I had to look up the template at the end of the article for a new client and I thought I'd repost this just in case you need some help putting together your next high-impact presentation. This post is a guide for your brilliant self out there in a bigger way -- an easy step-by-step checklist you use to put together a compelling and engaging presentation. Below the article see the free template you can download; it's a presentation cheat sheet. With all the digitalized communication channels available to us, speaking face to face before a group is by far the MOST powerful way to get your message out. There are several reasons for this. Read more »

Maybe you have a big presentation coming up: a sales talk, cooking class or training event. Even if you don't, this list is handy to help you be remarkable at your next meeting. Lists are now indispensable for remembering things in our ADD world. Not only are they (sometimes) fun to write, they help you organize your thoughts and remind you of important stuff. Hospitals rely extensively on checklists -- people's lives are at stake and not every employee is fully focused on what they're doing every second of the long days they work. Notice that this checklist is not for "Perfect Presentations;" it's for presentations where you feel natural, authentic and want a powerful connection with your audience. I'm not really sure if a presentation can be perfect. To me, "perfect" and "presentation" go together like "chair" and "hug." Not so well. Read more »

I'm polishing up 2 presentations to give this week and I totally understand why most talks end with a whimper instead of a bang. Unfortunately, a falter at the end causes people to remember you....well, not so much. Here's the deal. The last thing you say is the filter through which your audience remembers (or not) your entire presentation. 

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Yes, the whole idea of leveraging gratitude sounds rather contradictory, isn't gratitude supposed to be a virtue practiced for its own sake? Probably so, but sometimes it helps to know that the things you do to help the world actually help you back. And gratitude is one of those things. It's a tad early for Thanksgiving Day, but why not take advantage and practice extreme gratitude during the whole month of November? Here's how you can tap into this precious energy of gratitude: Read more »

You probably noticed the similarity in the words "influence" and "affluent" - their roots both are related to flow. Check it out at the local etymology online dictionary. "Influence" was originally an astrological term referring to the flow of power from the stars to the people and "affluence" is related to an inflowing of resources or prosperity. Today, influencing the affluent can help you grow your business, your fan base, contributions to your cause, get you elected, get you a job, among the many benefits of influencing the affluent. We'll define "affluent" as enjoying abundance/prosperity or simply having more money than you do. (Realize that many people see you as affluent!)

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The official word for setting up a message, the preview, so to speak, is "feedforward." In an email, the subject line is the feedforward for that message and it helps you decide if you're willing to read it or not. You know how aggravating it is to hear from some people, "We need to talk" and yet it's also unsettling to have unexpected news simply dropped like a water balloon into your life. By setting up your message, your talk, you can help your audience not only remember what you're about to say, but you can have more impact on the way they receive what they're hearing from you. Read more »

Actually people remember best the first part and the last part of your talk. It's the middle that can get rather blurry. Your introduction sets the tone and people decide how much they want to listen to you. Your ending strongly shapes how people remember you.

It's highly worthwhile to invest some time to develop an energetic ending to your talk. Read more »

I have this large plastic crate of old photos next to me. I've been waiting for a while for it to organize itself and for the photos to digitalize themselves. Just flipping through these images reminds me of the kids' firsts: word, step, school, home run, recital, graduation, baking experiment, saying nice things without being prompted, etc. And yes, Saturday was my first open-water swim. Part of living a rich life is doing things for the first time over and over. It gets challenging, I mean you have to constantly ask yourself what you're going to do for the encore. 

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Wikipedia defines Otaku (おたく / オタク^?) (oh-tah-kooh) as "a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games." Seth Godin calls it "more than a hobby, less than an obsession." It's the special sauce of what makes you you. You may have noticed, in our post-industrial ueber-compartmentalized world, there's a lot of pressure to leave your otaku at home. Conversely, there are promises that you can make loads of money doing what you love. Which may be true, even if you love something that takes lots and lots of hours to produce, and that you can buy it here, Made in China, for the price of the supplies you buy to make the thing. This article is about incorporating your otaku into your day job (or your presentation) right now or otherwise finding more time and space for this precious gift you have. Read more »