12 Most Pointedly, Pivotal Blogs about Presentations and Speaking
Does the thought of giving a speech fill you with dread, anxiety or even horror? You are not alone! Even the most seasoned speaker feels the butterflies and the lump in their throat before giving a pivotal presentation. We all want to excel and share our message with an audience.
Luckily, there is a wealth of great advice on presentations and speaking to help you prepare for your BIG speech. My passion and goal in life is to help speakers speak up and build relationships with their audience. Here are 12 of my favorite presentation and speaking blogs that I read when I am not perusing the pages of 12 Most. (click the name of the blog for a link)
1. 6 Minutes by Andrew Dlugan
This blog has a wealth of information on almost any speaking subject imaginable from how to present data to a guide to your first 10 speeches at Toastmasters.
2. Duarte blog by Nancy Duarte
This is the blog of the author of Slide:ology. There are great tips and tricks for designing visually stunning presentations.
3. Speak Schmeak by Lisa Braithwaite
If you are looking for examples and lesson learned from real life speaking experiences, then look no further than Speak Schmeak.
4. Speak & Deliver by Rick Hopkins
Rich’s blog is written for speakers who are just starting out to those who are advanced in their speaking career. He encourages all of us to speak and deliver.
5. The Eloquent Women by Denise Graveline
An excellent resource that analyzes the challenges and gives tips aimed at women speakers.
6. Craig Valentine’s Blog
What I love most about Craig’s blog is that he shows either through video or audio how he implemented his own speaking advice.
7. TED Talks
Looking for inspiring talks with clear messages and great delivery? Look no further then TED Talks. One of my favorites is Brene Brown’s talk on the power of vulnerability.
8. Communication Studies
A great resource for students studying communication and wondering what to do with their degrees.
9. VoicePro blog
What communication and speaking lessons can we learn from popular culture and current events? Many! VoicePro delivers speaking advice with wit and fun.
10. Ovation Communication blog
Seamless blending teachings from the theater and etiquette for an impactful blog about all things speaking and communication.
11. HugSpeak by Lauren Hug
Lawyer by day and high school speech coach by night, Lauren blends what she has learned from law and coaching into compelling presentation and personal branding advice.
12. Book More Business by Lois Creamer
Professional speaker or aspiring to go pro? Lois’s blog is a must read for speakers who want to make a living from speaking.
Giving that big presentation doesn’t have to be scary. There is a plethora of advice for delivering your message in a compelling and impactful way.
What are some of your favorite presentation and speaking blogs? I am always looking for new reads!
Featured image courtesy of hiddedevries licensed via Creative Commons.
Dr. Michelle Mazur
http://www.DrMichelleMazur.com
Speech Coach and Presentation Skills Trainer, Dr. Michelle Mazur, guides driven-to-succeed business professionals and independent business owners to ignite the smoldering fire within to speak up, speak out and make their impact — one compelling presentation at a time. Clients get noticed, promoted and paid more by overcoming their reluctance and learning to speak with authenticity and confidence, no matter how big or small their audience. To learn her proven approach to get ready for opportunity now — visit her website..
27 comments
1 Like
Thanks for the resources, Michelle. I definitely have my own speaking style (pretty casual and try to steer clear of slide-deck-heavy presentations). However, I'd like to delve into the resources you listed here because I'm always looking for improvements.
Although I try to steer clear from slidedecks (and never use if I have a live product to demo), it would be nice to see some of the "visually captivating" recommendations #2 might have.
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@dbvickery I think it is awesome you have your own style. It's more engaging to be who we are as presenters then try to conform to someone else's expectation of style. Speaking style is unique to ever person!
I'd highly recommend the Duarte site. Her book Slideology is great for inspiration. I'd also recommend Garr Reynolds "Presentation Zen". Great visuals to inspire PowerPoint decks .
@MartinaMcGowan @12most excellent presentations tips love Brene Brown so natural and engaging
Thanks for including Voice Pro's blog Michelle! We're glad you like what we have to share.
I'm also a big fan of TED especially the more offbeat presentations like Improv Everywhere can brighten your day and get you thinking.
You're welcome Scott!
I can spend an entire day watching TED talks. You never know what gems you will find!
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@Michelle_Mazur Thanks for the mention, Michelle. I'm honored to have Six Minutes mentioned.
@PegFitzpatrick @mikekmcclure Thank you. I'm actually on vacation. Although you might not notice!
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What a refreshing topic - I only wished my old boss, famous for 50 slide PowerPoint Presentations that he painstakingly read to us, knew these resources :)
Thank you Amy! I know a lot of bosses who could use some presentation training. Those who read presentations to the audience are just painful.
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@westfallonline Thank you so much, Chris! I appreciate that. It's a wonderful list for me to use when I go back to class. CC @Michelle_Mazur
@ChattyProf Thanks Ellen! I need to do another list on communication blogs in general.
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Wow, what a great list of resources! I'm a huge fan of Lois Creamer - she seems to be a real thought-leader in this space, and she got a huge amount of traction at NSA in Indianapolis this year. Although her book doesn't exactly address the topic of public speaking, communications professor Ellen Bremen (@chattyprof) is an excellent resource for communication skills. Thanks for posting this information, Michelle - I look forward to diving in to each of the sites you've listed!
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@westfallonline Hi Chris! I really enjoy Lois's blog - I aspire to be a speaker and she has a ton of useful information if someone is going that route! I totally agree on @chattyprof as well. I recommend Ellen's book to my friends who teach college.
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