Public speaking is a learned skill. To speak well requires practice. The ability to speak confidently and persuasively in front of groups is a highly valuable asset. Increased practice leads to better performance in job interviews, proposal presentations, project team meetings and board meetings. The basic principles of persuasion were developed over hundreds of years … Read more
There is no simple rules for how you should stand, have your hands, look, or dress when you give a speech. However you must achieve three things in order to powerfully support the verbal message of your speech. Sandy Linver in her book “Speak and Get Results” outlines the three areas: you must transmit authority, … Read more
I was recently at a lunch at IESE where Professor José Ramón Pin told a good story about human resources. If you want innovation and creativity, you need to recruit and collaborate with cats. If you want dependability and steadiness, but no surprises, you need to recruit and collaborate with dogs. If you have a … Read more
I am currently preparing the next year IESE MBA managerial communications course material and put down some rough notes on some key tips that differentiate powerful speakers from the rest. Speak with an intent to move people to action. Know what you want your audience to do immediately after hearing your speech. If nobody does … Read more
As a business owner, you tend to hear a lot of stories about better business, tips and tricks of the trade, and lessons about management. Out of all of them, though, there’s one story that has stuck with me through the years. It’s a story that taught me to enjoy every aspect of business, and … Read more
Jim Rohn says that there are four simple steps to becoming a great speaker: Have something to say. Say it well. Read your audience. Intensity (the right words mixed with measured emotion). How do we get something good to say? Live a full live. Meet lots of people. Fail. Succeed. Remember what it felt like … Read more
For the rest of your life begin every memo with the word “This.” It allows you to get started, and to tell the reader in the first sentence what the purpose of the memo is. If it’s under €3 million, put it on a single page. This forces you and your reader to focus only … Read more