Consider how this one wordâsuddenlyâis the world’s most common shortcut for actual literary description. Usually, it’s an obvious case: “The bomb suddenly exploded!” Hmm⊠Do they ever explode gradually! The easiest solution (as is almost always the case with adverbs … More â
Dave Bricker (00:06) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence? 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 from visionary … More â
This fabulous tool will analyze your message to reveal strengths and weaknesses. Load one of the demos or paste in your own text and click “Analyze” to reveal style issues. Then the “Rewrite” button will appear. Click and the AI … More â
Dave Bricker (00:01) 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 and smart strategies from visionary … More â
There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in your book, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself some serious questions. Why did I write my book? … More â
Hyphens are an important contributor to elegant, easy-to-read typography, especially when text is fully justified as is the convention in book typography. This article explains how justified text works, and how proper hyphenation improves the legibility of your type. Text … More â
Few subjects arouse more passion among writers and designers than the debate over how many spaces should follow a period. If you adhere to a style manual, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one that doesn’t specify a single-space. Chicago and … More â
There are plenty of good reasons to self-publish, but not all are profit-oriented or even rational. Before you invest in your book, take a look in the mirror and ask yourself some serious questions. Understand what youâre getting into and define success at its proper place on the spectrum between retail sales and artistic satisfaction. With some clarity, planning and management of expectations, even a modest publishing venture can be rewarding and satisfying.
More âPeroration refers to the concluding part of a speech, designed to inspire enthusiasm and drive home the speaker‘s key points with maximum impact. A famous example is Martin Luther King Jr.’s ending in ‘I Have a Dream,’ where he powerfully … More â
Especially if you’re in Toastmasters, you may wish to challenge yourself to compete in a speaking contest. Here are a few tips for winners. Read the ballot. The judges will score you based on a variety of factors. Why guess … More â
True story: Gayle’s connecting flight from Atlanta was canceled and she had to be on the stage at a conference the next morning in New York City â 850 miles away. Not only was her five-figure speaking fee on the … More â
Here’s a simple rule: If you bring your audience into darkness, bring them back into the light. Not every story has a happy ending, but it should at least offer a worthwhile lesson. If everybody in your story loses and … More â
The two most important parts of a speech are the beginning and the ending. We need to engage the audience during the first few seconds with a killer openingâan amazing fact, provocative questions, or an engaging story. And at the … More â
Oftenâusuallyâwe’re asked to speak for a certain number of minutes. If we have ten minutes to speak, how can we avoid writing a 30-minute talk that has to be edited down? How can we steer clear of having to rush … More â
How do you handle a one-star review? Capable leaders are adept at untangling the many stories that compete for attention when problems need solving and egos need soothing. I monitor a FaceBook page for a local chapter of a national … More â
Use storytelling for problem-solving. Think about the various stories involved in a conflict and plot a course for resolution. Seen through the StorySailingâą spyglass, a story is analogous to the voyage of a sailboat across the rocky, stormy seas of … More â
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 stagecraftâtiming, pauses, dynamics, gestures. Eloquent words delivered by a lackluster presenter will miss … More â
Speakers are commonly asked, âWhat’s your topic?â or âWhat’s your message?â Such questions may sound intuitively reasonable but they lead would-be speakers astray before the first word is written. Questions about âyour topicâ or âyour messageâ imply that your speech … More â
