Making Your Point

Dr. James McGuire (Jimmy) a friend and colleague in Dynamic Communicators Workshops, presents this helpful template for developing – not finding – the rationale (points) of your speech.

Proclaim it. This means you introduce with clarity and precision the separate point you are going to develop that will support your major premise. This is not the whole message. It is one point of the message. For example, in a message on why we must strive to keep our hearts full of grace toward others, you might say: The first reason is because bitterness of spirit will make you withhold grace from others. This is clear, concise, and tells exactly what I must now proceed to develop: proof that bitterness causes its possessor to withhold grace from others.

Explain it. This means that the statement you just made, “Bitterness of spirit will make you withhold grace from others” will now be fully and clearly explained. Here you pull together evidence to support your statement. You may quote the Bible, or psychological studies from Universities, or some other source. But the single task is to give proof that bitterness of spirit will make you withhold grace from others.
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Posted on July 10, 2008 in the Communicating, Preaching, Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking category. 1 Comment.

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Make Your Illustrations Count

My last post was about great storytelling and the great storyteller, Bob Stromberg. The truth is, most of us will never be great story tellers, so it is important to develop our illustration skills.

My friend Randy Elrod posted this original watercolor on his blog the other day. It caught my eye and stirred something from my childhood in me. A painting that moves me emotionally is more likely to end up on my wall (if I can afford it) than one that is just skillfully done.

In the same way, illustrations work best when they make an emotional connection in the listener. That connection is what cements whatever point you are making in the listener’s heart and mind.

Peter Mead has just posted a worthy set of illustration tips on his blog, Biblical Preaching. Take a look.

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Posted on November 2, 2007 in the Preaching, Presentations, Public Speaking, Speaking category. Leave a comment.

Storytelling is an Art


My friend Bob Stromberg is a truly funny, unique and gifted entertainer. Perhaps his greatest asset is his ability to tell a story. I had the opportunity to be with Bob several times recently, and after all the years I’ve known him, I’m still amazed.

Bob taught a session at our Dynamic Communicators Workshop in Colorado Springs on Story Telling for speakers. He did an excellent job of demonstrating the skill, giving options as to how a story might fit in various settings and giving practical steps that any speaker can take to become a better story teller.

One step he highlighted was to, "Give the story generous rehearsal." Continue reading →

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Posted on October 31, 2007 in the Communicating, Presentations category. Leave a comment.

The King Of Public Speaking Workshops

DCW at a Castle

What a great week we had! Combine a 100 year old castle, 89 students from all walks of life and 11 of the best speaking coaches anywhere, and you get another fantastic Dynamic Communicators Workshop!

If you were there, we’d love to have your comments here. If you missed it, check out our upcoming workshops!

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Posted on October 29, 2007 in the Events category. Leave a comment.

Six Deadly Sins

A recent blog post by David Sanborn was right on. In it, he identified the mistakes he saw a speaker make in a recent presentation. I’ve paraphrased them as six deadly sins for a communicator.

  1. Telling them what you’re going to tell them. I know this is an old speaking cliche (tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them) that many communicators live by, but it is wrong. If your audience is intelligent and you tell them what you’re going to tell them, they’re done. They get it. Why should they continue to listen?
  2. Too much PowerPoint. Too many slides, not enough time to explain them all. See "PowerPoint Isn’t The Point," for more.
  3. Trapped by Technology. If you’re presentation relies too heavily on technology, you’re asking for trouble. Technology fails more often than not. Make your content the focus, not the bells and whistles.
  4. Dressed to Kill. What you wear matters. My friend McNair Wilson says, "If your clothing is more interesting (read distracting) than your presentation, you’re in trouble before you begin."
  5. Repetition & Redundancy. Sanborn gets it exactly right. If you find you are repeating yourself, you’re probably not prepared.
  6. Kill the Clock. Taking more than your allotted time is just wrong. Don’t do it. If you can’t say it in 5 minutes, you can’t say it in any amount of time. Enough time is not the problem. Lack of focus is. See Clear As Crystal for more on the importance of focus.

Read David Sanborn’s post here.

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Posted on October 29, 2007 in the Presentations category. Leave a comment.
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