Tag Archives: focus
Speakipedia Podcast # 16:
Speakipedia Podcast # 11:
Will Bowen
Transcription Dave Bricker (00:06) 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 ☛
Elevator Pitch Witch
by Dave Bricker Explore this soon-to-be-released Speakipedia AI tool. Load one of the demos and view the AI-generated results. Get Started Opening Prompt Intro Call to Action Pitch! We’ve all suffered through the round-robin ramble—where meeting participants each deliver a … More ☛
Pedantic
Pedantic means being overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning, often emphasizing the minutiae of knowledge rather than its broader application. The term has evolved to carry a negative connotation. It’s used to describe someone who flaunts … More ☛
Verbs: Spice Up Your Writing with Verbs that Rock
Verbs are the engines that move your writing and your readers, but many authors don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, tone, and distortion controls that … More ☛
Book Design Basics: Choosing a Book Font
Selecting a book font seems simple enough, but important subtleties and fine points of typography are not obvious to the average writer. This article offers insights into fonts suitable for book typography. Though it won’t turn the average author into … More ☛
Essay Writing and The Art of the Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich
The principles behind the simple art of essay writing can be applied to most any kind of written work. Even if you never write an academic paper again, these techniques will help you write more focused and powerful prose. Time … More ☛
The Perfect Book Sales Page
Tom Morkes published The Perfect Book sales Page on his blog. I’m usually the first person to reject formulaic approaches to book marketing. Many well-written books are horrible products. But what I like about Tom’s template is that it forces … More ☛
Writing Ergonomics: Avoiding Injury at Your Desk
This article explores ergonomic solutions to writers’ repetitive stress problems. As static as it may seem, writing is a physically demanding endeavor. I’ve spent decades sitting in a chair staring at a screen, tapping on a keyboard. During that time, … More ☛
Book Cover Design: Moving from Screen to Printing Press
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 ☛
Writing is Design: Shy Away from Timid and Passive Writing
“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 ☛
Writing is Design – Writing Dialogue: He Said. She Said.
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 ☛
Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2
Part 1 of Book Cover Design: Judging a Book by its Cover critiqued “professional” covers taken from Amazon’s Editor’s choice list. Read that article first as it provides background for this one. The article looked at design elements that worked … More ☛
What’s a Professional Editor Worth?
What do you think a professional editor’s pay scale should be? Assume that a proofreader would be at the bottom of the scale and a developmental/line editor would be at the top. An examination of the work editors perform sheds … More ☛
Co-Publishing – Alternative Path or Another Trap for Writers?
I recently published a post about the difference between vanity publishing and true self-publishing. Fundamentally, the article defines a publisher as “someone who takes the risk on a book.” Vanity Presses represent themselves as publishers and accept royalties while the … More ☛
Reality Checklist for Self-Publishers
One question that loops endlessly on writers’ forums is “How can I sell more books?” The question is a natural one, but for many self-publishers, it betrays a certain lack of awareness about the publishing business. Lest I sound holier … More ☛
Book Design Basics Part 1: Margins and Leading
Book design is a lost art. Though book design discussions usually focus on covers, consider how much more time a reader spends staring at the text. An elegant book block is just as important. Decades ago, professional tradesmen practiced the … More ☛
Many Unhappy Returns – Think Outside the Bookstore
If you’re hoping to have mainstream bookstore distribution, using a Vanity Press may present some obstacles. Book buyers will likely tell you, “your book may be excellent, but you’re using a Vanity Publisher and the vast majority of their books … More ☛
Epizeuxis
Epizeuxis is the emphatic repetition of a word, with no other words in between. It’s used to highlight a strong emotional state or to emphasize a point dramatically. An iconic example is from Shakespeare’s ‘King Lear’: ‘Never, never, never, never, … More ☛
Exordium
Exordium—the introductory part of a speech, where you set the stage and prepare your audience for what’s to come. The exordium is your first impression, and it’s vital for capturing attention and establishing a connection. An effective exordium might begin … More ☛
Cacophony
Cacophony refers to a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds, used to describe a situation where a lot of noise makes it hard to focus. In public speaking and writing, creating a cacophony can be a deliberate technique to convey chaos … More ☛
Monologue
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 ☛
Logos
