Visually Speaking

If you want your message to have the most impact on the greatest number of people then you must match your message to what is most basic to your audience. One way to achieve this is through the use of CONFLICT, because people have some type of “conflict” in everyday life. Read more… →

Once upon a time… a speaker claimed it was difficult to get an audience excited about information simply because the content was so boring. Content is never boring — people are boring. A boring presenter delivers boring details. While there are a number of ways to bring content to life, the most obvious method is to smile. You can choose from any of the three kinds of smiles: outside, inside, and in-depth. Read more… →

Tom Mucciolo is interviewed by Mark Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications on Ragan TV. This is part of a series (see the “Interviews” category). This clip features a discussion of how to be more effective on camera. Read more… →

Using our research-based assessment tools, which measure the effectiveness of presenters, there appears to be a significant drop in quality when even highly rated “live” speakers deliver online content, specifically webinars, where the venue is limited to voice-over driven content. Read more… →

Part of the challenge of interaction is guiding your audience into asking the right question at the right time. While you may be able to anticipate possible questions, based on prior experience with the topic, you really can’t predict which people will ask what, when. But, you can increase your chances if you use a strategy of forced choice.  Read more… →

The DEPTH of your space is the most critical element to consider when positioning yourself in front of an audience. The only dimension that adds value is depth. Height and width are accepted instantly, but depth perception requires concentration and therefore creates an enduring effect. Read more… →

Certain color combinations may pose a problem for some people, particularly men. Some studies show that nearly 15% of men have a red/green deficiency. Other research suggests that close to 22% of men have some form of this deficiency. Read more… →

Having a typographical error, or typo, on a slide is not only embarrassing but distracting as well. Although some audiences may tolerate minor speaking blunders, very few, if any, will forgive spelling errors. Yes, we all make mistakes, but first impressions of printed errors leave many viewers unhappy. Read more… →

When you have related elements in the foreground of a chart, arrange them in a darker-to-lighter pattern from the bottom of the chart, upward. This “Earth-to-Sky” pattern is the way we view color naturally; that is, from the earth to the sky. Read more… →

The common belief is that when interacting with someone, you should always make as much eye contact as possible. This is true when you are LISTENING. You would like to appear 100% attentive, so making eye contact with the person is critical. But what about when you are SPEAKING? Read more… →