In this episode, I tackle a question from a listener: How can I share serious stories while keeping my presentation positive and NOT losing the audience? So I tested out an answer: drawing from my personal experiences crafting a powerful story about navigating the American healthcare system around my own health challenges (see what I mean? SERIOUS!), I share three key strategies to create emotional balance in your talks and keep it light, engaging, and inspiring no matter the content area you...

In this episode of "Memorable Public Speaking and Storytelling," Colin shares a personal experience from a recent storytelling event where everything seemed to go wrong—yet the crowd loved it. Drawing lessons from that night, Colin reveals two powerful tips for any speaker: 1) Pay close attention to your environment—it can fuel your connection with the audience. 2) Embrace imperfection—allow yourself to make mistakes. Through a hilarious story about running with the bulls (or not), Colin...

In this episode we dive into the art of using humor effectively in your presentations. Humor can turn a dry, forgettable talk into something memorable and engaging, but it’s a tool that requires balance. Colin walks you through why humor is such a powerful connection tool, how to craft jokes and funny stories, and—most importantly—how to avoid offending your audience. We’ll cover practical tips on testing humor, steering clear of disrespectful jokes, and even a bonus tip on getting audience...

🎤 **Feeling Nervous About Networking? You're Not Alone!** At its core, networking is about making that first connection and seeing if there's a vibe, mutual interest, or curiosity. But what if you don't feel confident? What if you're in your head about it? 🤔 Here's a truth: everyone feels awkward sometimes. I've been the confident networker and the one wanting to go home. Recently I found a way to go from nervous-wallflower to networker-extraordinaire. Here's a story about an initial...

You will never more of your audience's attention than you do in the first 30 seconds. There are all kinds of fun and creative things you can do to hook them immediately, keep them engaged, and get them to say Yes. Unfortunately, the real-life tips in this video things are NOT intuitive, NO ONE does them automatically, and they take a little bit of creativity. The great news? They WILL increase your rate of success in pitches, presentations and conversations with clients.The Golden Window...

A true story to remind you that we’re all pretending! Key Ideas: What will be your next “15 feet of courage?” Public speaking is not about being perfect, it’s about creating a connection with your audience. The skill of connection belongs in our work, on our teams, in our relationships and in our relationship with ourselves. Next time you speak, don’t focus on getting every word right. Focus on understanding your audience and saying something that will create a genuine connection...

Did you know that MOST people are used to NEVER being listened to. There's a reason for this: most of us never took a class or training on HOW to listen well. Well I took a 2-day listening training, and I'll sum it up for you in a few minutes (saving you a lot of time, you're welcome!)As you become a better listener, your world and your career opens up in a really remarkable ways, you learn a lot more, and you make other people feel amazing so then they listen better...

For me, doing stand-up comedy 10 years was a great tool to be a better communicator. And it also taught me a trick that's great for you to help boost your confidence. I call it "open mic-ing." Whether the thing that's intimidating you is public speaking, speaking up in meetings, raising your profile, or recording yourself on video to send with emails, this trick will help you get more comfortable FAST! This will help you say yes to more speaking opportunities, even when it feels scary. And...

Did you know that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a deep struggle with depression and suicidal tendencies throughout his life? I did not. I want to share this with you, including an amazing clip from his final speech, and share what I've learned about how our mental health challenges make us better leaders and public speakers! From the episode: "As a leader, in your life there are people who you lead, people who you serve, people who you love; those people need all parts of you. Not just...

I've loved movies since I was a kid, and loved recapping them others who haven't seen them yet. It's where I first learned how to be a storyteller! And how I learned 2 keys to telling good stories: know your audience and pick one scene not the whole thing! Stories engage your audience because you're being real with them and we all love stories. But stories also engage you in what you're saying because you're no longer being "business-y" or overly polished - you're just being yourself and...

From Colin -- I've been a fan of Diana Kander ever since I read All In Startup back in 2014. Her latest book is all about pitching and presenting, and she actually charts out the proven flow of a pitch that is surprising, memorable and gets you the deal. This book taps into so many thing I consult with leaders on, I had to have her on to share Diana and her book with you! ---------Notes: ~5:00 The Mug Moment! ~7:00 The Forgetting Curve “Our research revealed that within an hour the...

The first 30 seconds of your speech are the only chance you have to truly grab and maintain your audience's attention. This is based on a concept by Diana Kander and Tucker Trotter's concept "The Golden Window." Which they write about in the upcoming book Go Big Or Go Home. I'm always committed to showing you EXACTLY what to say, so I'll give you a perfect example: how we recently made an investor pitch for a trash/recycling container ENGAGING and FUNNY. If we can do that on that dry a...

