Tag Archive for: speechwriting

The Power of Storytelling: Lessons from the TED Stage

When Sheryl Sandberg read a draft of her TED talk to her husband — a talk that would become the best-selling book Lean In — he told her that while the facts where all there, he wasn’t being drawn in. She wisely scrapped it. Rather than opening with stats, Sheryl decided to begin with a story: She’s […]

How to Win Over Your Audience in 7 Seconds

Do you know the most important part of your talk? The first 7 seconds. I know, this is the shockingly small grace period… and most speakers waste it with what I call throat-clearing—thank yous to the person who invited them to speak, sharing their job title, or—my personal pet peeve—asking the audience if they’re excited […]