The Disney Documentary Unveils Creative Minds At Work To Create What Others Thought Was Impossible
If you're one of more than 150 million people a year who visit a Walt Disney theme park or take a Disney Cruise, then you've experienced the results of Disney's Imagineers--one of the most creative teams on the planet. Imagineers are the artists, designers,...
LeBron James Controls His Social Media Posts To 54M Followers And So Should You
LeBron James, the NBA superstar named the ‘athlete of the decade’ by USA TODAY, is also a powerhouse on social media. Under the handle @kingjames, LeBron has 54 million followers on Instagram alone. He has another 44 million on Twitter and 22 million on Facebook....
3 Essentials Elements Needed To Craft And Deliver A Great Presentation
The ability to craft and deliver great presentations is a skill that you can--and must--build if you hope to stand out in an increasingly competitive workplace. According to Chris Anderson, the guy who runs TED Talks, "Presentation literacy is a new superpower than...
Harvard Business Review’s Best Management Tips of 2019
Harvard Business Review’s Best Management Tips of 2019 The Harvard Business Review featured Carmine’s “5 ancient rhetorical tips for giving a persuasion presentation.”READ ARTICLE
Five Ways To Be The Most Interesting Person In The Room
Use the science of human psychology to leave a positive impression. A lot of people get anxious about mingling at the company holiday party. Some people feel as though they can't relax because they always have to be "on." Others feel like they should approach...
Keeping your dream alive in the midst of naysayers – a lesson from Tyler Perry
There's an amazing exit sign on an Atlanta highway. It points to Tyler Perry Studios, the massive movie and television complex that celebrated its grand opening this past weekend. The sign next to it points to Sylvan Road, the same street where Perry lived in his car...
How To Look And Sound Confident
In this article for Harvard Business Review, Carmine identifies 6 habits that great speakers share. You’ve crafted the message and created the slides for your next presentation. Now it’s time to wow the audience. How you look and sound are going to make a big...
Four Advanced Presentation Speaking Techniques That Will Make You A More Effective Communicator
Microsoft Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay, unveiled new products on Wednesday that generated a lot of buzz. The products including Surface tablets, laptops and the company's new smartphone, the Surface Duo. But it was the first five minutes of the presentation that...
Five Words That Define Disney CEO Bob Iger’s Career
Bob Iger, the chairman and CEO of the Walt Disney Company, is one of the world's most admired chief executives. A lengthy story in the New York Times from earlier this week referred to him as "Hollywood's nicest CEO." In his new book, The Ride of a Lifetime, Iger lays...
Eight Simple Tips To Nail Your Job Interview Courtesy Of This Billionaire Investor
Stephen Schwarzman is co-founder and CEO of Blackstone, one of the world's leading investment firms. His investments in hundreds of companies around the world have earned Schwarzman a net worth over $18 billion. Schwarzman has conducted thousands of job...
This Inventor Raised $17 Million By Embracing His Toughest Critics
I often agree to meet with entrepreneurs, investors, and CEOs for no other reason than to learn something new. This week, I had lunch with an entrepreneur and inventor who raised $17 million in a fundraising pitch and later sold his medical-device company for more...
The Importance Of Carefully Crafting A Mission Statement
I learned a new term this weekend: Yoga babble. It’s a phrase that explains something I hear all too often when it comes to corporate mission statements. I just didn’t have a good way of describing it—until now. What is yoga babble? “It’s as if my yoga instructor went...
Leaders Who Spark Action Focus On The Power Of Words
A day after I finished reading a new book about American revolutionary war writer, Thomas Paine, a 16-year-old Swedish activist named Greta Thunberg gave an impassioned speech at the United Nations on the topic of climate change. Her angry, tearful speech went viral,...
The One Skill That Helped This Iconic Producer Sell His Ideas To Hollywood
An entry-level clerk delivers documents to studio heads and learns the magical secret to making friends and influencing people. He doesn't just succeed; he becomes one of the most iconic movie producers of our time. It sounds like a script, but the story is real...
Bill Gates’s Success Is Due In Part To The Contents Of A Tote Bag
Bill Gates made his fortune in the world of operating systems and computers, but it’s an “antiquated” system that he credits for his knowledge. Gates carries a tote bag full of books “everywhere he goes.” Books are so critical to Gates’s life, the tote bag plays a...
