Four Pitch Tips From Richard Branson, Sara Blakely And Tyra Banks
This week marks the finale of an unusual pitch competition sponsored by Virgin Media Business (the business broadband division of Virgin Media). More than 3,000 entrepreneurs from the U.K. and Ireland took part in VOOM 2016 and submitted pitches for the opportunity to...
Three Keys To Telling Personal Stories That Move Hearts And Minds
My father Francesco spent his teenage years in an internment camp during World War II. His family was among the 165,000 Italian expatriates living and working in East Africa when the war broke out.
4 Public Speaking Traps You Should Avoid, According to TED Talk Curator
Are you a rambler, a bore, or a wanna-be motivational speaker who's all style and no substance? These are some of the presentation styles that TED Talks president Chris Anderson believes could ruin your reputation as a speaker. In his new book, "TED Talks," Anderson...
5 Public-Speaking Tips TED Gives Its Speakers
“Presentation literacy” isn’t an option anymore, according to TED Talks curator Chris Anderson. “It’s a core skill for the twenty-first century.” Anderson calls presentation and public-speaking skills a “superpower” for those who want to express their ideas. TED...
How To Make Data In Your Next Presentation Instantly Memorable
A statistic left on its own doesn’t often tell us much and that’s why journalists like New York Times sports writers are trained to put statistics “into context.” Without context, a data point simply doesn’t mean much to people who don’t closely follow a particular topic area.
An Economics Professor Shares The Career Lesson He’s Taught 20,000 Students
Economics professor Larry Smith was surprised to learn that his blunt TED Talk on following one's passion went viral, attracting more than 5 million views. After all, the talk "Why You Will Fail To Have a Great Career," was the same message he'd been hammering home to...
The Simple, 3-step Formula That Made Steve Jobs’ Speeches So Compelling
Steve Jobs was the world's greatest business storyteller. He transformed the often unimaginative product launch into a theatrical production, complete with a cast, sets, props, and music. At the center of it all, Jobs was the showman who used the classic components of...
I’ve Analyzed 500 TED Talks, And This Is The One Rule You Should Follow When You Give A Presentation
Harvard professor Amy Cuddy thought she had made a mistake.
In 2012 Cuddy, stepped on a TED stage to deliver a presentation on how body posture influences behavior. In addition to the data, she shared a deeply personal story of how she fought her own battle with “imposter syndrome” early in her career.
3 Communication Skills 35 Business Legends, Billionaires, And TED Experts Have In Common
"Storytelling can be used to drive change," says billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson as he sits by a campfire sharing stories with his team. "Telling a story is one of the best ways we have of coming up with new ideas." Branson is one of 35 billionaires, business...
Bill And Melinda Gates Have Educational Superpowers
A group of students asked Bill and Melinda Gates what they would choose if they could have any superpower in the world. Their answers—more energy and more time—serve as the theme for the 2016 Gates Annual Letter. I read both essays by Bill and Melinda Gates which...
Storytelling: The Human Edge In An Age of Robots
Ideas are the currency of the twenty-first century. In the information age you are only as valuable as your ideas. Your ability to package your ideas with emotion, context, and relevancy is the one skill that will make you more valuable in the next decade. During a...
Branson, Buffett Agree: This Skill Is Your Ticket To Career Success
“Communication is the most important skill any leader can possess,” says billionaire Richard Branson. In a recent Virgin blog post Branson explains why he believes communication is the skill that will set you apart from the crowd. “Today, if you want to succeed as an...
How Storytelling Hooks Your Audience
If you want people to pay attention to you, wrap your idea in a story. The story provides the bliss point; the moment your audience falls in love. In music the bliss point is ‘the hook,’ the lines and beats that turn a song into a hit. In pop music a handful of...
Smart Leaders Pitch Ideas Using Third Grade Words
The average third grader should be able to read the headline to this column. The words are short. Most are one syllable. The sentence is free of jargon and the language is easy to understand. In fact, if you run the headline through Flesch-Kincaid, a tool to measure...
Marco Rubio’s ‘Robotic’ Debate Threatens Heart of Campaign
Marco Rubio’s performance in the New Hampshire Republican debate is being ridiculed among voters, in the press and on social media. The word often used to describe Rubio’s performance is one of the most damaging in communication. He’s being called a “Robot.” On...
