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?

Picture Credit: Caveman 92223

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

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!

 Apply for a free Henderson Group workshop here>>

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

photo credit: Miss-Frugality