How to END a speech with power and impact
The universe has no end but you need to end a speech well if you want people to remember your message. 6 steps to capture your audience and end a…
How to write a speech in only 15 minutes
Parkinsons’s Law controls how you write a speech. I know it controls how I write a speech. When I ignore it’s power, productivity bleeds out of me, soaking the floor under…
How does the Vivid Method simplify Public Speaking?
It’s a revolutionary method that dissolves mental interference (caused by information overload and normal speaking nerves), so you can think clearly, manage anxiety and speak persuasively. It gives you: It removes…
The ‘Hot Tub Ski Lodge’ marketing message
One of the most enjoyable marketing messages I’ve worked on focused on a huge, old wooden hot tub, high on the snow covered mountains of Falls Creek.I love to ski…
Drugs for public speaking fear: Should I take Beta Blockers?
Beta blockers are a class of drugs for anxiety that block the action of adrenaline in the body. Therefore the physical symptoms of the stress response are reduced. I’m often asked…
Professional sports message: If you’re good enough, you’re old enough
Messaging underpins success in all professional sport. In European football (soccer), Sir Matt Busby, who managed Manchester United to great success between 1945 and 1971, crafted many timeless messages. His…
Great speeches – David Morrison ‘The standard you walk past…’
The leadership message is clear in this David Morrison’s speech. “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. If that does not suit you then get out.” It’s recognised…
David Morrison Speech Transcript: The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.
Here is the transcript of the David Morrison Speech – the highlight is his message: “The standard you walk past is the standard you accept”. This leadership speech is delivered by…
CEO Magazine interviews Cam Barber on Messaging and Public Speaking
“The Power of Messaging” Communicate your business message in the most memorable way by learning the tools of effective public speaking.By Skye Hoklas, CEO Magazine, September 2015. Public speaking is…
Why a Persuasive Explanation is the best cure for addiction
I’ve never been a smoker, but some family and friends have.Most have stopped (or want to). No ‘quit’ method seems to work for everyone, however, the most successful method stands…
Steve Jobs: Chunk Structure helps engage Stanford audience
What is the value of speech structure? On June 12, 2005, Steve Jobs spoke to 23,000 people at the Stanford University stadium. He received a standing ovation, but what made…
Steve Jobs’ Top 5 Leadership Messages
Great leaders, like Steve Jobs, are associated with memorable leadership messages.This is no coincidence! Vivid messages help position people as great leaders. Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Anita Roddick, Steve Waugh, Richard Branson, Bill Clinton and Janine…
How Steve Jobs’ messaging changed the world
Messaging was Steve Jobs’ secret weapon in helping Apple products change the world. There is no doubt he transformed the world of music, computers and animation. In fact, he motivated people…
Release the anxiety for effortless public speaking
We can gain some insights from the work of F.M. Alexander. One hundred years ago Alexander developed a technique to use our bodies more effectively yet with less effort. Forcing…
The Power of the Pause in public speaking
I paused to speak with a friend this week, a legend in radio, who shared with me what Graham Kennedy believed was his secret to success in connecting with an…
10 Reasons You’ll Improve Your Next Presentation By Using The ‘B’ Key
Business Insider interviewed me last week on the best way to avoid ‘death by PowerPoint’ and improve public speaking and presentation skills. I talked about the simplest and most powerful…
How to develop poise as a Speaker
Poise is a lovely word. It implies ‘calm’, ‘balance’ and ‘assuredness’ and it underpins powerful delivery skills. Most speakers don’t have poise because they don’t fully understand the (normal) anxiety that comes…
Finding poise: do you shrink under pressure?
In a previous article, I talked about a condition known as over-efforting, where we use far more energy than is required for a particular activity. This is quite common in…
The 4 communication barriers & how to overcome them
If we fail to overcome the inherent communication barriers, our experience and intelligence are wasted. Genius has no value if it can’t be communicated clearly. Objective thinking is needed to…
Speech Outline template download – free PDF
The Vivid Speech Outline template will help you prepare a speech or presentation in half the time. You can download this tool as an editable Speech Outline template PDF. The Speech Outline…
The best leadership speech: Are you ready to lead?
