Archive for the ‘training’ Category

5 Cool Ideas–Speaking tips from the pros

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Rotaract talk in LA face right 0608 WEBImprove your presentations by modeling famous speakers.  Here are practical tips inspired by five great orators: John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Zig Ziglar, Bill Clinton and Robin Williams.

5 Cool Ideas–Speaking Tips From the Pros

1.  Say it in a special way. John F. Kennedy is known for his inspiring, almost poetic, phrasing.  JFK kept a notebook of inspiring quotations that he adopted and adapted in his speeches.  The famous phrase, “Ask not what your country can do for you–ask what you can do for your country” was his, but JFK also borrowed verbiage from others.

Kennedy seldom credited to his primary speechwriter, Ted Sorensen, but you should always provide attribution when “borrowing” language from another person.

2.  Tell a good story. Everyone loves a good story.  Motivational speaker and legend, Zig Ziglar, mesmerized audiences with his funny and informative stories.  A Zig story could go on for five or six minutes as he interjected anecdotes, developed motifs and leveraged humor.

Zig used to drop to one knee for all of six minutes.  He would often prompt a rousing  ovation just for finally standing up again!

3.  Smile with your eyes. Words are important during presentations, but non-verbal cues are even more critical.  Bill Clinton uses a terrific technique I call “smiling eyes.”  He even used this strategy during his impeachment proceedings when he looked into the camera and said, “It depends on what your definition of the word ‘is’ is.”

4.  Tell the audience exactly what you want. So many speakers and presenters obscure their messages in fancy language and pretense.  Take a cue from Nike’s “Just do it” slogan and just say it.  Ronald Reagan was famous for his plain talk during speeches.

In 1987, Reagan spoke at at an event celebrating the 750th anniversary of Berlin.  He used the speech to directly appeal to Mikhail Gorbachev, then General Secretary of the Soviet Union’s Communist Party.  Reagan famously said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

5.  Get emotional. Robin Williams is not a conventional presenter, that’s for sure.  What he lacks in diction and structure, he more than makes up for in energy and enthusiasm.  It’s hard to ignore a person who’s excited about his own message.

Williams presentations are an onslaught of ideas, foreign language accents and gesticulations that audience members cannot ignore.  Don’t try to replicate Robin’s wild man delivery.  Just amp up your emotion by speaking louder and moving your hands more.


Teleseminar May 25–How to Improve Your Presentations

Join Michael Angelo Caruso at 3:30 PM ET on Tuesday, May 25 to get more great tips for your next presentation.  Get more info and register here; ask questions toward the end of the call.  Invite your boss to attend at no extra charge.


Can’t attend the live program?

Order the audio CD on the same topic and listen as many times as you’d like.


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The Hall of Fame ballplayer who was consistently inconsistent

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Harry Heilmann, inconsistent baseball star

Harry Heilmann, inconsistent baseball star

Harry “Slug” Heilmann is a Hall of Fame baseball player who spent most of his  playing years with the Detroit Tigers.  He and Ted Williams are the last two American League players to hit over .400.  Heilmann’s career batting average of .342 is the twelfth-highest in major league history.

Heilmann also won an amazing four batting titles.  But here’s the twist.  He won them only in odd-numbered years (1921, 1923, 1925 and 1927).

Harry Heilmann was consistently inconsistent!

This story reminds us how important it is to establish a winning formula and then deliver it as consistently as possible.

Your company provides training to its employees, right?  Here are some great ways to maintain consistency and deliver exceptional training results:

1.  Hit the ground running. I do this by making sure attendees have positive expectations regarding the event.

2.  Get everyone involved. Get as many people as possible to verbally participate in the first five minutes of the training session.

3.  Make training fun/interesting. Hint: Fun is not necessarily what the trainer thinks is fun.  Been to some sessions where the fun felt artificial?

4.  Ensure success. Follow through is the key.  I ask attendees to use what I teach them and send me a “success story” within 48 hours of the program.  You’d love to read my e-mail!

Right now, my most popular programs are on effective leadership, including the best ways to motivate and online marketing, including social media.  Learn more about these great seminars and keynotes at

http://www.michaelangelocaruso.com/events/seminars/ and
http://www.michaelangelocaruso.com/events/keynotes/

Share this message with your boss and HR department head so we can hit a home run for your team!

Opportunity favors the prepared; get your act together

Monday, January 19th, 2009
Be prepared

Be prepared

The twelve months known as 2008 have been an education for many people.

If we’ve learned anything recently, we should have learned simple two-word lesson, but some of us are still learning, including employees at the Detroit newspapers.

The Detroit News and Free Press papers just announced they will be the first major metropolitan newspaper in the country t not deliver its publication daily.  Slow to embrace the Internet, they’ve even been offering the paper at no charge, but people still don’t want it.

Unprepared for change, newspapers are not just trying to make a profit, they are fighting for their existence.  The newspaper industry’s troubles have been brewing for a while, but people in Michigan are blaming the economy and other issues.  That’s how we know that the two-word lesson still hasn’t taken root.

Of course, it’s not too late to learn (or re-learn) the lesson.  I teach this message for a living, so it breaks my heart goes out to anyone who still hasn’t taken action on this two-word lesson.

The two words are:  Be prepared.

This slogan has been around for a while.  Written by Robert Baden-Powell exactly 101 years ago, the phrase, “Be prepared,” was originally a simple lesson for the scouts.  Yet, “be prepared” is a haunting bit of advice for anyone who was caught cash-poor during the recession.

So, repeat after me . . . “Be prepared.”  One way to stay up to snuff is to be always learning.

If you or your team want to be more successful . . .
If you’ve been waiting for incentive to take action in your career . . .
If you want to be more prepared in 2009 and beyond . . .

Take advantage of the following offer.  There’s something for everyone:

Personal Improvement, 4 one-hour CDs, 4 30-page e-books, including:
- Coping With Stress
- Creating Success Habits
- Time Management
- Dealing With Difficult People

Leadership, 4 one-hour CDs, 4 30-page e-books, including:
- Getting People to Do Stuff
- Meetings That Motivate and Inspire
- How to Give Presentations
- Teaching Remarkable Customer Service

Sales, 4 one-hour CDs, 4 30-page e-books, including:
- Selling More, Better, Faster
- Negotiating for Fun and Profit
- Networking Like a Pro
- 22 Sales Closes That Work

Advanced Business Ownership, 4 one-hour CDs, 4 30-page e-books, including:
- Growing Your Business
- How to Create and Sell Info Products
- Becoming an Industry Expert
- How to Become a Speaker/Author

You can probably take the cost of most professional development materials as an income tax deduction.  (Check with your accountant to be sure.)  Don’t delay your success any longer.  Get prepared for 2009 and beyond.

Order the above materials today and . . . learn your lesson.