6 Tips On Creating A Compelling And Motivating Mission From The Jet Blue Chairman
“Most people want to know they’re working toward a goal that is concrete, important, and lasting,” says Joel Peterson, the chairman of JetBlue Airways and a Stanford business school professor. I caught up with Peterson recently to talk about the new, expanded edition...
Three Apple-inspired Ways To Communicate The Gist Of A Product In One Sentence
Apple's press release for the new iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro runs about 2,000 words. At the end of Tuesday's keynote, Tim Cook summarized the products in just 17 words. Cook said the smartphones are "the most powerful and most advanced iPhones that we have ever built...
How Iconic Hollywood Film Producer Brian Grazer Uses Human Connection To Continue To Grow
Thirty-five years ago, Brian Grazer learned a valuable tip for pitching ideas. The secret sent his career soaring. Once you learn the tip, your pitches–and your career–might never be the same. Grazer, the co-founder of Imagine Entertainment with partner Ron Howard,...
Harvard Business Review Features Carmine’s Ideas
In this article, Carmine says that great speakers make presentations look effortless because they put a lot of effort into making them great. Steve Jobs was the most astonishing business speaker of his time. Bill Gates once called him a “wizard” who “cast spells” on...
Serena Williams’s 3-Step Tutorial On Peak Performance
If you get nervous before a big presentation, it might be comforting to know that the world’s greatest athletes share the same feelings before taking to their stage. In her Masterclass on tennis, Serena Williams, the winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles,...
The ‘Inverted Yield Curve’ In Simple Language from the Professor Who Discovered It
On the morning of Wednesday, August 14, an unusual event took place in the bond market. Longer-term interest rates fell below shorter-term interest rates. It caused quite a tizzy in the financial markets. You won’t find ‘tizzy’ among the 2,500 words in the Dictionary...
Migrant Farmworker Turned CEO Talks About The Pivotal Moment As A Youngster That Defined His Path
As one of thirteen siblings in a family of migrant farmworkers, Bobby Herrera woke up at 5:00 a.m. to harvest the fields for onions, potatoes, and sugar beets. "Growing up, I thought it was normal for every kid to work ten hours a day, six days a week," Herrera told...
The Art of Persuasion Hasn’t Changed in 2,000 Years
In this exclusive article for Harvard Business Review, Carmine reveals the ancient formula of persuasion. Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. The ability to persuade, to change hearts and minds, is perhaps the single greatest skill that will give you a...
The Leadership Lesson Lee Iacocca Learned After Giving Hundreds Of Speeches
The articles about Lee Iacocca’s death at the age of 94 have understandably focused on the tangible outcomes of his executive actions: introducing the Ford Mustang, saving Chrysler, launching the first U.S. made minivan, and many other notable achievements. We...
You Don’t Have To Be The Four Seasons To Create 5-Star Experiences For Your Customers
It's easy to tell the difference between a three-star and a five-star hotel. But when I quiz my audiences on the difference between a four-star and a five-star hotel, fewer people get the correct answer. Some people say a five-star resort must have a golf course, an...
This Simple Presentation Hack Will Make Their Slides Instantly Memorable
Your audience is overwhelmed with data, numbers, and statistics in their daily lives. When they're watching your presentation, they certainly don't want to be bombarded by another barrage of numbers. But in most cases, you can't avoid meaningful statistics that...
Learn How To Inspire Others With Tips From Award-Winning Speechwriters
Every year, Vital Speeches of the Day distributes awards for best speechwriting. Named the Cicero Awards for the Roman statesman who called rhetoric a “great art,” the awards recognize the speechwriters and speakers who inspire their audiences. While most of the...
Legendary Investor Offers Five Essential Pitch Tips
Scott Kupor, the managing partner and CEO of famed venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), is behind some of the biggest names in the startup world. The firm's portfolio of investments includes multi-billion dollar ‘unicorns’ that have gone public or are...
Tim Cook Told Stanford Graduates Two Words To Help Them Find Their Life’s Purpose
On Sunday, Apple CEO Tim Cook gave the commencement speech at Stanford University--the same stage where his former boss Steve Jobs appeared 14 years earlier. Jobs gave Cook some mighty big shoes to fill. He'd transformed the world of computers, phones, music,...
This CEO Will Inspire You To Rewrite And Live By Your Company Mission Statement
When the world's best golf pros tee up at the U.S. Open on Thursday in Pebble Beach, four of the top five golfers will pull a TaylorMade M5 driver out of their bag. Tiger Woods used it to win the Masters in his storybook comeback and Brooks Koepka will be using it as...
