20 Reasons Most Speakers Do Not Connect with their Audiences

You might have the greatest content in the world, but, if you do not connect with your audience, it all goes to waste. That’s like being on the phone and having something very important to tell your friend but the call keeps dropping. No matter what you had to say it will not get through. […]

3 Speaker Tools for Mastering Character Interaction In Your Stories

One of the most difficult challenges for many speakers is to master character interactions inside of their stories. This is because they haven’t quite figured out the proper and natural mix of narration and dialogue. In my experience, too many speakers use way too much narration. As a result, they end up retelling the story […]

Sample Keynote Speech from Craig Valentine

Below you will have access to the audio of an entire 44-minute keynote speech I gave recently in Redondo Beach, California on the topic of Presenting with Impact and Persuading with Ease. Why is this important? Well, when I was new in the speaking industry, one of the most important processes I underwent was simply […]

The Crescendo: A Critical Piece Most Speakers Unfortunately Leave Out

Many speakers tell stories that have some ups and downs and maybe even good emotional twists and turns, but they don’t often reach a crescendo. Crescendos are so important because they are defining moments that bring the audience’s energy to its highest point. Without them, your audience can easily be deflated.   What’s a crescendo? […]

10 Places to Find Your Stories To Share With Your Audiences

One of the questions presenters ask me the most is, “Craig, where do you come up with your stories?” I generally look in the following 10 places for clues as to which stories I should develop and share. 1: Go to that part of your life where you don’t want to go. These are often […]

One Surefire Way to Keep the Attention and Interest of Your Audience

The Problem So often I watch speakers tell stories that sound like this: “I did this and I did that and then I did this and then I did that and then this happened to me and then I did that…” And then, at the end of the story, they turn to the audience and […]

How the Inner Game of Public Speaking can Make or Break your Speech (3 Scenarios and Solutions)

There is an inner game of public speaking. What’s going on inside of your mind determines the effectiveness of what comes out of your mouth. Some speakers simply memorize and recite their words and consider that a success. It’s not. That’s a memorization contest. If your mind is focused on remembering what comes next, then […]

My Favorite Secret to Quickly Influence Your Audience and Get More Speaking Engagements

Whether you want to get more speaking engagements, be way more successful every time you’re on stage, or simply have much more influence in business and in life, the following lesson is for you. It will help you create the life, speech, and income that you want. Ready? Dive in. Take a look at the […]

The Most Important Delivery Tool for Speakers to Connect Deeper than Ever Before

The best way to connect with your audience is to have each person feel like you’re speaking directly to him or her. You can use the following tool to make a deeper connection with your audience than you have ever felt before. Click the video for the tool that changed my speaking life and can change […]

Do NOT Forget to Step Out to Bring Your Audience In (a Lesson in Dialogue)

If you follow me at all, you know I believe that dialogue is the heart of your story and therefore the heart of your speech. It breathes life into your speech because… It automatically brings the audience into the present moment of your scene It lets your audience members hear what you heard and see […]