A Lesson All Leaders Can Learn From JFK’s Inspiration Moon Landing Speech
In a trailer for the highly-anticipated film, First Man, starring Ryan Gosling as astronaut Neil Armstrong, scenes from the movie are shown with no dialogue. Instead, we hear John F. Kennedy’s words from his Moon Shot Speeches delivered to Congress in 1961...
Announcing His Resignation As Instagram’s Co-Founder, Kevin Systrom Aims To Rediscover His Curiosity And Creativity.
Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger have announced their resignation from Facebook, the company that acquired Instagram for $1 billion. "We're planning on taking some time off to explore our curiosity and creativity again. Building new...
These Are The Skills You Need To Thrive In The Future According To A Global AI Expert
Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, has two daughters. One is a fashion designer. The other is a photographer. Instead of following their father into computer science, they followed their heart, passion and skills. Lee...
A Champion’s Mind – Relentless focus is a hallmark of great athletes and great entrepreneurs.
I paused the television screen as Tiger Woods was walking up the 18th-fairway at Sunday's PGA Tour Championship. I called my two daughters over to watch. Since they're gymnasts, I wanted them to see one mental habit that makes Tiger Woods a...
According To Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, These 4 U.S. Presidents Shared This Public-Speaking Skill
Abraham Lincoln didn’t have a TED stage to share his ideas; he used a tree stump instead. But his talks went viral. Farmers and townspeople would ride for miles to hear Lincoln speak. What they loved most about Lincoln was the way he used stories to...
The Art of the Elevator Pitch
Long before your favorite movie made it to a theater near you, it was presented in a pitch meeting. Hollywood screenwriters typically get three to five minutes to propose an idea, but it takes only around 45 seconds for producers to know if they want to invest....
The Magical Number 3 And How It Will Transform Your Next Presentation
Apple shoppers now have three new iPhone models to choose from. The phones come in three sizes and three colors--silver, space gray, and gold. Apple follows the rule of three in product marketing, presentations and branding. It does so...
This Real Elevator Ride Challenge Can Teach You How To Pitch An Idea In 40 Seconds
Mars Mundy’s car broke down shortly after he graduated from law school. And, like many people, he had a frustrating experience with repair shops. Mundy channeled his frustration into building a startup to transform the auto repair industry. He never did...
In-Class Presentations Teach Students To Enjoy And Excel At Public Speaking
During a visit to the United Arab Emirates, I was invited to speak to college students to learn more about how the country is preparing the next generation for a post-oil future. I met with students who were required to present their final projects in a...
Keep Your Audience From Getting Bored. Follow Apple’s Example Of The 10 Minute Rule.
The brain is easily bored. This one fact explains why Apple does what it does in its product launches. A presentation based on the fundamentals of neuroscience includes frequent changes to keep people interested. But how frequent is "frequent" change? The...
This Skill Makes Great Leaders Irresistible According To Google’s Chairman Of The Board
In the forward to John Hennessy’s book, Leading Matters, author Walter Isaacson writes, “There is one leadership skill in this book that I found a bit unexpected but also profound: storytelling.” Storytelling’s influence on Hennessy’s career is, indeed,...
Apple Product Launches Follow These 3 Presentation Tactics Every Time
Steve Jobs transformed presentations into an art form and nowhere is his presentation formula followed as closely as it is at Apple. Chief executive Tim Cook and the other executives who take the stage for this Wednesday's product launch will follow...
This Hurricane Animation Video Went Viral Because It Appeals To Our Ancient Brain
“Pictorial superiority is truly Olympian,” writes molecular biologist John Medina in his bestselling book, Brain Rules. Simply put, if information is presented verbally, people remember about 10% of the information. Include a picture and retention soars to...
Southwest’s People-Focused Mission Motivates Employees And Builds Trust
Tracy's dream had always been to be a flight attendant, and Southwest Airlines made her dream come true. For one flight, she was allowed to greet passengers over the intercom, pass out snacks, and a put a smile on the faces of the passengers. By the end of...
Starbucks’ Howard Schultz Elevated Corporate Storytelling To A New Art Form
Inspiring leaders are great storytellers. Their conversations transport you to another place that goes well beyond the physical attributes of the products they sell. Few corporate leaders have elevated the art of storytelling as much as Howard Schultz. As...