Graduates Who Excel In ‘Soft Skills’ Will Be Irresistible To Employers
Earlier this month an anonymous bidder paid $4.5 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett. If the bidder asks Buffett for career advice, we already know what the billionaire will say—and it won’t cost you a dime. “Communications skills are the first area I would...
Amazon Leadership Meetings Start In Silence. Why Yours Should Too.
Former Amazon executive John Rossman recalls attending meetings of the company’s senior leaders (S-teams) and sitting in silence for fifteen or twenty minutes before an active discussion began. During that silence, CEO Jeff Bezos and the other senior leaders were...
Four Creative Tips From The Savannah Bananas Success Story That Can Help Any Business Stand Out
The summer college baseball season is in full swing. If you've never heard of college summer baseball, you're not alone--the games aren't usually well attended. It's a different show in Savannah, Georgia--literally. How baseball became the family event of the season...
The 6 Steps Steph Curry Uses To Prepare Under Pressure
Basketball star Stephen Curry will take his fifth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. And when Curry's Golden State Warriors take the court against the Toronto Raptors, Curry will mentally prepare himself for the championship game--as he has for every other game. In a...
Simple Pitch Tips From Canva CEO Melanie Perkins Who Turned Her Idea Into A $2.5B ‘Unicorn’
“We like to set crazy big goals and make them happen,” Canva CEO and co-founder, Melanie Perkins, told me in a recent conversation. Crazy big understates Canva's rare and remarkable accomplishment. Canva is one of only 300 or so private companies around the globe that...
Tyrion’s Monologue In ‘The Game Of Thrones’ Finale Is A Lesson For Real Life Leaders
Ask Game of Thrones fans about the final episode and you’ll get an earful. There’s no shortage of opinions on social media. While the finale might be debated for years, what isn’t up for debate is that the show scored a home run for HBO, setting a record with 19.3...
Top Golfer Brooks Koepka’s Simple Mantra That Helps Him Dominate The Sport
Brooks Koepka dominates professional golf at the moment. On May 19, he won the PGA Championship, his fourth major win in the last 23 months. He has started eight major tournaments and has won 50 percent of them. Dominance might be an understatement. Commentators who...
Find Your Purpose And You’ll Find Your Voice. An Important Lesson From Apple CEO Tim Cook
Apple CEO Tim Cook has a reputation for being an operations genius. He has a reputation for keeping an almost super-human work schedule. But comparisons to his former boss, Steve Jobs, have kept him from earning a reputation as a great public speaker. That's about to...
Four Steps To Building A Memorable And Captivating Presentation
Jeff Bezos dislikes PowerPoint. For executive meetings, Bezos prefers six-page "narratively-structured memos" with stories and sentences. In other words, no bullet points. How, then, would the Amazon founder deliver a presentation about his latest big idea--a moon...
The 7 Word Success Principle From Buffett And Munger
At the 2019 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders Meeting, Warren Buffett and his investing partner, Charlie Munger, spent hours answering questions that would have tested anyone's mental energy. The fact that Buffett is 88 years old and Munger is 95 made the event...
The Real Story Behind The Allied Forces Winning WWII And How It Can Help Your Business Succeed
The secret weapon that helped the Allied powers win World War II nearly didn’t see the light of day. The U.S. Navy had the tool in its possession for eighteen years and didn’t even know it. The weapon was radar. In 1922, two engineers—including the Navy’s senior radio...
Carmine wrote “The Art of the Elevator Pitch” for OnPoint, a publication of the Harvard Business Review. READ ARTICLE
A Two-step Strategy To Create A Persuasive Presentation
Watching IPO road shows is an excellent way to improve your presentations because every word, story, and slide is crafted for maximum impact. If you're building a business presentation for investors or customers, Uber's IPO pitch is one worth studying in particular....
Reach Bold Goals With This 3-Step Strategy
In Nine Lies About Work, Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall examine the myths that surround leadership in today's workplace. I spoke to both authors-- Buckingham is a New York Times bestselling author who founded the 'strengths revolution' after studying leadership...
Malala Credits Her Father For Giving Her The Voice That Changed The World
Malala Yousafzai was just eleven years old when she discovered the power of her voice to advocate for a girl’s right to education. Six years later, she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest-ever Nobel laureate. Malala credits her father, Ziauddin, for...
