‘Think Big’ Is Thinking Too Small
If we follow the well-intentioned advice to “think big,” is it possible that we’re still thinking too small? In my career as a business journalist, author, and columnist, I’ve had the extraordinary opportunity to meet leaders who are changing the world....
Public Speaking Secrets From the Top Stars of TED – Entrepreneur.com
Public Speaking Secrets From the Top Stars of TED - posted on Entrepreneur.com links to Carmine's Lewis Howe's the School of Greatness podcast interview.
The Shortcut To The 10,000 Hour Rule
In the hit song Ten Thousand Hours, rap star Macklemore credited author Malcolm Gladwell for popularizing the now famous rule for turning him into a musical success. By now you know the rule —it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to master a specific task. Ten...
How to Pitch a Billionaire
A prominent venture capitalist recently invited me to speak to leaders of his portfolio companies on the topic of storytelling. I joined billionaire Vinod Khosla at his exclusive Khosla Ventures CEO Summit along with an exceptional list of business leaders...
Five Presentation Lessons from Apple’s New Rock Star
Article written for Entrepreneur.com about Craig Federighi, Apple's new charismatic spokesperson. Article Transcript Since I wrote a book titled The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, I've been searching for a presenter -- at Apple or any other company -- who comes...
U2’s Bono: How To Present Data Like A Rock Star
“I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” is a classic U2 song. It’s also how I feel about presentations. It’s rare that I find a public speaker who delivers a slide-show that’s informative, educational, engaging, entertaining, and inspiring. I never thought I’d...
Clock’s Ticking: A Simple Tool to Pitch Your Idea in 15 Seconds
A successful venture capital investor once told me that he challenges entrepreneurs to make their pitch in 10 words or less. “If you can’t tell me what you do in 10 words, I’m not interested, I’m not buying and I’m not investing. Period.” I’m willing to give...
Data Alone Won’t Get You a Standing Ovation – Harvard Business Review Article
Harvard Business Review Article by Carmine Gallo Article Transcript: A few years ago, Dr. Brené Brown delivered a presentation on “The power of vulnerability” at TEDx Houston. As a professor at the University of Houston, Brown studies vulnerability, courage,...
‘Your Story Is Your Strategy’ Says VC Who Backed Facebook And Twitter
“Storytelling is the most underrated skill,” says Ben Horowitz who, along with business partner Marc Andreessen, has built one of the most influential venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. Andreessen-Horowitz has invested in the next generation of leading...
5 Leadership Lessons Pope John Paul II Taught A Young Swiss Guard
How many of us can say our former boss was a ‘saint’ and mean it, literally? On Sunday, April 27th Andreas Widmer will be among the millions expected to attend the canonization of Pope John Paul II. Unlike most of the others, however, Widmer holds an especially close...
BMW Radically Rethinks The Car Buying Experience
The world’s automakers are showing off their sleek new 2015 models and concept cars at the New York International Auto Show, which opens to the public today. The most radical innovation in the car industry might not be obvious on the show floor, but instead in the...
The Best of TED 2014: Lessons for Your Next Presentation – Entrepreneur.com
Entrepreneur.com article: The Best of TED 2014: Lessons for Your Next Presentation The Best of TED 2014: Lessons for Your Next Presentation Image credit: ted.com Bill and Melinda Gates The famous TED conference celebrated its 30th anniversary in March with its usual...
Harvard Business Review: What I Learned From 150 Hours of TED Talks
Harvard Business Review: What I Learned From 150 Hours of TED Talks Article transcript: What I Learned Watching 150 Hours of TED Talks by Carmine Gallo | 11:00 AM April 11, 2014 What makes for a great presentation — the kind that compels people’s attention and calls...
The Key To A Lasting Relationship In Business And In Marriage
Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson once said, “Lash praise on people and people will flourish; criticize and they shrivel up.” Branson may have discovered the secret to successful relationships in both business and in life. Asked why they quit their jobs and...
How Bill Gates Radically Transformed His Public Speaking And Communication Skills
Bill Gates has returned to the company he co-founded, serving as product and technology advisor to newly appointed Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella. In this new position, the public might see a very different communicator than the leader who left his day-to-day role at...
