Assignment: NRF speaker support. January 19, 2010 One of my favorite scenes in the movie Moonstruck is when the grandfather played by Feodor Chaliapin Jr. is walking his dogs. When they arrive at the bridge, the full moon shines down on them and the old man asks, “Why do you keep me waiting? Come … [Read more...] about Howling At The Moon
Public Speaking
"Shots Fired"
Two police officers rushed over to me, “are you the one that called 911?” “Yes” I said. “I came out of the strip club and was headed to my car when I heard a gun shot." I pointed to the far side of the parking lot and they ran off in that direction. Curious I followed at a distance. There on the … [Read more...] about "Shots Fired"
You have the right to remain silent….but your body is talking loud and clear.
How do detectives learn how to talk to a suspect? Do they watch Law & Order for hours? Nope. They go to School. They get intensive training on techniques to establish rapport (to see how the suspect responds truthfully) to exerting dominance to get a confession. [Think 'good cop'- 'bad … [Read more...] about You have the right to remain silent….but your body is talking loud and clear.
A presentation so engaging that we ran out of lead cards!?
Remember science classes in Elementary school? Middle School? Did you play with an erupting volcano? Bunsen Burners? Dissecting? There is a trade show just for science teachers. And it looks like a bi science fair. Walking through the convention center in New Orleans last month I saw … [Read more...] about A presentation so engaging that we ran out of lead cards!?
One Part Engaging Theatre and One Part Solid Content
Martin Ganapoler of the FB Theatre Team [Salmon colored jacket] interviews David Hawks of Absolute Software At trade shows you want attention and you want leads for your product and/or service. The challenge has always been that the people with the content may not be the best presenters on … [Read more...] about One Part Engaging Theatre and One Part Solid Content
The Added Value of Improvisation in Business
I spent a week in The Netherlands with this great group of 4th year business students considering this question: Is there an added value of Improvisation in Business? And if so, what? And further, how do you get it and demonstrate the value (and by value I mean revenue)? My two and a half … [Read more...] about The Added Value of Improvisation in Business
And the award goes to …….[wait for it]…..
Does this look like a photo of a training session? It is. Instead of a room with desks and a PowerPoint screen, Phil Cutrone's team decided to use the tools of theater to engage the trainees. The training worked. Laura Bell, the producer and scriptwriter said, "we were rated the best … [Read more...] about And the award goes to …….[wait for it]…..
An Offer You Can't Refuse
I got a call on Friday to appear in Las Vegas on Wednesday at a CFO conference as The God Father. What are the questions going through your mind right now? Here are the questions I had: How can the 'fair haired' guy next door look like Marlon Brando? And Why do they want Marlon Brando at … [Read more...] about An Offer You Can't Refuse
There you are!
I knew there was a reason I still read the morning paper! Today Dear Abby had some advice about charm. She said: My mother used to say there are two kinds of people in this world: those who walk into a room and their attitude says, “Here I am!” And those who walk into a room and their … [Read more...] about There you are!
Want to Engage the Audience? It takes character.
When business needs to make a presentation [tell a story] they turn to an in-house subject matter expert [SME] and PowerPoint [PPT]. This is the norm....the status quo [that's Latin for same as everyone else]. If you want to engage the audience sometimes a little drama is what you need. In … [Read more...] about Want to Engage the Audience? It takes character.