I was reading this article, Is a Science Ph.D. a Waste of Time?: Don’t feel too sorry for graduate students. It’s worth it, by Daniel Lametti, and this grabbed my attention: Even the Economist, despite its disdain for “pointless” Ph.D.s, likes to hire scientists. As the ad for their science-writing internship reads, “Our aim is… Read More Expertise + Soft Skills (especially Communication Skills) = Path to Success
“I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” Winston Churchill “You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory.” Winston Churchill “And that’s the way it is.” Walter Cronkite —————- Many famous people are buried beneath Westminster Abbey. But, at Westminster Abbey, there is one plaque, prominenty on… Read More From Winston Churchill and Walter Cronkite – Your Communication Tips of the Day
I’ve never watched Breaking Bad. Barely heard of it (though, I have heard the lead actor interviewed twice in recent days). But here is an article about how it nearly did not ever get off the ground, by the creator, Vince Gilligan: I Almost Broke Bad: The creator of the award-winning Breaking Bad explains how his show… Read More Vince Gilligan, creator of Breaking Bad, with the Presentation Tutorial of the Day
This is big. Assuming you have something worthwhile to say when you are giving a presentation, don’t mumble! Make sure you pronounce your words clearly. Clearly!; fully; every syllable; especially every ending consonant. Don’t mumble! Not ever. Here is a paragraph about the “who will be the next HP CEO” battles to remind you that… Read More Don’t Mumble – Your Communication Tip of the Day (One Reason why Todd Bradley is not the CEO of HP)
(First, a confession. I’m not much of a fan of Powerpoint. I seldom use it (actually, I prefer Keynote), and when I do, it is mostly images, and mostly to introduce my speech/presentation. So, take this as criticism from one who is not a fan). Here is the deal. You should speak to your audience. … Read More Never Speak with your Back to the Audience – One of Three Use-of-Powerpoint Suggestions
The King had a speech deficiency. He spoke poorly. He stammered. Badly. He needed to speak well. His people needed him to speak well. And he took the steps (the many, many hours of steps!) to learn how to speak better. And then, he spoke better. Maybe not perfectly – but noticeably better. Yes, I’m… Read More What we can learn about Corporate Training Programs from The King’s Speech
“In industry, we pretty much suck at it.” — a participant at my last training session, a department head at a major company, commenting on the presentation skills of far too many people. ———— I make a lot of presentations. I teach speech. And I study speech and presentation skills. If I have areas of… Read More There Are Too Many Presenters Who “Suck” At It – Don’t Be One Of Them
I haven’t yet seen Melancholia. I intend to. It is clearly a provocative film. Kirsten Dunst, who has been acting since she was 12 (actually, since she was about 3 or 4), has apparently given the performance of her life. She won the Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival for her role. Here’s a… Read More Kirsten Dunst With the Presentation Tip of the Day – Prepare!
I have always liked Andy Rooney’s essays. They were so well-written. One quote that has popped up throughout the weekend, after his death, is this one. He described his work this way: “I’m a writer who reads what he’s written.” This is your presentation tip of the day. This is what Andy Rooney did. His… Read More The Presentation Tip of the Day – from Andy Rooney
“In order to improve your game, you must study the endgame before everything else, for whereas the endings can be studied and mastered by themselves, the middle game and the opening must be studied in relation to the endgame.” Jose Raul Capablanca, Cuban Chess player who was world champion from 1921 to 1927, one of… Read More The Endgame – the Ultimate Test for a Successful Presentation
First Friday Book Synopsis 