“Now, without further ado…” Does that trite introduction make your eyes glaze over if you aren’t already half asleep from listening to a preview of the speaker’s obituary? On and on and on. The host endlessly reads every word of a biography submitted by the speaker or his PR Department. Or, the introducer has done
Every industry has its own jargon and acronyms. Jargon is a form of slang, or shorthand, that conveys a specific meaning to the insiders who use it. Jargon common to all industries such as “think outside the box” or a “win-win situation” are well known, although they don’t show much originality when used by someone
All moderators should repeat this: “This is not about me. I am not the star.” If you’re a moderator, you need to take all thoughts about “you,” dump them in an imaginary box and toss the box. If you want to be the star, switch seats and be a panelist. You were asked to be
You’ve worked hard at making your presentation convincing with key messages and pictures. Let’s be honest, however. Even the most interested audience will wander off mentally at least once during your presentation. Many won’t be able to fight the compulsion to take a look at their smart phones. So how should you keep your audience
When the CEO of the world’s #2 bank says there is no such thing as an “off the record” comment to the media, you can take it as gospel. A while back, Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorganChase, addressed 200+ members and guests of the Financial Women’s Association. When he was introduced, the audience
One of the lessons learned from our many coaching sessions is this: don’t allow yourself to get complacent and think you can do the same old, same old as you plan your speaking engagements and media interviews. Analyzing Your Audience Speakers often go wrong by not doing a thorough audience analysis.
America is a melting pot of people from just about every country in the world. Most newcomers learn English when they get here and, if they’re already adults, will almost always speak with an accent. There is nothing wrong with having an accent. It’s important to articulate your words correctly, but an accent can actually
If you have not have visited the Newman Group’s website lately, then you’ve missed the videos that describe what we do and our approach to our specialties: presentation and media training. Plus, we are doing a significant number virtual training sessions in the post-Covid-19 age.
The other day I sat by the phone waiting for the call about a potential coaching assignment. The phone never rang. The person who booked the session never bothered to call or write to explain why she didn’t follow through. Was she sick? Did she have to go out of town suddenly? I’ll never know,
The first presentation by me I’ll always remember. You would never use the passive tense to say, “I’ll always remember my first presentation.” Would you? Yet speakers too often use passive tenses in their presentations. As Strunk and White state in their classic The Elements of Style: “Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, noncommittal language.” This gem
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The Newman Group is a recognized leader in guiding business professionals, celebrities and authors to improve their communications skills in presentations and media interviews.
Our highly skilled and experienced professionals have the expertise in media and presentation training to meet any business situation — from helping an executive to prepare for the challenge of talking to a reporter during a business crisis to presenting a group of investors during an IPO or keeping a celebrity spokesperson on point.