Editor's Note:  This is a guest post by Michael Thies of the website Spoken Gems.

Now that I have posted over 100 speeches, I think it’s time for a round-up. So, here are my Top 10 posts of the first 100 speeches.

What is your personal list of top speeches?

My old acting buddy, Ephraim Swanson-Dusenbury sent me a link to this video in Facebook. It made me laugh and I wanted to share it with you, too.

Editor's Note:  This is a guest post by Olivia Mitchell from Speaking about Presenting

 When I first started presenting I would take ages to write a presentation. I wanted it to be perfect. I'd brainstorm, do research and then painstakingly put it all together.

Sometimes the presentation was a success, sometimes it was ho-hum. And I didn't really know why the good ones worked.

As I got more experienced I streamlined my system for planning a presentation and started to find out why some presentations worked and others didn't.

Ten years ago my partner and I started teaching presentation skills to other people. Using the feedback from the hundreds of people we've taught, we've continuously tweaked the system to make it as effective as possible. There are three key ingredients:

1. Plan your presentation around one focal key message
People can only remember a limited amount from a presentation. It's up to you as the presenter to take charge of what the audience will remember. You can do this by deciding what is the key thing you want your audience to remember - that's the key message. Then build your presentation around this key message.

2. Rigorously edit the presentation
Not only can people remember a limited amount from a presentation, most presenters talk far too much. All those words and waffle make it harder for the audience to discern what's important. So rigorously edit your presentation. Cut anything that doesn't support the key message. Then your key message and important supporting points will stand out.

3. Never make a point without backing it up with evidence or an example
Too many presentations are lists of facts or opinions. Not only are these presentations boring - they also lack credibility. Add evidence for your opinions and facts and your presentation will become both engaging and convincing.

We've written a short pdf guide that walks you through designing a presentation using our system. It's free for you to download. Using the Guide to plan your next presentation will help you:

• Save time
• Ensure you meet the needs of your audience
• Keep your audience engaged
• Achieve the results you want

Download the Guide from this page.  You'll also receive follow-up tips by e-mail to help you get the most out of the Guide. 

For more information visit: Effective Speaking

 Apply for a free Henderson Group workshop here>>

Today’s Press Democrat featured a story about the recent cold snap here in Sonoma County .  The story showed a photo with this caption:

“David Gravel, one of the elfish G&C Auto Body "Meter Beaters", dressed for the cold weather while saving downtown Santa Rosa parkers from a humbugish parking ticket.”

I envisioned a G&C Auto Body employee feeding a meter that is about to expire and leaving a little note as a way to market their company and build relationships with prospective customers.

Searching on Google, I found this blog post that confirmed my suspicions.

Whenever I hear about clever marketing campaigns like this one, I get excited and enthused.  It makes me want to do business with the organization and follow their lead by coming up with similarly clever ideas.  Regrettably, I find myself often falling short on the latter.  At minimum, I share this story with you.  Perhaps you will be inspired to market your company, product or even yourself in a similar way.

Happy Holidays!

I was reminded last week how behavior is commmunication and storytelling. 

As people are struggling with unemployment and losing their homes, car companies asking the government for assistance first went to Washington in their private jets.  What kind of message does that send?  What kind of story are you telling?

Big 3 Bailout Becomes Big 2 Bailout for the Short-Term

Enjoy exploring today's Top Ten posts at Speakfearlessly.net:

10. The Fear Factor: Mastering the Fear of Public Speaking, Part I

9. Stage Fright

8. Strategic Questioning: Sales Process

7. On Guy Kawasaki's Art of Admonishment

6. Vanquishing the Chaos Monster

5. The Secrets of Storytelling: Public Speaking, Part 1

4. Receiving Feedback: Communication Skills

3. One Bullet PowerPoint: Presentation Skills

2. McCain vs. Obama: A Contrast in Presentation Styles

1. Dilbert's wisdom on authenticity and credibility in sales

The former President of Shell Oil Company has formed a non-profit Citizens for Affordable Energy, http://citizensforaffordableenergy.org/.

I have heard Hofmeister speak on two occasions now and I have been impressed each time with his measured, well-informed, reasonable, balanced, politically-savvy, and well-articulated approach. 

Hear John Hofmeister speak at commonwealthclub.org. 

I think he would make a great addition to Obama’s cabinet.

Bio:

John Hofmeister is the retired President of Shell Oil Company and the Founder and CEO of the not-for-profit (501(c) (3)), nation-wide membership association, Citizens for Affordable Energy. This Washington , D.C. registered, public policy advocacy firm exists to promote sound U.S. energy security solutions for the nation, including a range of affordable energy supplies, efficiency improvements, essential infrastructure, sustainable environmental policy, and public education on energy issues.