Google Hangout with Entrepreneur.com: How You Can Make Your Next Presentation Memorable
Carmine was interviewed in a Google Hangout by Enterpreneur.com staff in New York. Transcript from enterpreneur.com From delivering board room presentations to speaking before a live audience, speaking publicly is something most of us will have to do at some point....
Google Hangout: Everything You Need to Know to Deliver an Amazing Presentation – Entrepreneur.com
Carmine was interviewed in a Google Hangout by Jason Fell, the managing editor of entrepreneur.com. The accompanying article transcript Giving a presentation in front of an audience is no easy feat. You have to know what you're going to say, say it with confidence and...
The One Habit That Brilliant TED Speakers Practice Up To 200 Times
Last October I received a call from a business leader who is recognized as a pioneer in her industry. She had been invited to give a TED talk this month and asked if I could give her some tips. “Well you have plenty of time to practice,” I said after giving her some...
Avoid the PowerPoint Trap by Having Less Wordy Slides: Entrepreneur.com
This is the fourth in a series of articles for entrepreneur.com The following is the fourth in a series, "Talk Like TED," in which communications coach/author Carmine Gallo applies tips, techniques and insights to help entrepreneurs and business professionals sell...
Public Speaking Payoff: The Presentation Worth $55,000 A Minute
Human rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson received the longest standing ovation in the history of the globally famous TED conference. In his March 2012 speech titled, “We Need To Talk About An Injustice,” the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative shared his concerns about...
9 Public-Speaking Lessons From The World’s Greatest TED Talks
Forbes.com article posted on March 4, 2014 Depending on your perspective, 2006 was either a really bad year for public speaking or the start of a world-changing transformation. In that year the famous TED conference began streaming 18-minute presentations from the...
How Sheryl Sandberg’s Last Minute Addition To Her TED Talk Sparked A Movement
Millions of women are being encouraged to “lean in” and to pursue their goals thanks to Sheryl Sandberg’s book and non-profit organization by the same name. As the Facebook COO, Sandberg’s now famous 2010 TED talk, Why We Have Too Few Women Leaders, helped to launch...
From T-Shirt Salesman To Mega Producer: Mark Burnett Shares Five Keys For Personal Transformation
Here is the link to the posted article. “I've never done something only for the money—ever. If you don’t love what you do, you won’t do well at it,” producer Mark Burnett told me in a phone interview this week as he was preparing for the release of his new movie, Son...
The Magical Number That Will Amplify Your Next Presentation – Entrepreneur.com
The following is the third in a series, "Talk Like TED," in which communications coach/author Carmine Gallo applies tips, techniques and insights to help entrepreneurs and business professionals sell their ideas more persuasively. These ideas are inspired by the TED...
TED Talks Are Wildly Addictive For Three Powerful Scientific Reasons
Ideas are the currency of the 21st century. You can have brilliant ideas—truly revolutionary ideas—but if you cannot persuade others to act, those ideas don’t matter. Today, thanks to the world-famous TED conference, independently organized TEDx community events, and...
Apple Store Model Boosts Health Care Enrollment In Connecticut
Ask a person who their role models are and you’ll learn a lot about their character. You will also learn how successful they are likely to be. In September I wrote this column about Connecticut’s health insurance marketplace (Access Health CT) and how it was...
Why TED Talks are Impossible to Resist – Entrepreneur.com Article
Here is the second article in a series for Entrepreneur.com. These articles are based on my new book, Talk Like TED. Join my list and receive tips and articles on presentations and public-speaking. Right now, list members receive a special offer if you order the book...
Want to Sell Your Ideas? Tell Engaging Stories – Entrepreneur.com Article
Here is the first article in a Talk Like TED serious that I am doing for entrepreneur.com. These articles are based on my new book, Talk Like TED. Join my list and receive tips and articles on presentations and public-speaking. Right now, list members receive a...
5 Must-Have Presentation Tips For Pitching To Angel Investors
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when pitching to angel investors is bombarding them with data and boring PowerPoint slides instead of inspiring and engaging them. This is one of the key lessons I learned as I followed a Forbes.com reader and...
8 Innovation Secrets From Steve Jobs
8 Innovation Secrets From Steve Jobs Article Steve Jobs is one of those entrepreneurs who seems universally either loved or hated, but not many will argue with his ability to innovate in the technology product arena over the years. He was instrumental in creating...
