Category: Blog

Think about that when you use bullets in your presentations. Rather than using too many of them, target them carefully. Even better, why not try to win without shooting. In 1950s, overhead projectors became widely used, maybe you still remember them or you have utilized them yourselves.

A few years ago I was asked to coach a CEO (we’ll call her Sally) for a speech she was giving at a conference, reporting on important medical research she and her team had completed. Sally confided in me that “I’m not a good speaker. I get really nervous and I hate it. My co-worker is a GREAT speaker, a rock star, and there is no way I could ever be as good as she is.”

I recently saw a speech that stayed with me and moved me. I’ve told many people about this speech because it did everything we believe at Own the Room makes a great speech. The speaker likes to be different and used a visual image—a photograph—as part of her talk. It was a moving photograph, the kind that stays with you long after you’ve seen it.

What Would You Do With An Extra Hour In Your Day?​ I’m guessing your answer wasn’t, “I’d love to spend it in a meeting.” All of us have many important things vying for our time. That’s one reason it can feel so frustrating when our time gets eaten up in required meetings – especially meetings that weren’t productive, or that we shouldn’t have been in, in the first place.

Imagine you’re sitting in a conference room and the speaker arrives at the podium holding a huge stack of papers and immediately starts showing endless power point slides. Each slide is dense with so many bullet points, sentences and graphs—you can barely take any of it in. It’s a barrage of information. How do you feel at that moment? Bored? Frustrated? Angry? What are you thinking about? How can you escape? What’s for lunch? If you fall asleep, will anyone notice?

Daniel was brilliant. A data analyst at a rapidly growing startup, he had swiftly proven himself to be a keen thinker who could quickly find patterns amidst rows of data. There was just one problem.

The number one tip of all if you really want to improve communication is: Eliminate Weak Language such as ‘Filler Words’. In English, the main filler word is ‘um’ – every language has some version of the hesitation form.

I had just wrapped up a team meeting when a trampoline fell on me. Working from home can come with its own hazards. My wife and I chose to live in a small apartment, prioritizing location, amenities, and common spaces over size. But with the amenities cut off, the common spaces sealed off, and the location now irrelevant, all we’re left with is an expensive studio — and me working in the closet. And that’s where I was parked, nestled cozily under a hanging trampoline, right before I got this concussion.

So you made it to the big time. You landed a speaking slot at a large conference. With hundreds of panels and workshops, and hundreds of speakers, how can you make your talk memorable long after the conference cleans up from an influx of attendees?

On Friday October 9, 2015, Jurgen Klopp, a German soccer coach, walked into his first press conference as Manager of Liverpool FC in front of a room packed with reporters from around the world. The club had underachieved for many years and faced many challenges and doubts. Klopp simply stated that everyone involved had to ‘change from doubters to believers’. Just over four years later, Liverpool FC were World Champions.