Jerry Weissman, in Presenting to Win, says that there are 5 Cardinal Sins in Presentations: No clear point – the audience leaves wondering what it was all about. “What was the point?” No audience benefit – the audience doesn’t see how they can benefit. “So what?” No clear flow – the sequence of ideas is … Read more
Greg Digneo of Cloud Marketing Lab wrote a beautifully simple explanation over at Triiibes of how to test an idea before you spend any money building. Even “small” ideas like hosting a webinar or writing a short/free ebook to give away on your blog can be tested even before putting time into creating it. 4 Steps … Read more
Professor Robert Cialdini in his book “Influence: The Science of Persuasion” outlines six principles of ethical persuasion: reciprocity, scarcity, liking, authority, social proof, and commitment/consistency. Reciprocation – People tend to return a favor. Thus, the pervasiveness of free samples in marketing. In his conferences, Cialdini often uses the example of Ethiopia providing thousands of dollars … Read more
Jeffrey Pfeffer says that there are 4 ways that good ideas get shot down: Confusion – “yes, but how does that address US foreign policy and the social responsibility charter and the challenges of globalisation… and the new tax situation?” Fear mongering – “uff… this will be like X back in 2008 when it all … Read more
I just finished reading Lend Me Your Ears by Max Atkinson on my kindle. I am a regular reader of Max’s Atkinson’s blog. Max is a political speechwriter, a professor and a blogger. You can follow him on twitter @maxatkinson. Lend Me Your Ears is an easy read and covers the subject of public speaking … Read more
A good idea that nobody understands is worth nothing. Do you share your business idea in a way that people understand? The ability to clearly and concisely explain a business is important: in fund raising, in hiring and in selling to early customers. An elevator pitch is a simple outline of the business that quickly … Read more
I have prepared a series of short videos for my IESE courses this year. This is a 3 minute video outlining the 4 attitudes that an audience will have towards you as a speaker and how to approach each of these 4 types of audience. (The video is here on my blog). I wrote about … Read more
I have prepared a series of short videos for my IESE courses this year. This is a 3 minute video describing Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triad, the 3 pillars of persuasion. You need to connect with an audience on each of these three levels if you wish to move them to action. (The video is here on … Read more
I have prepared a series of short videos for my IESE courses this year. This is a 3 minute video describing the 5 aspects of a powerful speaking voice. A powerful voice will transmit authority to your audience and allow them to engage with you as a credible leader. The five aspects of a … Read more
You have to sell. Yes, you. You have to sell. You have to get good at it. (7 steps of the sales process, how to pitch a brilliant idea) You need lots of help. More than you can imagine. You need to learn to ask for it. (Ask better questions, 17 habits for a fulfilling life … Read more