Six Minutes: A Public Speaking and Presentation Skills blog

American psychologist William James wrote: The emotions aren’t always immediately subject to reason, but they are always immediately subject to action. Emotions — whether fear or love, pity or anger — are powerful motivators for your audience. An audience emotionally stimulated in the right way is more likely to accept your claims...

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Six Minutes weekend reviews bring the best public speaking articles to you. This review features topics including: PowerPoint and the Rule of Thirds; new public speaking books; persuasive techniques; training session tips; creating memorable story characters; effective use of pauses; new features in PowerPoint 2010; dealing with hecklers; and more! From the Six Minutes Archives One Year Ago from Six Minutes… How to...

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Six Minutes weekend reviews bring the best public speaking articles to you. This review features topics including: frequently asked questions about Toastmasters; tactics for persuasive speaking; speechwriting tips; storytelling help from a Google ad; Obama’s State of the Union address; hands in the pockets; visual clichés; Sarah Palin and notes on her hands; the believability of Tiger Woods’ apology; and more! From...

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Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die packs powerful wisdom that will help you express your message so that your audience remembers it and acts on it. This article is the latest of a series of public speaking book reviews here on Six Minutes. What’s Inside? The Price What I Loved How...

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Have you taken a college course in public speaking? Have you taught a college course in public speaking? Which textbook did you use, and would you recommend it? I’m interested to hear all your recommendations, the good and the bad. In particular, perhaps you can help out a Six Minutes subscriber from Switzerland who...

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If you are an average speaker, you suck. So do all of your colleagues with average presentation skills. Let’s see why this is so… Cookies and the Cookie Police Suppose you are baking cookies. After mixing up the dough, you scoop up a bit with your fingers, roll it into a ball, and plop...

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Your speaking ethos is critical to ensure that your audience is present, listening, and open to being persuaded by your ideas. But, how do you maximize your ethos for a given speech and a given audience? Is ethos fixed before you open your mouth? Is there anything you can do during...

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Twice each month, Six Minutes weekend reviews bring you the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere. Please share them with anyone you feel would benefit from the tips and techniques. This review features topics including: recently released public speaking books; storytelling and details; remedies for voice malfunctions; handling hecklers; thanking the audience; cartoons in...

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Have you ever fainted in mid-sentence? Have you ever shown up for a 1-hour seminar only to be told you had to give it eight times in a row? Have you ever had your blouse pop open while speaking? These were just a few of the confessions shared by Six Minutes readers in...

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Is your audience listening even before you speak your first words? Do they have high expectations? Are they prepared to be convinced by what you have to say? If not, you are suffering from poor ethos. The first article in the Ethos, Pathos, and Logos series introduced these core concepts for speakers. In this article,...

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