The Secret Weapon That Will Make You and Your Business Stand Out in the War of Ideas
A Silicon Valley venture capital investor turned to me during a recent lunch and said, “I’ve seen more than 2,000 pitches, and I can only remember about 10 of them.” “What made the 10 stand out?” I asked. “They all told a personal story.” Professional investors agree:...
New Brain Study Shows How Marco Rubio Gets Attention And Wins Hearts
In the two GOP debates of January 14 and January 28, a group of registered Republican voters were sitting in a Southern California lab with sensors hooked up to their torsos and fingers. The sensors were collecting six types of brain signals which, according to...
The Winning Formula Driving Top Super Bowl Ads And Business Pitches
The actor Kevin Spacey once told a group of marketing professionals “Good content marketing is not a crap shoot. We know how this works…story is everything.” Spacey’s right. Story is everything. Winning pitches—in television commercials or business presentations—tell...
Copy Hollywood’s 3-Act Structure To Make Your Pitch Irresistible
“Story is everything. Good content making is not a crap shoot. We know how this works,” the actor Kevin Spacey told a meeting of business marketers. Spacey is right. Thanks to neuroscience we’ve learned more about storytelling in the last 10 years than we’ve ever...
To Ace a Job Interview, Master This Type of Pitch
Think about your last job interview. How much time did you spend preparing the pitch? No, I’m not talking about your pitch, but the company’s pitch? A lot of well-intended job-hunting advice focuses on preparing a job seeker to answer questions about themselves. While...
5 Elements Of A Show-Stopping CES Presentation
There’s a tremendous amount of pressure behind the scenes of a CES keynote presentation. The teams responsible (designers, marketers and speakers) rehearse for weeks. Every message, demo, and slide are meticulously crafted. Each year at least one keynote...
Why We’re Fascinated With Ben Carson’s Powerful (And Disputed) Personal Story
Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson has a compelling life story. His book, Gifted Hands, is an inspiring story of a man who overcomes grinding poverty and his own self-doubt to become a famed neurosurgeon. Recently details of the stories Carson tells and...
Sequoia’s Michael Moritz And Manchester United’s Alex Ferguson Reveal The Traits of Great Leaders
From England’s Manchester United to the startups of Silicon Valley, success leaves clues and famed venture capitalist Sir Michael Moritz has successfully identified many of them. Moritz is one of the most intriguing people I’ve interviewed in years. It shouldn’t come...
Pitch Your Idea With The Star Wars Method of Storytelling
Who or what plays the role of the Galactic Empire in your product narrative? It’s not a silly question. Your choice of a villain may mean the difference between building positive buzz for your product or having it thrown into the trash heap of discarded ideas....
Billionaire Investor Says Follow Your Obsession, Not Your Passion
Common people who find uncommon success don’t find their passions -- they follow their obsessions. In 25 years of studying communication I’ve never met an inspiring entrepreneur who didn’t have an abundance of passion for his or her product, service or company....
Aaron Sorkin on Steve Jobs: ‘I’m Attracted to Good Stories’
After a screening of the new movie Steve Jobs in San Francisco, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball) and director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) answered audience questions about their film. The 30-minute Q&A provided a fascinating glimpse into...
Former Pro Athlete Visualizes His Way To Public Speaking Success
Before Michael Phelps swims a lap, or Lindsey Vonn races down a ski slope, or Jason Day hits a golf ball, they visualize a successful outcome. Phelps even pictures himself from two perspectives – from the pool and in the stands. The world’s most successful athletes...
Why You Should Hire People Like Kate Winslet’s Character In ‘Steve Jobs’
Joanna Hoffman was fearless when facing Steve Jobs, and Jobs respected her for it. In the Aaron Sorkin/Danny Boyle movie Steve Jobs, Hoffman is played by actress Kate Winslet. According to Winslet “Joanna very much saw herself as his equal, as a colleague. She wasn’t...
What Apple Store’s Biggest Fan Taught Us About The Customer Experience
Why did Gary Allen log thousands of miles to attend 140 Apple Store openings around the world and blog about them…without getting paid for it? That question prompted me to reach out to Allen when I began the research for my book on the Apple Store model, The Apple...
Steve Jobs: The World’s Greatest Business Storyteller
Tension and struggle, heroes and villains are the stuff of great movies. As it turns out, they are also key to selling one’s ideas. In the new film Steve Jobs, Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin divides the film into three acts with each act taking place...
