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FRESH THREADS
NEW! The Freenoter Podcast!
There are lots of resources out there on how to become a paid speaker or keynoter, but what if you speak to build your business, as a FREEnoter? Each week, join me and Tom Webster as we cover all the angles of how to profit from speaking for free. If you are looking to grow your business from the stage--without "selling from the stage," this is the show for you. We will cover EVERY aspect of building your business through speaking, and even share a different craft cocktail recipe every week, just because. Subscribe now!
Short on space or time for your message? Do this.
“We must learn to be equally good at what is short and sharp and what is long and tough.” —Winston Churchill When creating content around messages, we usually focus on the “long” forms of it: the presentation, the book, the white paper, etc. And yes, in the words of Churchill, those long forms are tough.
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Presenting virtually? Here’s a checklist to make it great.
One of the things that’s most different about these past few weeks is how much we’ve had to meet, and present, virtually. While we may know, or sense, that the biggest enemy of virtual presentations is your multitasking (on the part of your audience), often our focus is on minimizing that multitasking, it helps to […]
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Need a strong conclusion? Do these two things.
Since I’m a relentlessly pattern-driven person, that’s what this week’s post and video are all about: helping your audience through pattern recognition. In the latest “What’s Missing From This Message” video, I talk about an important way to do that: with your conclusion. Your conclusion is your last opportunity to land your message. That […]
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Why story is the best structure for your message
If you want to keep your message simple (and you do!), then the structure needs to be simple, too. That may seem obvious, but it can be harder than it looks. That’s because it isn’t (just) about the number of points you make, it’s about the structure of them. Structure creates pattern, and pattern creates memorability. But […]
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How to give your message its strongest start
These are strange times, and it feels even stranger to be doing “normal” things like sending out this newsletter. But for me, sometimes doing normal things helps me feel normal. The best kind of normal things? Those that bring strength. I love how author and speaker Marcus Buckingham talks about this. He says: “A strength is an activity that strengthens you. […]
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Want to broaden your reach? Do this.
“The narrower your focus, the broader your reach.” That’s my take on what author Bill Schley (affiliate) calls the “Universal Paradox” of communication. It’s a paradox because it seems impossible to be true: if you focus on narrowing your message, how can you possibly reach more people? The simple answer: clarity. When you focus your message, you’re more clear […]
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Two questions that drive differentiation
There are two quick questions that can help make your messages even stronger: Am I giving the people what they want? Am I doing that in a way they don’t expect? It’s a good test, especially when your message or copy is short, like on a website or tagline. In fact, that’s the test I […]
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How to make your message feel like a story (even if it isn’t one)
You’ve probably heard about all the benefits of stories and storytelling. You’ve heard that stories make your message both more interesting and more concrete. But what if you don’t think you’re a very good storyteller? Is all hope lost? Nope. It’s a funny thing, but not even five years ago, that was me. I watched and […]
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Is your message missing “audience order”?
Sometimes you have all the right concepts for your idea, but what’s missing is the right order. You have all the information that makes an idea make sense to you but the order isn’t the one that makes sense for your audience. See, more often than not, when you’re talking and writing about your ideas, it’s common to use an order that […]
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How to prepare your persuasive presentation
You’ve got a big project you’ve been working on. To keep working on it, you need someone else’s approval. The big question: How can you raise the probability you’ll get the action or agreement you’re looking for? How do you present to persuade? Here’s a starting outline I’ve been using with my corporate and organizational […]
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