Boost Morale With This Proven And FREE Strategy
When the new head of sales for a large, publicly-traded firm delivered his first all-company address, his 33-minute presentation was interrupted by applause thirty-five times. I had worked with him weeks ahead of time to craft a presentation that would...
Stitch Fix CEO Katrina Lake Shares Elements Of Her Successful Pitch For The $3 Billion Startup
"If your idea can't fit on the back of an envelope, it's rubbish," Richard Branson once said. Crafting a pitch that is simple, concise, and exciting isn't as easy as it sounds. It takes creativity to tell a story that doesn't overwhelm with details but has...
The 400,000 Year Old Practice That Richard Branson Uses To Unleash His Best Ideas
Successful entrepreneurs who make a difference are, in effect, professional storytellers, says Richard Branson. The ability to craft a compelling story behind a product, service, company, or cause has long been one of Branson's great passions....
The Proven Algorithm To Help You Make An Emotional Connection
How can you tell if a person is excited or bored by a movie trailer, a television ad, or a presentation? You can ask them, but their answers might reflect a host of mental biases, or they may simply tell you what they think you want to hear....
Becoming An Astronaut Is 80 Times Harder Than Getting Into Harvard. These Skills Help Set The Chosen Ones Apart.
The movie, Alien, reminded us that in space no one can hear you scream. That's okay because NASA looks for astronauts who communicate effectively when things go wrong--and screaming isn't in the playbook. I titled my new book on persuasion, Five Stars, as...
Separate From The Competition By Being Your Brand’s Chief Storyteller
Walk into one of Ace Hardware’s 5,000 stores and you can buy grills, power tools, paint supplies or thousands of other home improvement products. Walk into a Lowe’s or a Home Depot and you can find products in the same categories. The average consumer who...
This Is The Most Valuable Career Skill College Students Should Learn
I recently received a call from a student entering a top Ivy League business school in the fall. She wanted to thank me for my books and columns, which she said helped her land a spot in the competitive program. Her grades were good, but not great. Her...
Four Tips To Help You Nail Your Next Presentation Or Pitch
We all face pressure. For golfers it might be a three-foot putt to win the tournament, while for entrepreneurs it might be a presentation to win over a new client. Either way, the mental effects are the same--loss of confidence, concentration, sweaty...
Steve Jobs’ Gift To You: The 7 Unbreakable Laws Of Success Roadmap
When Steve Jobs passed away in 2011, the ABC News program 20/20 asked me to share some of the insights I gleaned from writing three books on Jobs and Apple. The seven rules I offered are still relevant today and helped to propel Apple recently to a $1...
The Soft Skill Is The Best Investment Indra Nooyi And Warren Buffett Have Ever Made
After 12 years, PepsiCo’s chief executive is stepping down. Although Indra Nooyi’s impact on the company is well-known—and widely admired—what’s less known is the impact one class had on Nooyi’s career. When Nooyi was enrolled in a master’s program at Yale...
Five Steps To Rehearse Your Talk Like the Best TED Speakers
Every year I teach a class of elite business professionals who are enrolled in an executive education program at Harvard University. They are required to participate in group and individual presentations to graduate. After their presentations are complete,...
3 Presentation Tips From The TED Talk That Has Been Viewed More Than 5 Million Times
Storytelling is the single best tool we have to transfer our ideas to another person. Stories inform, illuminate, and inspire. Best of all, we know how to do it. Storytelling isn't something we do; storytellers are who we are. Nothing will bring your next...
The One Profound Question Steve Jobs Asked That Helped Take Apple From Near Bankruptcy To $1 Trillion
It’s easy to forget that Apple’s path to its $1 trillion valuation was nearly derailed when the company was running out of cash. Steve Jobs asked one profound question that got it back on track. In my keynotes about inspirational leadership, I often show a...
The Eyes Have It: The 4 Best Approaches for Making a First Impression
As a communication specialist, I can tell you how to craft compelling presentations, share powerful stories, and build brand messages. All that work is worthless if you violate one cardinal rule of body language: making eye contact. The art of eye...
7 Presentation Tips That Will Turn Your Presentation Into a Competitive Advantage
Give a great presentation and you're more likely to get promoted, sell products, win customers, engage teams, attract investors, and gain visibility. In other words, presentations are important. But how do you build one that'll work? Based on my 20 years...