I had a business meeting via Skype today, a first for me. I’ve used Skype before for personal calls, but this was the first time I have used it in a professional setting. It is an amazing tool – easy to download, easy to use and the visual quality is remarkable. I think in the [...]
Every year about this time, a speechwriter’s fancy turns to the eloquence of one of the greatest orators of the 20th century – Martin Luther King, Jr. The guy was a master. We can all learn a lot from him and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. As Andrew Dlugan, founder and editor [...]
If you are in the business of public speaking – whether as a writer or a speaker – here are my top five New Year’s resolutions for you to consider for 2012. Resolve to know your audience I harp on this a lot, but that’s only because it’s really important. If we expect audiences to [...]
It’s 2012 – an election year and fortunately or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, we’ll be hearing lots of political rhetoric. Those of us who go to political rallies or watch C-Span or are diligent enough to go to YouTube will be able to witness full-blown candidate speeches. My New Year’s wish for [...]
This list of best and worst communicators of the year from Decker Communications has some excellent choices. Steve Jobs I have to applaud the selection of Steve Jobs as perhaps one of the best communicators in recent memory. I wrote about his 2005 Stanford Commencement speech in this blog – and what a masterpiece of [...]
Lately, I’ve been making plans to attend the upcoming Ragan Speechwriters and Executive Communicators Conference, March 14-16, 2012, in Washington, D.C. This is a topnotch event – one that I have attended many times because I get so much out of it. The speakers are the best in the business and Ragan does an excellent [...]
President Barack Obama failed to mention God in his Thanksgiving message to the nation, and he caught flack for it. He did say “God bless you” at the close of his remarks. But other than that, he didn’t mention thanking God on Thanksgiving. As a Christian, I can honestly say I’m not offended by the [...]
No one is born a great speaker. Not to sound cliché-ish, but it takes work and dedication to earn the adjective “great” in the public speaking world. Even high profile people like New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg have found that out. At the beginning of his term in office shortly after the Sept. 11 attacks, [...]
…and the Nittany Lions As a former reporter for United Press International, I was enthralled with this account from fellow Unipresser Doug Page on the day he rode with Joe Paterno in a parade celebrating Penn State’s national football championship. It was a frigid day in January 1987 and Page’s legs were nearly frozen when [...]
First Rick Perry and now Herman Cain – it seems that going blank on the presidential campaign trail is contagious. We’ve all had “senior moments” where we can’t remember what we planned to say. But when you’re in the public eye, and especially when you’re running for President, it’s embarrassing and damaging. Most speakers don’t [...]
