Steve Jobs Screws Up His Speech and Enjoys the Opportunity to Tell a Story

When Steve Jobs screwed up at the 2007 Macworld Conference, he showed us how much fun it can be to handle a mistake in a presentation when we are relaxed, present and able to think on our feet. Watch the following video clip and see for yourself. We all think of Steve as the consummate […] Read more

How to Help the Interviewer Interview You

When you are scheduled to interview with a prospective employer, there are some techniques that can help you be remembered and increase your chances of winning the job. it is important to understand that the interviewer might be just as uncertain as you are. He or she may not have much interviewing experience. Maybe that […] Read more

The 20 Most Popular TED Talks

TED Talks provide inspiration and great models for public speaking skills. TED recently shared the 20 most popular talks since TED began. If you would like a summer project to inspire you to reach for the stars and to develop your public speaking skills, watch all 20 of these, one per day. If you undertake […] Read more

Alan Rabinowitz: How a Severe Stutterer became the Voice for African Wild Cats

Alan Rabinowitz could not talk to people at all, but he could talk to animals fluidly. He promised his childhood pets if he ever became a fluid speaker, he would speak up for the animals of the world. I heard Alan tell his story about being a severe stutterer as a child on the MOTH […] Read more

Great Storytelling from the Heart of Boyd Varty Shares Stories of Africa and Mandela

As we lay Nelson Mandela to rest this past week, here is a lovely TED talk story told by Boyd Varty, a man who met Mandela as a child. To learn to tell your valuable and inspiring stories, join my speaking group classes at Self-Expression Center or coaching via Skype. I am Sandra Zimmer, author […] Read more

Speak Up, Speak Out and Speak About to Make a Difference in the World

The tragic news of our 2012 Holiday Season is the sad deaths of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Much has been said and reported; and I don’t have anything to offer that can help the situation. My heart hurts for those families, friends and neighbors who are grieving this […] Read more

How to Receive a Standing Ovation – Get Naked!

A standing ovation is a spontaneous emotional response from an audience that is moved deeply by a speaker or performer. The only way to earn a standing ovation is to get naked! I don’t mean take off all your clothes, I mean take off all protection and pretense, and be emotional. When a presenter is […] Read more

Travis Kalanick CEO of Uber on Telling the Authentic Story

Travis Kalanick is the CEO of Uber, a service that uses apps to call a car, usually a Town Car, in 15 minutes. What I like about him is his authenticity. He says that telling your authentic story is how business needs to be communicating. He shares that in toughest times, we learn to be […] Read more

Want to Speak like Steve Jobs?

I had never seen Steve Jobs talk before; but after he died, I heard lots of people rave about the way he spoke in public. It seemed like many people thought he was the epitome of a great speaker. Then I began reading his biography Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Before even finishing a quarter […] Read more

Storyselling – The secret to a successful persuasive presentation is great storytelling.

I am in love with this word – storyselling!  It says it all about the power of stories to persuade listeners to buy products and services or buy into ideas. Storyselling is the act of telling the authentically persuasive story. It is sharing the story that excites others to say, “Yes, I want that!” Everyone […] Read more