Increase Your Impact as a Speaker and Presenter
November 3rd, 2016
My cabinet minister client was a speechwriter’s dream: She had deep knowledge of, inspirational passion for, and a lifetime of stories relevant to her portfolio. She also had a great sense of humour, and a strong and unique voice, which I could hear in my head as I wrote. Because she was a minister, and […]
read more...Less is more (how your mobile’s stop watch will improve your speaking)
Increase Your Impact as a Speaker and Presenter
September 14th, 2016
Three times in recent weeks, women I know and respect have declared, in conversation or in print, “I’m really good at what I do.” In all cases, I knew them to be stating the truth. And because a part of what Informed Opinions does is remind women of the importance of owning their expertise, I […]
read more...How to rescue yourself from a poor introduction
Effective Communication, Increase Your Impact as a Speaker and Presenter and Master Media Engagement
August 18th, 2016
As professional communicators who advise others on how to improve their ability to connect with audiences, colleague Sarah Neville and I have watched the astonishing ascension of political neophyte and insult-machine Donald Trump with dropped jaws. Here’s our conversation about the lessons to be learned from his fearless communication style, originally published on Huffington Post. SARAH: […]
read more...Trump’s Terrifying Communication Effectiveness
Improve your Writing
August 9th, 2016
“I nearly fell out of my chair,” laughs Janet McLaughlin, recalling her shock upon hearing the Leader of the Opposition publicly quote her in the Ontario legislature. The House was embroiled in a critical debate about funding for autism programs, an issue McLaughlin cares about deeply. That’s when the Assistant Professor of Health Studies at […]
read more...“They read my entire op-ed in the debate!”
Increase Your Impact as a Speaker and Presenter
June 11th, 2016
It’s a challenge that has defeated many experts with decades of professional experience. But in Calgary recently, at Congress 2016, 21 grad students from universities across the country managed to describe complex scientific research in engaging and accessible ways, and to do so in under three minutes each. Lots of speakers – academics included […]
read more...Storytellers demonstrate the engagement power of passion
Master Media Engagement
May 9th, 2016
Chances are, if you’re reading this, you’re in no danger of being characterized as a “rent-a-gob”. That’s the term CBC radio host, Robyn Bresnahan laughingly used last week to describe the expert source who’s willing to talk about anything, regardless of how distant the topic is from his professional background. The women Informed Opinions typically […]
read more...How prepared are you for a live radio or TV interview?
Increase Your Impact as a Speaker and Presenter
April 19th, 2016
For five long minutes, the graphic recorder’s raised right hand was stalled over the paper in front of her, a stunning demonstration of the speaker’s failure to deliver useful content. Although knowledgeable and articulate, the woman at the microphone had already used up half of her allotted time – and she had said absolutely nothing […]
read more...Avoid graphic humiliation: deliver value from your presentation’s first sentence
Improve your Writing
November 10th, 2015
Is it possible to draw attention to egregious sexism, make clear the consequences of rape myths, and place a judge under review in a single op ed? Yes on all counts — as two university law professors demonstrated yesterday. Monday’s Globe and Mail ran a commentary by Elaine Craig (above left, Dalhousie University) and Alice Woolley (above […]
read more...How to leverage 700 words for maximum impact
Effective Communication
August 3rd, 2015
I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been battling my yoga teacher for months. She’s personally warm and professionally competent — but I can’t actually hear her. Especially at the start and end of every class, her soft-spoken voice is barely audible, even when I’m seated front row centre. (I would read her lips, but my […]
read more...Speaking While Female
Improve your Writing
April 5th, 2015
It could be a stressful exercise. But by the time we force our commentary writing workshop participants into allowing others in the room to vote on the engagement capacity of their opening sentences, they’ve already laughed and commiserated enough that the “thumbs down” votes don’t feel personal. And the collective intelligence of the colleagues present invariably serves up a […]
read more...How to engage readers from the first sentence — and repurpose your content, too
