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 ☛
Transcript: 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 ☛
Transcript: Dave Bricker (00:02) 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 … More ☛
Dave Bricker: 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 speakers … More ☛
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 speakepedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛
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 speakepedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛
Transcript: Dave Bricker (00:02) 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 … More ☛
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 speakepedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker , bringing you straight talk, smart strategies, and … More ☛
Transcript 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 … More ☛
Transcript Dave Bricker: 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 ☛
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 speakepedia .com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from … More ☛
Transcription Dave Bricker (00:07) Want to expand your speaking and storytelling skills and grow your influence business? This is Speekipedia Media, brought to you by speakipedia.com. I’m your host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛
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 host, Dave Bricker, bringing you straight talk and smart strategies from visionary … More ☛
The Speakipedia Influencer Tools are based on careful study of story structures. It’s easy to ask AI to “write a story” or “create an introduction for my next speech,” but unless we provide specific information and careful instructions, the AI … More ☛
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 ☛
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 ☛
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 ☛
Oratory is the art of speaking. And Oratorical relates to the art or practice of public speaking. An oratorical speech is typically formal, persuasive, and designed to impress or inspire the audience. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ … More ☛
Epistrophe is used to emphasize a point and create a memorable rhythm in speech. A classic example comes from Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address: ‘…of the people, by the people, for the people.’ This repetition reinforces the message of … More ☛
Ethos—a rhetorical device that refers to the credibility or ethical appeal of the speaker. Ethos is crucial to persuading an audience, as it helps establish trust and authority. Ethos is credibility. A doctor discussing health matters typically has strong ethos … More ☛
Anaphora is the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses. It’s a powerful tool used to emphasize a point or stir emotion. In his iconic speech, Martin Luther King Jr. repeats ‘I have a dream’ … More ☛
Alliteration. Alliteration artfully arranges adjacent and alike initial sounds in closely clustered words. It’s a superb stylistic strategy that stitches sound, symmetry, and sonority into sentences. It significantly spices up speeches and prose, and makes your messages more memorable and … More ☛
Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which two or more ideas, places, characters, or actions are placed side by side in a narrative or a poem for the purpose of creating comparisons and contrasts. A writer might place a character … More ☛
Pacing is the speed at which a story unfolds or information is delivered. It plays a crucial role in maintaining audience engagement and building suspense and intensity in narratives and speeches. Many speakers think of the word “dynamics” as referring … More ☛
Oratory is the art of speaking. And Oratorical relates to the art or practice of public speaking. An oratorical speech is typically formal, persuasive, and designed to impress or inspire the audience. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ … More ☛
Narrative Hook—an opening to a story that grabs the audience’s attention so that they want to keep reading or listening. An article published by TIME magazine in 2015 quoted Microsoft research that concluded that humans have an attention span of … More ☛
Asyndeton involves omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses. This can create a fast-paced and concise effect, adding urgency or intensity to the language. A classic example is Julius Caesar’s declaration: ‘I came, I saw, I conquered.’ He could have … More ☛
Paronomasia, or punning, involves using words that sound similar but have different meanings, often to humorous effect. ‘Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.’ This pun plays with the word ‘flies’ to entertain and engage the listener. … More ☛
Zeitgeist is a German word meaning ‘spirit of the age’ or ‘spirit of the times.’ It refers to the dominant set of ideas, beliefs, and trends that characterize the culture of a particular period in time. An example of zeitgeist … More ☛
Scansion is the process of analyzing a poem’s meter by marking the stresses in each line and determining the metrical pattern. This technique is essential for understanding the rhythmic structure of verse and enhancing poetic expression. For example, in analyzing … More ☛
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 ☛
A debate team researched their position well and amassed a stockpile of arguments that were certain to throw their opponents out of the ring by the time they finished their opening statement. And then they undid themselves: I won’t even … More ☛
In default mode, as soon as you hit the “play” button on a PowerPoint™ presentation, it takes over your entire screen. This makes it impossible to access your videoconferencing software. Some people try to circumvent this by showing their slides … More ☛
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 ☛
True story: Joe was hired to keynote at a huge conference—you know—a fancy stage with multiple iMag screens and colorful lights. He planned to make a splash, light up the audience, and please the meeting organizer who was in a … More ☛
We all love dessert! If you dine at Seasons 52, you’ll be presented with a selection of tiny sweets at the end of your meal—chocolate mousse, key lime pie, carrot cake, and a host of other delectable options to enjoy … 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 ☛
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 ☛
“I’m sorry, but I had only an hour to put this speech together.” “I’m sorry … I need to look at my notes.” “I’m sorry to get started late; the traffic was horrible.” “I’m sorry, but my slide remote isn’t … More ☛
We all like to look at attractive models… But I’m not talking about the kind that smiles for the camera. If you have ideas to share, communicate them with a contextual model. When I teach storytelling, I share the StorySailing® … More ☛
Sound Effects The human voice is an amazingly versatile instrument. It can not only speak, it can sing, and imitate a variety of sounds. Here’s an excerpt from a story I’ve shared many times. As I made that quick turn … More ☛
How deadly are your bullet points? There are seven elements that every speaker must consider when crafting a presentation: ✅ Timing ✅ Volume ✅ Pauses ✅ Presence ✅ Facial Expressions ✅ Body Language ✅ And Dynamics Let’s talk about timing … More ☛
Load a demo 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 audience to focus on the problem you address, … More ☛
Another agonizing networking event! You walk around the room, introduce yourself to the next stranger, ask them what they do, and pray they’ll offer anything remotely relevant to you. Great! Another realtor! Wow! Another financial manager! Nice to meet you … 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 ☛
You’ve been asked to pitch a big project. You and your teammates Shelly and Barbara sit at your conference table discussing next week’s big presentation. “It’s impossible to know how the competition is going to position themselves,” says Shelly. “We … More ☛
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 ☛
We all love dessert! If you dine at Seasons 52, you’ll be presented with a selection of tiny sweets at the end of your meal—chocolate mousse, key lime pie, carrot cake, and a host of other delectable options to enjoy … More ☛
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 ☛
Do you trust your compass? Finding your way in life, business, and traffic is a challenge. The easiest way to get somewhere without getting lost is to switch on the GPS. But too many people never know the joy of … More ☛
“This should be a great presentation,” said Jess as we walked into the Chamber of Commerce breakfast and grabbed a table near the platform. The speaker made a gazillion dollars taking startups public. He’s the CEO of…” “Why does everyone … 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 ☛
Too many professionals buy the story that expertise is a commodity: Hire an expert, tell them what to do, and get the job done. Experts are experts because they know more than you do about their professional discipline. Experts are … More ☛
Have you ever been disappointed with a judge’s call—in a courtroom, on a ball field, or in a contest? Who are you to judge? In August of 2020, I watched eight finalists compete in the World Championship of Public Speaking, … 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 ☛
Body language and spoken language: Combine them strategically to enhance audience engagement. In my 2019 Toastmasters Humorous Speech Contest entry, I parodied the “speaker‘s journey” from being paralyzed by fear to joining Toastmasters to becoming a confident presenter. (Toastmasters International … 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 ☛
Speaking range is as important to a presentation as musical range is to performance. Actors refer to the combination of body and voice as an “instrument.” A piano has an eight-octave range of pitch, and the piano was originally named … More ☛
Great storytellers are masters of time and tempo. What is this mysterious thing called “time?” Does it flow at the same speed for everyone? If we encounter a life-threatening situation, time is a stream of cold honey. If we’re nervous … More ☛
