Heard about a great exercise used by the Second City improv troupe to teach communications skills.  The task is to have a conversation with a partner and always use the response “Yes, but…” After a time, try switching and using the response “Yes, and…”  Notice the difference in the flow of the conversation.
Now think about [...]

Dear Screaming Crowds:
You were at it again last night. When your speaker says “Thank you” a few times, that’s a clue they’re ready to begin; when they say it 14 times, that means “Shut up.”
Sincerely,
Your Speaker
Perhaps in an effort to try and best the Democratic crowd at the opening of Obama’s acceptance speech, Republicans [...]

Dear Screaming Crowds:
Please let your speaker get on with their speech.
Sincerely,
Your Speaker
Last night, it took 1:59 for the crowds at the Democratic Convention to let Barack Obama begin his speech. For those who were counting, he did 32 “thank yous” in an attempt to get them to stop. Adulation is one thing, but [...]

I was listening to a webinar with Nancy Duarte and she refers to a No Slide Zone during Oracle’s 2007 OpenWorld conference. The idea was that presentations within the zone had to be made without any PowerPoint or other slide materials. She called the experiment “interesting,” but a “completely Luddite approach.”
As a confirmed [...]