How Steve Jobs Inspired People to ‘Dream Bigger’
A retail executive who was once tasked with revitalizing the Disney Store called Steve Jobs, Disney’s largest shareholder, to ask for advice. Jobs said, “Dream bigger.” Those two words contained a wealth of wisdom and inspired Disney to think radically different. The...
Pastor Joel Osteen Reveals the 2 Words That Can Motivate You to Pursue Your Dreams
For 17 years, pastor Joel Osteen was happy to work behind the scenes, running television production for his dad’s ministry in Houston. Osteen’s dad encouraged him to preach, but Osteen’s head wasn’t in it. He didn’t see himself on stage and his nerves didn’t help. I...
Pope Francis Goes Off Script And Electrifies His Audience
“Wow.” That’s the first word that came to mind for CNN’s Chris Cuomo after Pope Francis delivered an impromptu speech about the family. On Saturday night, the final evening of his historic visit to America, Pope Francis had spent two hours enjoying music and...
Why Pope Francis Delivers Ideas In Threes
If you watched, listened, or read the transcript to Pope Francis’ speech to Congress on Thursday, you might have noticed a trend: Pope Francis groups ideas into thirds. It’s not a random habit. He does it on purpose. In a response to a question Pope Francis once said,...
Carly Fiorina Speaks Of Struggle And Success With Jimmy Fallon
On Monday night Republican presidential hopeful Carly Fiorina had the chance to introduce herself to millions of viewers of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. A difficult task for business or political leaders is to get their message across clearly, simply, and...
As Steve Jobs Once Said, ‘People With Passion Can Change The World’
In 1997, Steve Jobs returned to Apple after a 12-year absence. The company he had co-founded was running out of cash and close to bankruptcy. Jobs held a staff meeting and explained the role passion would play in revitalizing the brand: Apple is not about making boxes...
Ten Inspiring Leaders Who Didn’t Let The Naysayers Bring Them Down
A growing body of research suggests that our brains are wired to resist change, to be content with the status quo. “It could be that humans are wired to be natural naysayers,” according to Arvind Kumar, the lead researcher in a study. Kumar says there are...
These 5 Steve Jobs Keynotes Will Inspire You to Better Sell Your Ideas
A Steve Jobs keynote was a tightly choreographed and relentlessly prepared presentation, according to the new book Becoming Steve Jobs, by Brent Schlender. Jobs turned the product launch into an art form. He also leaves a legacy by which entrepreneurs can learn to...
Shake Shack’s Danny Meyer Reveals The Secret Ingredient Of His Success
There is no Shake Shack without Uncle Richard. On the night before taking the law school entrance exam, 25-year-old Danny Meyer had dinner with his uncle Richard and aunt Virginia at Elio’s, an Italian restaurant on Second Avenue in New York City. “I can’t believe I’m...
The Simplest Way For Anyone To Make A Positive First Impression
I enjoy watching golf tournaments, but at one recent PGA event it’s what happened off the course that caught my attention. While watching coverage of the 2015 Humana Challenge at La Quinta, the Golf Channel cut to a scene of former President Bill Clinton shaking hands...
Stories Triggered The Measles Outbreak, And Storytelling Can Stop It
Olivia was 7 years old when she caught the measles. She seemed to be recovering when the disease took a turn. She felt sleepy. Her fingers and her mind weren’t working together. The measles had triggered encephalitis, an acute inflammation of the brain. “In an hour...
To Raise Courageous Kids, Tell Heroic Stories
Your leadership role doesn’t end when you leave the office. Your kids are looking up to you, too. And how do great leaders inspire the best in others? They spark our imagination with epic stories of heroes and adventure. “Before I was born, when I was in the tummy of...
Why Stories Of Struggle Bring Out The Best In Others
On the sloping hills of Paso Robles, California, sits the L’Aventure vineyard. The grape vines that grow on this steep hillside must fight their way through rocky limestone soil for precious water and nutrients. The wine made from those grapes are bursting with flavor...
Pixar, Oregon Ducks, And How Culture Builds Winning Teams
Two seasons ago I enjoyed my football first experience at Autzen Stadium at the University of Oregon. I traveled to Eugene to visit my nephew who was attending the college and to see what all the fuss was about. I should have realized that when every hotel room in...
5 Presentation Tips From CEO Keynotes At CES
Smart gadgets were all the buzz at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. Smart drones were flying around the keynote stage, smartphone apps opened smart doors, and smart cars were driving themselves. There were also some very smart business leaders...
