Just before my recent trip to Italy I directed a stage production of a Neil Simon play called “Come Blow Your Horn” (the first Broadway hit of his illustrious career). I’ve been directing plays for over twenty years and doing that became a major reason I created Speak Louder Than Words and became a public speaking coach. I was seeing many entrepreneurs struggle with their presentations and knew that theatre skills could help them become more successful. Theatre has been a

Public speaking is the fastest way to connect with and gain new clients. The level of trust that you can develop with someone during a live presentation trumps any number of other ways we try to communicate in business. Yes, there are some advantages to videos, blogs and social media posts in terms of reaching more people in distant places. However those electronic means of communications don't capture the authenticity of having someone standing in front of you and address

They seem to be taking over. Our surrounding, our lives, the way we stay in touch. It's those gadgets, smartphones, apps. Things have changed quickly and opened up many new streams of communication. And if you wait just a little while, there are bound to be new ones being released and embraced. With all this impacting our lives and those of just about every one around us. Does public speaking matter any more? After all, when Socrates or Plato addressed the crowds in Ancient G

Value Matters No Matter What You Do! I recently attended an art gallery opening, something I hadn't done in some time. I was looking forward to it, not just for the social experience, but also because my college degree was in painting. Then add to it an exhibit called "Inspired by Italy" (to which I love to travel) had me looking forward to it. Arriving and being offered a glass of Prosecco made it start off enjoyable. La vita bella, right? The art was varied, some of which

One thing that plagues some speakers is a frequent use of what is sometimes called “verbal graffiti.” That includes those “ums,” “likes,” “you-knows” and similar words that a lot of people say while they’re thinking of exactly what they want to say next. Those words detract from the professionalism of speakers and certainly don’t do anything to enhance the audience’s listening experience. Done too often they become irritating and will obscure the meaning of the speech itse