Last week, after John Edwards admitted he had had an affair with Rielle Hunter, he gave Robert Woodruff of ABC's Nightline an exclusive interview.Edwards started strong and ended the first half well ahead. But in the second half, many of...

Here’s a fun and free eBook download - How to Commit Career Suicide While Inflicting Powerpoint Homocide. It features a 13-step guide to how NOT to give a business presentation. Bill Lane, Jack Welch’s speechwriter for over 20 years and...

What is the key to creating messages that grab - and keep - the audience's attention? Several techniques will get their attention. But one element is key in keeping their attention and getting the result you want.That key is so...

Yesterday Republicans in the the U.S. House of Representatives staged a protest on the House floor. They were angry that Speaker Pelosi would not bring a piece of legislation up for a vote. On the same day, both presidential candidates...

Yesterday, Ragan.com posted an article by Michael Sebastian on What's with the age disparity among speechwriters? Why many are young, some are old, and few are in between tracks with what I've observed over 3 decades of being or working...

If you are about to do an interview, or are coaching someone who is, keep in mind these situations that can cause you to go off message. Not having any messages. Hard to stay on message when you don't have...

Still under the influence of Mays visit to Chartwell, I recently read Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat: The Dire Warning - Churchill's First Speech as Prime Minister.John Lukacs' account of Churchill's May 13th 1940 address to the House of Commons...

Using humor--the right humor--in a speech makes you more likable and helps you connect with the audience. But how do you find humor? My friend Terri Langhans suggests we need to be actively looking for it. Terri delivers high-content presentations...

In Part 1 we discussed the problem of you becoming your own worst enemy in an interview situation Here are the 5 conditions that can trigger the you-as-your-worst-enemy response. And what you can do to avoid or minimize the impact....

Why do experienced news guests screw up? Last week we saw two prime examples. Jesse Jackson expressed an intention to castrate Barack Obama (view previous post). Former Senator Phil Gramm, a top economic advisor to John McCain , told us...