So many presenters miss the opportunity to engage their audiences with dialogue. Speaking is live performance; why share the words as written prose? Consider this dialogue excerpt from Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath: “If you wanta pull in here an’ camp it’ll … More ☛
Dave Bricker (00:00) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakipedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and amazing stories … More ☛
Load a demo and view the generated results. By Dave Bricker Great words fail without great delivery, yet so many speechwriters deliver a manuscript and leave the performance up to the (often-inexperienced) speaker. Paste your speech into the box below … More ☛
by Dave Bricker Load a demo and view the AI-generated results. Intro Setup Protagonist Transformation Conflict Steps Characters The Story Introduction If you have zero carpentry skills and you purchase a table saw, you’ll likely lose a few fingers by … More ☛
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:01) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speakypedia Media brought to you by Speakypedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛
Foreshadowing can appear in subtle clues or explicit warnings within a dialogue, setting descriptions, or through a character’s thoughts or actions. A character finding a mysterious key early in a story might foreshadow its importance in unlocking a crucial secret … More ☛
Since time immemorial, clichés have sneaked in the door when we least expect them to. They’re low-hanging fruit for writers who abscond with them quickly instead of striving for excellence. But to the trained eye, writing clichés stick out like … More ☛
Two-word clichés are perhaps the least obvious kind. Unless we’re vigilant, they sneak into our prose, steal color, mask our individual writer’s voice, and make us sound like millions of other writers who mindlessly employ the same worn out word … More ☛
Once you have your book cover design looking spirited and professional on your computer screen, how can you ensure that your masterpiece will translate accurately to the printing press? Ink on paper is an entirely different medium from pixels on … More ☛
This article explains the tab ruler found on every word processor and typesetting application. Understanding the simple and elegant split ruler and tab functions opens up a world of formatting opportunities. Digital typesetting and word processing inherited a number of … More ☛
So many writers get discouraged. This stinks. I quit. Others are overconfident. They’ve always had “a gift for words” so they fail to submit their prose to an editor’s scrutiny. I recently shared an email exchange with an editing client … More ☛
In my work with writers, I come across many common technical problems with manuscripts. These usually spring from the best of intentions as the writer attempts to create the feel of the finished book within the manuscript. Though they’re trying … More ☛
“Passive writing” refers to a specific set of grammatical circumstances where emphasis switches from subject to object. The money was stolen by Jill. instead of Jill stole the money. This is confusing if you’re writing about Jill but perfectly acceptable … More ☛
Generic descriptions are telltale signs of lazy writing. Add color to your writing by replacing overused and boring words. It’s such a nice day today. He’s very bright. My dog is really funny. Bill is a good soccer player. Shari … More ☛
Dialogue presents challenges for writers. Some prefer to simply declare what was “said.” Many authors feel that “said” is both traditional and invisible: “I’m going to write some dialogue,” said Bill. “I look forward to reading it, ”said Helene. But … More ☛
As a graphic designer, I see numerous parallels between the values that create engaging imagery and the values that create engaging prose. So many designs fail because the designer arranged elements on a page without questioning their purpose, hierarchy, or … More ☛
The word “that” is often abused. “That” is a perfectly useful pronoun but it’s often the useless fat that slows down an otherwise good sentence. I think that you and I need to talk. I told my readers that I … More ☛
Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly crafted book cover. The standards for book design aspired to by trade publishers are not all that high, but self-publishers routinely fall short of them. If you want your book to be taken seriously, … More ☛
Book reviews are critically important. Have you ever read a book hoping it would get better, only to find that it never did? And how do you tell if an independently published book is any good? So many are poorly … More ☛
Colloquialisms are informal words or phrases that people use in everyday speech but which might not be suitable for formal writing. They’re the casual clothes of language—comfortable and familiar. Colloquialisms add authenticity to dialogue or help establish a relatable tone … More ☛
A monologue is a long speech given by one person.. In a theatrical context, a monologue allows a character to reveal their innermost thoughts, such as in Hamlet’s ‘To be or not to be…’ soliloquy. In public speaking, a monologue … More ☛
Malapropism—the misuse of a word by confusing it with a similar-sounding word, resulting in nonsensical, often bituminous statements. A classic example is the character Mrs. Malaprop in the play ‘The Rivals,’ who says ‘He is the very pineapple of politeness,’ … More ☛
Words and Terms related to speaking and speechwriting: Adynaton [ad-uh-NAY-ton]: A form of hyperbole in which the exaggeration is so extreme as to be impossible “You will sooner find a donkey flying than see me agree to that deal.” Allegory … More ☛
Don’t Leave the Stage Until the Clapping Stops. I’ve done it. Most experienced professionals have done it. (sounds of applause) Thanks but I don’t need all that attention. I just gave my talk. That’s what I do. Really … you’re … More ☛
Dialogue… So many speakers miss this fantastic opportunity to engage the audience. When it’s time for dialogue, they narrate it. My wife walked in and she asked if I’d pick up some groceries on the way home from work. I … More ☛
If you want to discover what the human voice is capable of, listen to Humphrey Bower narrate the audiobook version of Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. In that book, Mr. Bower emulates the voices of men AND women from India, … More ☛
Sometimes you can get a lot of mileage on stage when you leave half the conversation to the audience’s imagination. [ring] Hello … Oh, hi honey. I can’t really talk right now. I’m in the middle of giving a pres…” … More ☛
So many speakers miss out on a huge opportunity to engage audiences when they narrate dialogue in past tense. He said. She said. It sounds kind of like this: A friend suggested I create a series of videos about public … More ☛
AI Storytelling – Is it any good? I entered a simple prompt into ChatGPT. Yes, I could have been more specific about what I wanted—better prompts make for better output from the AI—but my intention was to analyze the … More ☛
We often hear about “dynamic speaking,” but what does that mean? The dictionary defines “dynamics” as “the forces or properties which stimulate growth, development, or change within a system or process.” Essentially, “dynamics” means “change,” and if you want your … More ☛
When I was young, I collected superhero stories and comic books. I was fascinated by the exploits of the same characters—Ironman, Spiderman, Superman, and others—who inspire movie-watchers today. The comic book was for me, the ultimate storytelling medium, a combination … More ☛
I’ve been videoconferencing for years; this will be easy! I thought as I began my first virtual speech. When it was over, I was surprised at my lackluster performance, and by the number of filler words I used—ums, ers, and … More ☛
You’ve already read at least a dozen articles about ZOOM and videoconferencing that remind you to mute yourself when you’re not talking and look into the camera. Here are eleven important video tips you haven’t read before but should. … More ☛
Speechcrafting is a special discipline of which speechwriting is but a single element. The effective speechcrafting professional understands the art of narrative and also the power of stagecraft—timing, pauses, dynamics, gestures. Eloquent words delivered by a lackluster presenter will miss … More ☛
