Last week I was talking with a girl, maybe 12 years old, who dropped a big word during the conversation. It seemed like she might've been doing it to see if I knew what it meant. I'll give her a pass since she's young, but there's no excuse for a grown-up like you do do this when you're … [Read more...] about Do you use big words to sound smart? Knock it off!
Cheat Death by PowerPoint with a free game
In Toastmasters, we have a thing called Table Topics. Speakers are given a topic and they have to come up with a brief speech about it on the spot. Always on the lookout to make online meetings more interesting, I wanted to find a PowerPoint game where I could click on a box to reveal the question. … [Read more...] about Cheat Death by PowerPoint with a free game
Keeping that human touch as a remote presenter
As presenters, we need to be sure that our audience is always engaged. We want to see that people are interested in what we have to say and that they understand our messages. Although it can be a little tougher to do this when we're presenting online, it can be done. In fact, if you want your … [Read more...] about Keeping that human touch as a remote presenter
5 mistakes to avoid during online meetings
Like many of you, I've ditched in-person meetings for virtual ones during the coronavirus crisis. In my case, it's just more of what I've been doing all along. For others I've been meeting with, it's all brand new. Here are five mistakes I've seen (and made) during online meetings. Some seem like … [Read more...] about 5 mistakes to avoid during online meetings
Breaking away from the Engineer’s Sine Wave
I joined Toastmasters in 2013 to improve my public speaking. In the past seven years, I've learned a lot about being aware the many aspects of vocal variety. Using skills I've learned at Toastmasters, I make an effort to adjust the pitch, speed, and tone of my voice to keep my audiences engaged. So … [Read more...] about Breaking away from the Engineer’s Sine Wave
A little audience research goes a long way
In 2016, Massachusetts citizens voted to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults aged 21 and older. But not everybody is welcoming the cannabis industry with open arms. Last night, a businessman who wants to open a retail shop and growing operation in my small Central Massachusetts town … [Read more...] about A little audience research goes a long way
Weird room setup kills Presenter View
During a presentation, the Presenter View can be a real help! You get to read your notes and see what slides are coming up next, while the audience sees only the slides. Usually, if you're presenting off a laptop or desktop computer, you can make the Presenter View visible on your screen while … [Read more...] about Weird room setup kills Presenter View
Think your presentation’s awesome? Get some feedback.
At the last minute, I signed up to be a speaker for a recent meeting of my Toastmasters club. To make it easy on myself, I decided to present an excerpt from a tried-and-true presentation I’d given many times before. What I didn’t expect was to receive feedback that would make my speech even … [Read more...] about Think your presentation’s awesome? Get some feedback.