Along with ethos and pathos, logos is one of the three classical persuasive techniques. Logos appeals to logic and reason. In public speaking or argumentation, employing logos means providing clear, logical evidence to support your points. This could be through … More ☛
Orotund
Orotund refers to a style of speech that is rounded, full, and imposing. It describes a voice or tone that is clear and resonant, ideal for public speaking and theatrical performances. A rotund person is round and plump; an orotund … More ☛
Quintilian
Quintilian sounds like a huge number, but Quintilian was an ancient Roman educator, known for his influential work on rhetoric and education, ‘Institutio Oratoria.’ His teachings emphasized not only the technical skills of speaking but also the moral integrity of … More ☛
Paralipsis
Paralipsis, a rhetorical device that involves bringing up a subject by either denying it or pretending to pass over it. This is a clever way to draw attention to something while maintaining a veneer of detachment. A political speaker might … More ☛
Syllepsis
Syllepsis is not what happens after you’ve eaten too much spicy chili. Syllepsis is a figure of speech in which a word, typically a verb or an adjective, is applied to two or more nouns without being repeated, but with … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast #8: Maureen Mahoney
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:05) 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 … More ☛
Bloviate
To bloviate means to speak at length in a pompous or boastful manner. Otherwise known as the “soaring ramble,” the word bloviate is often used to describe politicians or public figures who talk a lot but say little of substance. … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast #6
Fabio Marques
Dave Bricker (00:02) This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by speakipedia.com. Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast #5:
Neal Petersen
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:06) This is Speakipedia Media brought to you by Speakipedia .com. Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast # 4:
Rosemary Ravinal
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:07) 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 MC, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast #3:
Scott Lesnick
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:06) 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 emcee Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast #2:
Kay Allison
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:07) 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 emcee Dave Bricker bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛
Speakipedia Podcast #1:
Bruce Turkel
Transcript Dave Bricker (00:06) 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 MC Dave Bricker bringing you straight talk and smart strategies … More ☛
Join your Global Speakers Federation Organization.
The Global Speakers Federation, GSF, isn’t an organization you can join as an individual member. Its members include professional associations for speakers like the National Speakers Association in the United States (NSA), the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS), and … More ☛
Speech Annotator
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 to prepare it for rehearsal and delivery. This … More ☛
Cut the Clutter! Simplify Your Slides
The speaker advanced to the next slide and began to explain. I suppose this might make some sort of sense if someone breaks it down for you. We can see the progression from purple to green to blue to red … More ☛
Recover Your Audience After an Exercise
How do we get our audiences to return their focus to the presenter when we’ve sent them off to engage in a game or exercise? Interactivity is a hallmark of effective training. We can explain our strategies and success principles, … More ☛
What Should I Do with My Hands When I Speak?
What should I do with my hands when I speak? The first way to answer this is to consider what you shouldn’t do with your hands. Sometimes nervous energy “bleeds” into our hands and we don’t even know it. We … More ☛
Speechwriting: Come to Your Senses
Writing teachers encourage us to engage the mind and senses. Describe sights, smells, tastes, sounds, feelings, thoughts, and tactile experiences to appeal to the reader’s imagination on every possible level. In concept, this is excellent advice. In practice, the advice … More ☛
Why Memorize Your Speech? Try The Suspension Bridge Method
I spent 40 hours trying to memorize a five-minute speech once. And then I skipped an important line! Memorizing a speech is difficult and time-consuming… And the number one cause of memory lapses is worrying about memory lapses! The solution … More ☛
Turn Nervous into Service
Speaking nerves are normal and natural, but think about it: Most fears are rooted in things that might happen to US. We worry we’ll forget a line. We worry the audience won’t like us. We worry we’ll say something embarrassing. … More ☛
Store Your Beads in Your Jewelry Box
Like many speakers, I have many more hours of material ready than I could ever share in a single keynote—stories, exercises, lessons, conceptual models, and more. And I have hundreds of carefully-illustrated slides to go with this material. While aspiring … More ☛
Sing!