How Mario Cuomo’s 1984 Speech Electrified His Audience
Former New York Governor Mario Cuomo who passed away on January 1st was 50 percent responsible for my decision to pursue a career in journalism and communication. Ronald Reagan was responsible for the other 50 percent. Both leaders sparked our collective imagination...
Five Resolutions For More Successful Presentations In 2015
Like it or not, many business professionals are judged on the quality of their presentation skills. I wrote an article earlier this year about a giant tech company that scores its senior managers and leaders on customer-facing presentations. Higher scores translate...
What CEO’s Can Learn From The Pulpit
Before Martin Luther King Jr. galvanized a nation with one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century, he had honed his delivery and storytelling skills through years of experience behind the pulpit as a Baptist minister. He became a pastor at the age of 25 and...
The Common Advice Barbara Corcoran and an Astronaut Used to Conquer Fear
Real estate mogul Barbara Corcoran wasn't always the polished, confident business leader you see on ABC’s Shark Tank. Early in her career, Corcoran had been invited to speak at a New York City banking event. She thought the talk would be a good way to generate some...
10-Year-Old Fund Manager’s Daughter Offers A Lesson In Persuasion
You can learn a lot from a 10-year-old, especially when it comes to getting what you want. Earlier this year you might have heard the story of former Pimco co-CEO, Mohamed El-Erian, who resigned after his daughter confronted him with a list of events he missed because...
Take The ‘Old School’ Design Out Of PowerPoint
A few months ago I was sitting in the ‘green room’ behind a stage waiting to deliver a keynote speech to an audience of entrepreneurs and business leaders. I couldn't see the person speaking on stage ahead of me, but I heard the audio feed. I began taking notes...
Executive Presence: Gwen Stefani Gives ‘The Voice’ Contestants Great Advice
Pop star Gwen Stefani is a newcomer to the panel of judges on NBC’s hit show, The Voice, but she has spent more than two decades doing what she does best—performing on stage. Stefani joins fellow coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, and Pharrell Williams who all fight...
The iPhone 6 Presentation Shows Apple Still Rocks With Slides – Entrepreneur.com
Apple CEO Tim Cook brought back Steve Jobs's signature phrase, “One more thing,” when he recently introduced the iPhone 6 and the Apple Watch. One thing that hasn’t changed since Jobs delivered Apple keynotes is the stunningly simple and visual design template that...
One Simple Rule That Makes Apple Presentations ‘Apple-Esque’
Apple CEO Tim Cook received a thunderous round of applause when he brought back a signature catch phrase that Steve Jobs made famous: “One more thing.” The one more thing at the September 9th keynote presentation turned out to be the Apple Watch. Cook may have been...
How Pete Frates Found His Calling And Launched The Ice Bucket Challenge
“Be passionate. Be genuine. Be hardworking, and don’t afraid to be great.” — Pete Frates On March 13, 2012, Pete Frates was sitting at the dinner table with his parents, siblings, and girlfriend and he did what all great leaders do—communicate an inspiring vision. He...
How To Keep Your Creativity Flowing After Vacation Ends
Did you have an epiphany on your vacation this summer? I know I did. I had creative ideas occur on the water in Lake Tahoe and on a hiking trail in San Diego. I've written some of my best articles in a café in Genoa, a beach in Santa Monica, and poolside at a...
Copy Jimmy Fallon’s Interview Technique To Be The Most Likable Person In The Room
When Clint Eastwood appeared on The Tonight Show to promote Jersey Boys, Fallon said, “I love the music. I love the characters. My parents are from Brooklyn and we knew people like this. The way it was shot, the cars, the scenery, it reminded me of my parents’ wedding...
One of Steve Jobs’ Last Public Statements Can Help You Discover Your Passion
Transcript of Entrepreneur.com article. Passion is everything. You cannot inspire unless you’re inspired yourself. In 25 years of studying communication, I've never met an inspiring entrepreneur who isn't freakishly enthusiastic about his or her idea. Steve Jobs, one...
Why Your Culture Problem Is About To Get Much Worse
Recently I talked to a family friend who I hadn't spoken to in a few months. Three months ago she was the top salesperson at her company, contributing millions of dollars to the firm’s bottom line and bringing in a hefty paycheck to show for it. She was also...
How To Sell Yourself In A Twitter Friendly Headline
The title of this article consists of 51 characters. That’s short enough to post on Twitter, include a short comment, and add the link. Columnists like me who are trained in journalism put a lot of thought into the title because it grabs your attention, sets the tone...