When you hear the words “professional speaker,” do they conjure up a particular image in your mind? What exactly does a professional speaker look and sound like? What are some of the traits that successful speakers have in common?

Before we delve into this, let me take you back to 1997. That was the year that Dustin Hoffman was awarded the “Lifetime Achievement Award” at the Golden Globes Award Ceremony. After thanking everyone who helped him during his career, he told a story that has a great deal of relevance to public speaking.

Paraphrasing, the story went something like this:

“When I was doing a promotional tour for ‘The Graduate,’ I found myself flipping the dials in Read More

Have you ever gone to a technical talk or presentation excited about the topic, only to be frustrated by the speaker’s technical jargon and stiff delivery?

If you’re a tax professional, you’ve likely been to more of these presentations than you care to remember (perhaps even reluctantly if you had perilously waited until the eleventh hour to earn your CPE credit).

Let’s face it. Tax is not one of the most enthralling topics to listen to. It does not captivate an audience and draw them to the edge of their seats like the inspirational story of a famous person who overcame adversity in order to achieve success. And when the speaker drones on and on in a monotone voice for what feels like an eternity, you might Read More