Veterans: Recruiters want to hire you but they will need your help
Companies want to hire military veterans. It’s the right thing to do and it’s good for business. Intel hired the equivalent of more than one veteran every day in 2012 and is committed to being the high tech workplace of choice for America’s heroes. “From an employer...
Five remedies to protect you from the pessimism bug
According to a recent TIME Magazine poll, the percentage of Americans who identify themselves as “optimists” has plummeted from 79 percent in 2004 to 50 percent today. Count me among the optimists. In 2004 Facebook was the brainchild of a group of Harvard friends and...
‘If you see something, say something’: How communication training keeps you safer in the sky
The crash of Asiana flight 214 at San Francisco International Airport has put aviation safety back in the spotlight. It’s far too early to tell definitively what happened in the crash. What we do know for certain is that this is the safest period for U.S aviation in...
Public Speaking: Two proven ways champions raise their game
After Inbee Park won the United States Women’s Open this weekend she credited experience (she has won three major titles in a row) and weekly sessions with a mental coach. As a result, Park was calm, relaxed, and thoroughly enjoyed her final round. It struck me that...
How ‘Shark Tank’ Star Barbara Corcoran Reinvented Herself After A Public Speaking Disaster
As producers for Shark Tank conduct a nationwide search for candidates to appear on season five of the ABC television show, they are inviting entrepreneurs to make the ultimate pitch, selling themselves and their ideas to a cast of investors—‘sharks’—including real...
The Single, Simplest Way To Radically Improve Your Customer’s Experience
When I stepped off the shuttle bus on a recent trip to Oregon’s Bandon Dunes golf resort I immediately realized why it’s ranked as the #1 golf resort in America—its people. Golfers visit from all over the world for the spectacular views and links style challenges on...
10 Presentation Techniques You Can (And Should) Copy From Apple’s WWDC Keynote
I look forward to Apple keynote presentations and product launches because, as a communications specialist, it’s hard for me to find a better role model for creating, designing, and delivering a presentation. The keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference...
Ten Presentation Techniques You Can (And Should) Copy From Apple’s WWDC Keynote
I look forward to Apple keynote presentations and product launches because, as a communication specialist, it’s hard for me to find a better role model for creating, designing, and delivering a presentation. The keynote at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference...
The NSA’s Truly Appalling Misdeed: Bad PowerPoint
An alternative title to this column could be, “Everything bad about PowerPoint I learned from the National Security Agency.” Like many Americans I've been reading about the top-secret program (PRISM) whereby the NSA and the FBI are tapping directly into Internet...
Bill Marriott: The Four Most Important Words Employees Need To Hear From Their Boss
In a recent New York Times interview, the executive chairman and former CEO of Marriott International, J.W (Bill) Marriott, offered this advice to leaders: The four most important words in the English language are “What do you think?” Marriott speculated that some...
The #1 Skill College Grads Should Have Learned In The 5th Grade
Many college students will graduate this year without adequate instruction in the one skill that might prove to be the most valuable in their careers. The good news—there’s still plenty of time to learn it and plenty of resources available to do so. The #1 skill is...
‘It’s Important To Tell Our Story:’ 5 Ways Apple’s Tim Cook Stayed Cool Under Fire
Which of these statements is accurate: Apple’s Web of Tax Shelters Saved Billions Apple Paid $6 Billion in Taxes, Largest Corporate Tax Payer in U.S. Both are accurate. The first headline is from the front page of The New York Times today and the second is from Apple...
How Warren Buffett And Joel Osteen Conquered Their Terrifying Fear of Public Speaking
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett was “terrified” of public speaking. He was so nervous, in fact, that he would arrange and choose his college classes to avoid having to get up in front of people. He even enrolled in a public speaking course and dropped out before...
Seven Customer Service Lessons I Learned in One Day With Richard Branson [Video]
It’s rare to find a leader who elevates the experience for employees and customers to such a degree that other brands benchmark against his or her company. I recently had a unique opportunity to spend a day with one such leader, an entrepreneur and billionaire who has...
Delivering a PowerPoint? Your Audience Will Tune Out After 10 Minutes
Your audience will check out of your next PowerPoint presentation after about 10 minutes. I know your presentation is engaging, I know you’re a wonderful speaker, and I know that your slides look really cool, but neuroscientists now know that the human mind gets bored...
