fbpx

How to Develop a Presentation – Six Essential Steps

I get asked this question a lot: “Once I have the idea for my talk, what do I do next? How do I actually put it together?” This is the process I use (and we teach): 1. Define the idea at a high level. Can I summarize it in 140ish characters? Concise = clear. Is it in my […]

Lessons from TED: How to Find the “Big Idea” For Your Next Keynote

THE PROBLEM A lot of presentation and speaking advice starts here: STEP ONE: Have a big idea. No arguments with that advice, of course. You need a big idea before you can figure out anything else about your talk. The problem is: how do you find yours? THE SOLUTION Here’s a framework I use with […]

The best trick for natural delivery? Marking your script

You have the structure. You have the words. But a great talk goes way beyond words. In a recent study, the ratings for the most popular TED talks were the same whether the viewers watched with or without the sound on. Why? Because the speakers were able to convey meaning with everything else at their […]

Would Your Message Pass the 8th Grader Test? The Curious Case of “Blank Van Blank”

We are dear friends with a delightful a family in Ohio: wonderful parents, blessed with several rambunctious young children. Like many of us, these parents are very mindful of protecting their impressionable young kids’ minds from Internet content that would be potentially harmful. And with this aim, one of the things they’ve done is to […]

How to Slim Down Your Presentation. Or, Having Your Appendix IN

I was sympathizing with some sales guys at one of our workshops recently. They were showing me some sales collateral that Marketing had created for them – and this was the old joke… that wasn’t, and isn’t, funny: It was an unbelievably dense deck. A bewildering quantity of material. It was the kind of deck that […]

The Beating Heart of Sales Messaging

Despite our best intentions, almost all presentations tend to revolve around the priorities and interests of the presenter. There are many reasons why this happens, but the deepest root is the natural self-orientation that sits firmly at the core of the human psyche. We are most interested in ourselves and we struggle to see the […]

The easiest way to remember names…and any presentation

Has this happened to you? You’re at a cocktail party and are introduced to someone for the first time. You have a brief but interesting conversation…only to realize later that you have no idea what the person’s name is? Or maybe you’re in a business meeting: there are a few new faces at the table, […]

The power of demonstration: Joe Smith’s “How to use one paper towel” [DeconstrucTED]

In our “DeconstrucTED” series, we look at some of our favorite TED and TED-style talks. We deconstruct them to demonstrate how we all can be more effective communicators in our own right. Joe Smith’s TED talk on “How to use one paper towel,” is one of Tamsen Webster’s favorites. In only 4-1/2 minutes, Joe forever […]

Start the Conversation

Talk with one of our Oratium team members to see how we can help your business build and deliver a better message. To reach our Office directly, call (406) 272-4368.

    work with us