Every day people walk in your doors for reasons that have nothing to do with your subject.  (They might even just want your air conditioning!) But, helping a less-engaged audience find that meaning isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach.

If one of your resolutions is to reach more people and you see lots of school and family groups, interpreting ‘like a Looney’ might be your answer!

Speak to the kid in everyone while engaging the grown-ups they become.

Medusa may have felt justified in turning people to stone after being wronged by both Poseidon and Athena. Did that make her justified or simply cruel? Where would you place her—victim or monster? Similarly, where are we still reducing complex people and situations to “good” or “bad” for simplicity’s sake?

Today’s new audiences want more than a lecture, they want your programs to be actively engaging. They look for interaction, immersion and involvement.  Already working towards this? Look for these four signs to know you are NAILING IT!

In Answers Unwrapped I take questions I've had in class and bring the answers back to 'the full room' of newsletter and blog readers. 

It’s time to replace the heroes and villains in our stories with portrayals of those same people in their messy, nuanced, complexity.

Having a flexible voice that responds dynamically to the stories you tell will infuse every talk you give with more interest.  If you take the time to actually train your voice, it’s like hitting the gym before running a marathon.

Despite your well designed program and cheerful manner, you see glazed looks in the eyes of audience members and realize that they have checked out.  Does that mean you should give up your public speaking and take up pet grooming?  NO!  It might mean you’re succeeding.

Sometimes we fall in love with the stories we tell, and it can be hard to let them go. Sometimes, we get asked to set a story free to be told by someone else, someone with greater authority to tell it.

Some years ago I was stunned to learn that my company spent as much to attract each new client as I’d spend on my new car!  Considering the investment your organization is making, whatever it is, you want to make the most of that investment by ensuring that every program you craft does at least one of three things.

Have you ever experienced a speaker with the dreaded "Ferris Bueller's Teacher Syndrome"? You know the one. Bueller? Bueller?

You don't ever, ever, want to be Ferris Bueller's teacher.  Not when coaching your staff, presenting to your guests, or communicating with any audience anywhere, any time. 

…I was struck by a line from the president, Laura L. Lott. "Let’s be hopeful and energized for a new horizon. But let's also be deliberate in building what's next."

In the Dr. Seuss tale, Horton the elephant agrees to sit on an egg so that Maisy the bird can take a break. A task that proves to be harder than Horton anticipated. But he sticks with it because he said he would. Horton knew that keeping that egg warm was important, as was keeping faith and honoring his own integrity.

Engaging storytelling speaks to the listener and connects to their own emotions, personal experiences, and modern concerns.   Here are a few tips that will get you started transforming information into entertaining, engaging, and memorable stories.