Hofmeister was named President of Houston-based Shell Oil Company in March 2005, heading the U.S. Country Leadership Team, which included the leaders of all Shell businesses operating in the United States . He became President after serving as Group Human Resource Director of the Shell Group, based in The Hague , The Netherlands.

As Shell President, Hofmeister launched an extensive outreach program, unprecedented in the energy industry, to discuss critical global energy challenges. The program included an 18-month, 50-city tour across the country during which Hofmeister and other Shell leaders met with more than 15,000 business, community and civic leaders, policymakers, and academics to discuss what must be done to ensure affordable, available energy for the future.

A business leader who has observed and participated in the inner workings of general industries for more than 30 years, Hofmeister also has held key positions in General Electric, Nortel and AlliedSignal (now Honeywell International).

Hofmeister serves as the Chairman of the National Urban League and is a member of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee. He also serves on the boards of the Foreign Policy Association, the United States Energy Association, and the National Association of Manufacturers. Hofmeister is a fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources. He also served as 2007 Chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership.

Hofmeister earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Kansas State University .

It was the speed that finally sold me.

I was reading an article titled, “Inside Chrome: The Secret Project to Crush IE and Remake the Web”

Three pieces in particular convinced me to download it and give it a try:
1) “… functions that previously could be performed only on the desktop — email, spreadsheets, database management — are increasingly handled online. In the coming era of cloud computing, the Web will be much more than just a means of delivering content — it will be a platform in its own right.”
2) “One key change they had in mind was something called a multiprocess architecture, the system that helps the computer keep going when an application crashes or freezes. Why not extend that idea to browsers, so if something crashes in a tab, the other tabs are unperturbed?”
3) This cartoon about their testing process:

4) The browser “JavaScript 10 times faster than Firefox or Safari. And how does it compare in those same benchmarks to the market-share leader, Microsoft's IE 7? Fifty-six times faster.”

My immediate impressions are:
1) It is simple and clean in design.
2) I found it fairly intuitive and easy to use with little instruction.
3) It is blazingly fast – much faster than Firefox, my preferred browser till now.

Here are some reviews.

Download it here:
www.google.com/chrome

Subscribe to our weekly updates here>>

I ran across an interesting post over at Guy Kawasaki's blog called, "The Art of Admonishment." 

It's a great read in addition to our candid feedback material.  Guy highlights Nancy Ortberg's sermon titled 'Every Life Needs a Truth-Teller.' 

Nancy talks about how having the well intentioned, though hard conversations in pursuit of growth create transformational communities and powerful relationships over time; taking us to a new level.  In turn, she shares how avoiding the difficult conversation often equals sameness, artificial harmony and eventually, grudges, gossip and cynicism.  We've all experienced both of these phenomena. 

Check it out!  These are powerful concepts for transforming your relationships in the workplace, and beyond. 

To stay updated with our blog subscribe here >>

When I heard of a $253 million award, based on a "bullet-less" slide presentation, I was convinced. Convinced to take a client's suggestion and read Cliff Atkinson's book "Beyond Bullet Points"

Reporters covering a Vioxx trial in Houston emphasized that the 253 slides used in presenting the case (an equation of $1 million per slide) were the strongest, most convincing component in the multi-million dollar award to the family of a man who died while taking the drug.

A PowerPoint Revolution

Here is Atkinson's revolutionary method:

1. He uses absolutely NO BULLETS.

2. He uses few words, only evocative visual metaphors: an image and title.

3. He suggests NO logo or talking points on the slides, but instead, on the "Notes Master," which can then work as a handout.

4. He provides an outline, easily adaptable, to create your presentation and to fit your time slot, from 15-45 minutes.

5. His process begins with writing a script in a Word table template; the script then transitions to a storyboard by sending it to PowerPoint.

I used his book as a guide in a presentation for a group of Chinese engineers in Silicon Valley . Targeting that specific audience, I used predominantly Asian images. Even at the beginning of the presentation, with the opening slides, I was impressed by the immediate positive audience response. Then at the end: a standing ovation.

My Thoughts

1. The solid, time-tested three-act structure hearkens back to Aristotle and aligns with The Henderson Group's present-day philosophy about the Rule of Three.

2. Visual metaphors are what Power Point does best. Visual metaphors and central themes align with The Henderson Group's philosophy.

3. Crafting a presentation structure is easily done with Atkinson's templates.

How NOT to use PowerPoint >>