“The first thirty seconds of any conversation or presentation are like the last two minutes of a football game. This is when victory or defeat is determined, the period of time when your audience is deciding whether you are interesting… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Agenda Setting The most common mistake I hear throughout all corporate America is the ubiquitous and übertedious agenda-setting start (calling it by its acronym would actually be quite fitting). Here’s how an ASS sounds:” — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“For the next three hours . . .” Wow! Talk about an interest-killer. The last thing any audience wants to be reminded of is that it will… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“fact, good communication is a lot like pasta sauce. The more you boil down and reduce a sauce, the more dynamic the flavor. Speaking… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“According to Inside Apple, Steve Jobs practiced dozens of times before a big presentation, staging and rehearsing so that nothing was left to chance.” — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“The Conviction Principle Convey certainty with words, eye contact, posture, and tone of voice.” — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“To Drive Home a Point People think that the more they elaborate and explain, the more convincing they will be. They confuse quantity with… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“To be more thoughtful and selective, we need time. To gain more time, we need to slow down. Yes, it really is as simple… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Speaking cleanly is a very Zen experience. It’s about being 100 percent focused on the thought you are in the midst of articulating. If… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Gratuitous Gratitude Gratitude has a place, but don’t spend the first full minute of your remarks thanking a long laundry list of people. If… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Consumers don’t want to know about the process of how something came into existence. What they want to know is: How will this product… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Focus on What You Want to Say, Not on What You Think the Audience Is Thinking Many people pay too much attention to how… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Prepare, prepare, prepare. Practice, practice, practice. From here on, accept every invitation you get to do public speaking. Be the first one with your… — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
“Discomfort Many of us are uncomfortable with silence, so we compensate by filling that silence with words.” — Bill McGowan Copy Share Image