Successful Retailers Learn That Fewer Choices Lead To Higher Sales
Successful sales professionals in any field realize that they can improve the odds of making a sale by offering their customers more than one option of a service or product. But how many choices should you offer? This week I've been invited to be the keynote speaker...
Presentation Skills: The 10-Minute Steve Jobs Performance That Revolutionized The Music Industry
In a 10-minute presentation on April 28, 2003, Steve Jobs reinvented the music industry and persuaded millions of music lovers to pay 99 cents a song. Ten years ago Apple launched the iTunes Music Store and completely changed how we acquire and enjoy our music. For 99...
What Kid Rock Can Teach You About Creativity And Innovation
My wife recently bought tickets to Kid Rock. “They were only $20 each,” she said. Twenty bucks? Has he fallen that far? I wondered. As it turns out, the five-time Grammy nominee is doing just fine. In fact he announced the low ticket price to make a statement and to...
Teaching America’s Top Scientists to Communicate the USA TODAY Way
Few topics are more complicated than nuclear weapons. If the world’s leading scientists in the field can be taught to communicate more simply, anyone can. Over the past few years I've been invited on several occasions to work with scientists at America’s leading...
Six Simple And Irresistible Alternatives To The Elevator Pitch
“The purpose of the pitch isn't necessarily to move others to adopt your idea, it’s to offer something so compelling it begins a conversation,” according to New York Times bestselling author, Daniel H. Pink. I recently talked to Pink about his new book, To Sell is...
America’s Happiest Employee
“You name it. I make it happen.” That’s what Rosalind (Roz) Searcy said when I asked her what she did for her employer, Zappos.com. I’ve met thousands of employees. I speak at their companies, conferences, or interview them for my columns and books. Most employees...
Media Training: Anne Hathaway Artfully Diverts Today’s Matt Lauer
Media training is the practice of preparing spokespeople (executives, celebrities, experts) for interviews. Media interviews are easy to handle when all is good with the company or brand. It’s predicting and answering the more difficult questions that cause the most...
How Wegmans, Apple Store, and Ritz-Carlton Win Loyal Customers
Wegmans, the Apple Store, and The Ritz-Carlton are considered customer service champions in their respective categories. These companies field calls daily from people eager to learn their secrets (In fact, The Ritz-Carlton created a Leadership Center to teach its best...
High-Tech Dropouts Misinterpret Steve Jobs’ Advice
Steve Jobs dropped out of college so he could drop in to the classes that looked more interesting. Reed College offered the best calligraphy course in the country. In those classes Jobs learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, something with no practical...
Constraints Are The Key To A Creative Presentation
I’m often asked, “How long should my presentation be?” I believe the Goldilocks zone is 18 to 20 minutes. If it’s shorter some members of your audience (especially investors, clients and customers) might not feel as though they received enough information. Any longer,...
Barack Obama: A Master Class In Public Speaking
President Barack Obama uses three public-speaking techniques to captivate his audiences. Like all of us, sometimes he has an off night. When he’s at his best, though, Obama is a gifted speaker who has something to teach all leaders in business and politics, regardless...
Apple Retail Reduces Stress of Shopping on Black Friday
Adding staff for the holiday season is not unusual in retail. What is unusual is how America’s most profitable retailer, The Apple Store, trains its employees to communicate with customers to reduce the stress and frustration of shopping on Black Friday and other busy...
Best Buy Invests 50,000 Hours of Employee Training To Attract Windows 8 Customers
Many customers shopping for a new PC this holiday season will be surprised by the new look and feel of Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system. “Live tiles” are the centerpiece of the experience. The vivid and animated tiles fill the screen and are built for...
Apple Elevates Steve Jobs’ Spiritual Partner
Jonathan Ive can look at a sunflower and see a computer. That’s why I’m excited to hear that Apple has given more responsibility to its chief designer. The announcement takes place in the context of a major executive shakeup. This week Apple announced that Scott...
Apple Retail Stores and the ‘Buying Brain’
Apple Inc. not only builds some of the most elegant products in the world, but it also masterfully uses technology to enhance the customer experience in its stores. Apple Stores provide three key lessons that business owners in any industry can benefit from. These...