with humor and style. She's become a master of the short interview, someone we can all learn from.

How can you be more concise, more clear and still incorporate analogies, humor, the rule of three and other techniques into a short presentation?

View the whole clip here:



Or watch it online.

Strawberry shortcake photo by kendiala.