Melinda Gates Brilliantly Balances Stories With Statistics In Her New Inspirational Book
Melinda Gates has developed her skill as a storyteller because she knows this fundamental secret of persuasion: Statistics don't inspire, stories do. Her new book, The Moment of Lift, can make you a more persuasive speaker on any topic, but it's not about...
New Research Shows How You Use Gestures In Your Presentations Matter More Than You May Think
The next time you pitch an idea, pay attention to what you’re doing with your hands and arms. Your gestures communicate more than you think. According to new academic research, entrepreneurs who use gestures to underscore their message are considered to be more...
Emotional Stories Deepen Your Connection With Your Audience – Use Them
People are easily bored. We tune out of conversations when our mind wanders. Every once in a while, however, we hear a story and we pay attention. We pay attention to stories that we relate to. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden had an emotional moment on...
The CEO of JPMorgan Chase Won’t Hire You Unless You Do This
JPMorgan Chase is the biggest bank on the planet and employs more than 250,000 people. Its CEO, Jamie Dimon, is ranked among the world's best CEOs, according to Barron's. He knows how to hire and promote future leaders. The first thing he looks for in a job candidate...
Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s Storytelling Skills Help Him Stand Out In The Democratic Field
For more than twenty years I’ve studied, interviewed, and spoken with business and political leaders who have mastered the art of rhetoric to capture the imagination of their stakeholders. I’ve met with CEOs and billionaires, entrepreneurs and scientists, presidential...
Ray Dalio Creates A Simple, Compelling Narrative To Convey A Complicated Topic; Reforming Capitalism
Simple writing is hard work. Explaining complex subjects in a way that's simple but not simplistic is tough to do. That’s why I follow business leaders who think about communication as much as I do. Those leaders include Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and...
Learn How To Be A Better Leader By Understanding What Followers Need
If a business book teaches me something new—and offers a fresh perspective on leadership—then I know it’s a rare find in the category. Nine Lies About Work is just such a book. It’s so thought provoking, I contacted the authors to speak with them directly....
Learn From Lyft’s Clear and Consistent Mission
I don't work for Lyft but I know the company's mission better than many people know their own company's own mission statement.Mission statements serve as a company's North Star, pointing everyone in one direction. A short, powerful and consistent mission...
Five Effective Communication Strategies From The Lyft IPO Presentation
At Lyft's highly-anticipated IPO roadshow company executives attempted to convince investors that it's worth $23 billion.The banks that underwrite IPOs have a lot at stake in roadshow presentations because major hedge fund and mutual fund investors are...
Storytelling Legends Share Their Insights At The Apple TV + Launch
“Great stories can change the world,” according to Apple CEO, Tim Cook, as he introduced Apple TV +, the new service that will carry original content from A-list filmmakers. Cook is right. Great stories can change the world as do the storytellers who...
Optimism: The Secret To Warren Buffett’s Success for 77 Years
March 11th, 2019, is an important anniversary for Warren Buffett. It was 77 years ago that Buffett bought his first stock. He was only 11-years-old and spent his entire life's savings of $114.75.In a fascinating and insightful section in this year's...
Children Need Stress And Struggle To Learn, Adapt And Grow More Resilient
The college admissions scandal that made headlines this week is troubling on many levels. Bribing coaches and officials to admit students to elite universities is unethical, immoral and illegal, of course. According to the New York Times, the bribery...
Create Five-Star Service Experience For Your Customers The Ritz-Carlton Way
Award-winning service doesn’t just happen. It starts with great stories shared each and every day. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, the only hotel brand to win the Malcolm Baldridge national quality award (twice), is a brand built on storytelling. In his...
If You Want Your Ideas To Catch On Master The Art Of Metaphor
One of the secrets to Warren Buffett's success as an investor is big-picture thinking. He doesn't get caught up in doom-and-gloom headlines or day-to-day fluctuations of any individual stock. Explaining his strategy isn't easy, which is why Buffett relies...
Guy Kawasaki Explains A Simple Way To Help You Focus On Your Message Instead Of The Slide
Former Apple Macintosh evangelist and author Guy Kawasaki has given at least 2,000 speeches since 1987. Many of the presentation techniques he uses to captivate an audience he learned from the most influential boss he's ever had--Steve Jobs.I recently had...