14 Public Speaking Lessons from the United States Supreme Court

I am a lawyer (both a barrister and solicitor), and a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada. I began my legal career with Fasken Martineau, one of Canada’s oldest and largest law firms. There, I specialized in corporate commercial litigation and environmental law. In 1998, I left the private sector in order to […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 231) – Susan Cain

“Some introverts are perfectly comfortable with public speaking; I’m not one of them.” Susan Cain Photo courtesy of Steve Jurvetson
Your Talk is a Gift

Seth Godin is the author of several books about “marketing, the spread of ideas and managing both customers and employees with respect”. They are bestsellers. His blog is one of my favourites and I highly recommend it. This post is part of a series based on original posts by Seth. Your talk is a gift In this blog post […]
What Kurt Vonnegut Can Teach Us About Business Stories

Kurt Vonnegut was a master storyteller and storytelling is powerful. Stories resonate with people on a deep, psychological level. Stories are memorable and help support our messages. Hence the speaker’s maxim: Tell a story, make a point. The best stories contain many elements related to plot, character, dialogue, etc. For some insights into what those elements are, check […]
8 Tips from Kurt Vonnegut to Make You a Better Speaker

Kurt Vonnegut was one of the United States’ most intelligent, witty and beloved authors. His novels such as Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions and The Sirens of Titan are still widely read and just as insightful as they were when they were first published. In the 1980s, Vonnegut wrote a short essay entitled “How to Write […]
Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 229) – Lou Holtz

“All you need is something to say and a burning desire to say it. It doesn’t matter where your hands are.” Lou Holtz
11 Steps to a Killer Presentation

Quotes for Public Speakers (No. 228) – Plato

“A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool speaks because he has to say something.” Plato Photo courtesy of Marie-Lan Nguyen
Be an Original, not a Fake: Lessons from the World of Art

There are important insights into authenticity from an expert in the art world. Philip Mould’s are also relevant for many aspects of our daily lives, including public speaking. Here are some questions that speakers should ask themselves that parallel Mould’s observations.
Tagged ArtAuthenticityEthospublic speaking