Sing! Sing! Sing! Yes, you. You don’t have to sing well. You don’t have to sing in front of your audiences. But sing! Singing will open up the full capability of your vocal cords. Singing will teach you to resonate … More ☛
Public Speaking: Vary Your Pitch
Dynamics means “change,” and yet so many speakers think “dynamic speaking” means being loud and emphatic. Being a dynamic speaker means you change your volume, speed, emotional intensity, and other factors. And “Pitch” is one of those important dynamic variables. … More ☛
Need Their Attention? Train Your Audience
I watched a speaker disperse the audience into discussion groups of four people … And then struggle to get them to stop talking and return their focus to the stage. The exercise was a success—the audience got caught up in … More ☛
How to Structure a Speech Part 1: Start with the Transformation
Lecturers deliver information; speakers deliver transformation. You may talk about finance, artificial intelligence, or real estate—and that information may be valuable—but if you just want to share data, a printed article is faster to consume and your audience can take … More ☛
How to Get Over Your Fear of Public Speaking
Glossophobia—the fear of public speaking—is #8 on the list of common phobias—not #1 as is commonly thought—but it’s still a big concern for many people. How can we get over our natural fear of public speaking? Recognize that fear of … More ☛
How Stories Work in Your Mind
Many speakers talk about cortisol and oxytocin and how your brain reacts to stories. That’s all rather sophisticated sounding except you can’t do anything with it except repeat it if you think it will make YOU sound sophisticated. Brain chemistry … More ☛
Acknowledge the Secrets of Human Nature
Here’s one of my favorite advertisements: This hair salon bills itself as the place “where the women you hate get their hair done.” That’s funny because most salons tell women they’ll make them more attractive to men. Instead, this one … More ☛
Intromatic
Explore this soon-to-be-released Speakipedia AI tool. Load one of the demos and view the AI-generated results. Speaker Introduction Wizard by Dave Bricker A strong, interesting, and concise introduction sets the stage for your performance. It builds energy and primes your … More ☛
Why AI-Generated Marketing Copy Misses the Mark
Is AI-Generated Marketing Copy the powerful shortcut we’ve been told it is? The explosive growth of online content has done little for the evolution of graphic design or copywriting. Publishing has never been so easy, and the demands of producing … More ☛
Never Play the Victim Card
Keep your poor me stories off the stage. My friend Tony showed me a video of a speaker who told the story of her escape from alcohol and depression and her long, hard road to personal and professional success. “It’s … More ☛
Survive and Thrive in the Land of Clocks & Calendars
Is your digital calendar robbing you of the time you need to be productive? Maybe the problem isn’t your calendar. Back in my carefree boat bum days, my course was governed by the world’s natural rhythms. I rose and retired … More ☛
What is “Dynamic Speaking?”
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 ☛
Punch Up Your Elevator Pitch
The “elevator pitch” is an essential professional tool—a tool that should be kept razor sharp and as ready to deploy as a handshake and a smile—and yet, most professionals are woefully bad at introducing themselves. Have you ever attended a … More ☛
Reading Aloud Doesn’t Have to Be Boring
Keep your listeners’ attention while reading aloud. The host announces the next author. She walks to the lectern, offers a synopsis, and begins reading aloud. It’s not bad prose—and I can’t say that for every writer here—but after three pages … More ☛
My Club Got a One-Star Review
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 ☛
Story Themes: The Unlikely Teacher
The unlikely teacher is one of my favorite story themes, partially because I’ve been fortunate to have had wonderful, unlikely teachers in my own life, but also because it suggests pathways and opportunities for us to transform our lives and … More ☛
I-We-You. Tips for Speakers and Writers
I-We-You. You’re addressing an audience. When should you switch from the inclusive “we” to the more personal “you?” When is it acceptable to use “I?” When talking about your own experiences, use “I.” Listeners will follow your story as long … More ☛
Potent Verbs Spice Up Your Storytelling
Verbs are the engines that move your writing, your speaking, your readers, and your audiences but many authors ands presenters don’t spend enough time choosing the right ones. If your writing was an electric guitar, your verbs would be the volume, … More ☛
How Do Stories Work?
How do stories work? You knew that movie was going to stink as soon as you got through the opening scene … but you sat through the whole thing to find out how the story ended. Numerous studies have explored … More ☛
Public Speaking Tip: Speaking is a Service Industry
Speakers are commonly asked, “What’s your topic?” or “What’s your message?” Such questions may sound intuitively reasonable but they lead would-be speakers astray before the first word is written. Questions about “your topic” or “your message” imply that your speech … More ☛