The presentation that almost made a liar out of me
I have built my professional reputation (and my personal brand) around one simple statement. “I make boring subjects interesting.” You give me a boring topic of your choosing and I will find a way to make it interesting, understandable, and hopefully entertaining. Whether it’s an article, a whitepaper, or a presentation, what I offer is a transformation.  Which brings me to last week or actually a few months before that, when I agreed to present a topic at Sage Summit in Atlanta. The topic they wanted me to give was “Stimulating Compliance”. It would be delivered to customers who used one of Sage’s p

The space between
I was fascinated by this work of outdoor art in National Harbor, Maryland. I clearly wasn't the only one who was fascinated - I saw many people climbing on the giant hand or standing by a giant foot.And while I was enjoying the sculpture, it also occurred to me how much of the art was created in our own minds. When you looked at this, you immediately filled in the missing pieces. You didn't see

Climate change is the topic of the day.
Here's my take on how to bring about a change in climateMore: Boy in Balloon News Stories (with happy endings)Fewer: War Stories (that never seem to end.)More: Flowers and TreesFewer: LitterersMore: Fresh AirLess: Hot AirMore: Hot TeaLess: Diet SodaMore: People being fed, clothed, sheltered and lovedFewer: People being sent to prisonMore: SmilesFewer: FrownsMore: Children LaughingFewer: Politicians ArguingMore: RefillsFewer: LandfillsMore:Time to float down a lazy riverLess: Time to watch&nbs

Deliver what you promise.
One of the best and most basic presentation tips that I have used over the years came from the amazing and talented Joey Asher at Speechworks in Atlanta. The concept is to organize your message around three main points. This simple 3 point concept has made a huge difference in not only my presentations, but also interactions with bosses and co-workers. You'll hear other speaking coaches talk about the premise and if you pay attention you'll hear the great speakers apply this concept. But here's the problem. If you start off your presentation by saying the three things you plan

Provide a demo online or lose my sale.
I'm writing a software review right now. It's the weekend. I'm a procrastinator. Article is due tomorrow. Enough said? So I have set up prior phone calls to get info from most of the companies, but I have also expected to get much of my detailed information via their website. I figured I could either view a video demo or download a trial copy of the software and play around with their features. (We call that self-service. We expect that everywhere these days.)Surely I could identify some unique and special attributes on my own. Right? Well, maybe. Some of the websites require you to fill out a bunch of info and then wait for someone to call