Click the arrow in the audio player below to listen to this 1-minute audio of a live Q&A I held in Saudi Arabia that teaches a lesson about how NOT to open your speech. [audio:https://craigvalentine.com/wp-content/uploads/604888DZMUEG.mp3|titles=Mic check ] So How Can You Open The Speech? Now that you see what not to do during your opening, let’s look […]
Continue readingThe following is an excerpt from The Nuts and Bolts of Public Speaking book, which I wrote in 2005. It includes a 4-step formula you can use to make your messages stick and shine. I used this formula for several years and many of my students still use it with great success. State – Illustrate […]
Continue readingObviously content and structure are important for uncovering humor. However, so is delivery. Here are 2 delivery tools you can use to make your speeches more humorous. Humorous Delivery Tool #1: The Look before the Line As you probably know, you should never add humor to a speech, you should uncover humor within it. It’s already […]
Continue readingBelow are some well-known and some not-so-well-known tips for delivering your speech. The key is not whether you know these tips; it’s whether you put them into practice. 1. Don’t forget about your face. Your facial expressions are more important than all your arm and hand movements combined. The eyes are indeed the windows to the […]
Continue readingI’ve always prided myself in being a content-rich speaker so imagine my surprise when I had the following conversation after a speech. A couple ladies cornered me and said, “You had a lot of content in your speech.” I said, “Thank you.” Then they said, “We mean you had too much content.” At first I […]
Continue readingHave you ever wondered what to keep in your story and what to take out? Have you ever wondered how to tighten up your message? Have you ever wondered how to find the phrase that makes your story stick? Watch the video below and see one of the most important processes for making a point […]
Continue readingEvery now and then it is important to remind ourselves of some of the foundations that can lift us to great heights in speaking. Here are 25 phrases to do just that. Speak to one but look to all When you lift yourself up you let your audience down What gets recorded gets rewarded Don’t […]
Continue readingIf the most important word in speaking is ‘you,’ the most important number in speaking is three. The Rule of 3 manifests in many ways. It helps make your speech more humorous, clearer, and more memorable. Use it For Humor Let’s start with the humor. The Rule of Three applies when you have three examples that […]
Continue readingIn speaking we have to understand that audiences remember best what they hear first and what they hear last. Therefore, the way we open a speech is critical and the way we close it is just as important. There are 3 tools you can use to make sure your closing makes an impact. 3 Keys to […]
Continue readingTap, Tease, and Transport Most speakers start their stories and hope their audiences will come along on those journeys. That’s average. World Class Speakers don’t do that. Instead, they make their audiences curious so that they want to come along. So here is the secret: it’s what you do before your story that really matters. […]
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