A Conversation with America's Joy Magnet, seasoned TEDx speaker and Media Appearance Coach... Shari Alyse! “I got off the stage after my second TED talk, and I beelined it for the ladies restroom. After like 30 seconds of crying, I exhaled, and I literally put my arms around myself and I said, ‘I’m so proud of you. Not only did you do it, but you can show up for any challenge in your life.’ And the learning experience for me there was find joy in the process, the creation and the actually...

You're about to learn one of my favorite $10.00 words/phrases: Choice Architecture. This is the overlooked key to inspiring, motivating, and influencing your people to take action. Whether it's your team, an individual, a potential client or partner, this will definitely help you like it's helped me! ------------ Do you have a speech coming up that you want to do a GREAT job with and leave a lasting impression as a result? (And you'd much prefer that to being, let's be honest,...

Think about the bad listeners in your life. Picturing them? **If you can't picture one, it's you ;) Now think about the good listeners in your life. They have your respect, your appreciation, your trust. They have influence! They lead through their ability to listen! Here is a fun way to be one of those influential listeners in someone else's life. There is no better feeling than when someone takes the time to truly listen to us.

I get it - public speaking is uncomfortable. But have you ever turned down speaking opportunities you know would be good for you to take? It might be because you've put that audience on a pedestal. No matter how impressive or intimidating the people in your audience are, they shouldn't be on a pedestal. They don't belong there! Here is: a funny story about a shirt that doesn't fit, and a great exercise to calm your nerves and speak more effectively.

Happy new year! Welcome to hustle month, where we refocus on getting our message out there and showing up in-person and online for our people. Is there something you want to share in a talk or post on social media but your inner critic / perfectionist / impostor is getting in your way? I was coaching a comedian turned speaker who is create his story-rich, humorous mental health keynote, when we came up with this amazing this amazing mental trick for dealing with a negative self-talk. He...

When I did a training for 13 peer financial counselors (students who provide financial counseling through one-on-one sessions and workshop presentations), I sent them a pre-training survey and almost every single student shared some version of "ENGAGING the audience is my biggest public speaking challenge right now." Here's a great way to do it - use humor. It'll engage your listeners. It'll enhance your message. And it's so much easier than you think! Here is a simple trick to weave...

Lynn had 10 minutes to speak during a 3-day learning and development conference for her entire faculty at her school. It was a tiny window in order to recruit the faculty to be MAVENS who recommended students utilize her financial literacy resources. Any speaking opportunity has high stakes because being forgotten is a huge missed opportunity. So how do you stand out, be memorable, and convince your listeners so effectively that they utilize your solution AND recommend it to others? By...

She was 4'9", she spoke 5 languages, and she was my grandma! And she taught me two lessons that have shaped me both as a person and as a speaker. These two lessons will show you, like they have for me, how to become a far more confident and compelling communicator and relationship-builder. You will love these 2 hilarious stories (with a bit of heart thrown in there too)! I hope you enjoy getting to know Edmay Henwood! ------------------------------ Are you asked to speak and give...

What if you dreamed of speaking in front of people, but found your voice shook so badly you couldn't get the words out even in a Zoom meeting? What if you had a vision of impact, a powerful message to share and a business ready to scale, but you were blocked by the knowledge you'd have to speak in public? When I met Michele several years ago, she was courageously told me of the extent this fear was interfering with her career. After working with her and collaborating on a plan for how...

As a leader, as an expert, telling a story about a mistake, a disaster, a glorious miscalculation on your part actually makes you seem more confident, not less. Not only that, it's going to create trust in your team and audience that leads to greater interaction in the room and a safer and more creative atmosphere. In other words, it will create the exact kind of open communication that so critical to leadership and conveying a message that gets results. But ONLY if you use this one...

Joe Fingerhut is a friend, a fellow speaker, and a unicycle-riding Japanese-speaking juggling motivational speaking Renaissance man. Joe shares: What's it like speaking in front of 3,000 people. What he tells himself the moment before he goes on stage. The inspiration for, and evolution of, his popular and inspiring "How Can I?" message. How all leaders and speakers can use their spotlight to shine it on others. Learn more about Joe at JoeFingerhut.com

Here is an incredibly valuable communication lesson for content experts and leaders.... that I learned from my hilarious and sarcastic my mother-in-law!, her Alexa, and Kevin Costner. This came in a moment of inspiration, and I had to share this with you, which is why it's recorded on my iPhone!