Last week a client aggressively urged me to watch ‘the best leadership speech ever’. He’s a pretty good leader himself, with a world class creative team of over 100 people. I watched…
Speech outline example: Steve Jobs Stanford address
How does Steve Jobs plan a speech? The structure of Steve Jobs speeches varied depending on his goals for the communication event. But he always had 2 things; a clear…
Can you translate information to a vivid message? (if not, the sharks will die)
Great communicators can translate information into vivid messages. They have the skills to assess a situation and translate the information in ways that a particular audience can relate to. Technical…
Book titles with a vivid message. Top 50 examples 1-10
A vivid message opens a window in the mind for more information.Great book titles capture interest in just a few words and draw you in to open the book and read…
Great Movie Speeches in 2 minutes (8 examples)
Movie speeches are a great opportunity see how much impact you can have in a short space of time. I watched ‘Fair Game‘ last night (with Sean Penn and Naomi…
4 ways to start a speech strongly
The most important thing to start a speech or presentation is to make it clear to the audience where you are taking them. Think about a typical person in your…
Nelson Mandela’s Top 5 Leadership Messages
Great leaders, like Nelson Mandela, are associated with great leadership messages.This is no coincidence. A leadership message helps position people as great leaders. Gandhi, Anita Roddick, Steve Jobs, Steve Waugh,…
How to avoid a presentation meltdown
Michael Bay, one of hollywood’s hottest directors (eg: Transformers movies) and worth $400 million, had a public speaking meltdown yesterday and abruptly walked off stage mid presentation. It started with Bay…
Vivid Presentation Skills 1-day Course, in-house
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Vivid Presentation Skills – In House training
“Everyone thought the training was awesome.”– Co-founder, Seek Ltd. “Great presentation course. Loved the fresh approach.”– CEO, Boost Juice. “It’s a brilliant program that’s incredibly simple.”– Head of development, Sensis In house training…
A short speech – create a 3 minute speech that rocks
I’m in the Charles Pearson Theatre at the University of Melbourne, watching 12 short speeches. It’s a 3 minute speech competition called the 3 minute Thesis. These annual, 3 minute speech competitions challenge…
Gandhi’s Top 5 Leadership Messages
Great leaders, like Gandhi, are associated with great leadership messages.This is no coincidence. Vivid messages help position people as great leaders. Richard Branson, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Anita…
Ashton Kutcher speech uses Steve Jobs’ Structure
I love writing about Steve Jobs and his incredible communication skills. And this Ashton Kutcher speech let’s me do it again. For example, How Steve Jobs’ messaging changed the world,…
Anita Roddick’s Top 5 Leadership Messages
Great leaders like founder of The Body Shop Anita Roddick are associated with great leadership messages.This is no coincidence! Vivid messages help position people as great leaders. Gandhi, Nelson Mandela,…
The first rule of public speaking: F**k the rules
Get your hands out of your pockets! Make a hand gesture every time you state a point! And for God’s sake, don’t forget to pause every seven and a…
#7 Sam Cavanagh “Fans not listeners”
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5913836/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/550031/custom-color/c31f1f” height=”100″ width=”480″ scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] Sam Cavanagh is a thought leader and Executive Producer of the Hamish and Andy radio show…
#6 Amanda Lee – “Is everything in your team aligned?”
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5906122/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/550031/custom-color/c31f1f” height=”100″ width=”480″ scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] Cam interviews Amanda Lee who is the Content Director at Perth radio station 92.9FM. Amanda talks…
#5 Paul Hogan-Australia owes you $5 billion
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5858810/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/550031/custom-color/c31f1f” height=”100″ width=”480″ scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] In 1984 Paul Hogan used his messaging skills to convince 300 million Americans to love Australia…
#4 Annie Stanton- Competing for attention with Hollywood legends
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/5812759/height/100/width/480/thumbnail/yes/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/550031/custom-color/c31f1f” height=”100″ width=”480″ scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] Cam speaks to Annie Stanton, Executive Director at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University…
#3 Steve Jobs’ Stanford Speech uses a chunk structure
The world’s most watched speech is Steve Jobs’ Stanford speech. His message: “Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.” In 2005 Steve Jobs made a low-key speech at Stanford University…
#2 Craig Bruce – Communicating to people vs a studio microphone
Personal Profile: Cam Barber interviews Craig Bruce who started as a radio DJ, and ultimately became Head of Content at SCA, overseeing 78 radio shows including…
On leadership: Is excellence a dirty word? (with Steve Waugh)
Leaders love the word ‘excellence’. It’s used to set high standards and encourage a team to greatness. But is it overused? (Hint: Yes!). Could it even point people in the wrong direction?…
Steve Waugh’s Top 5 Leadership Messages
** This article was recently published on Business Insider. Great leaders, like legendary cricket captain Steve Waugh, are associated with great leadership messages. This is no coincidence. Vivid messages help position people…
How to make a ‘save’. Update on Michael Bay meltdown
Wow. I’ve had a lot of questions on Michael Bay’s public speaking meltdown at CES and the article I wrote about it. It’s painful to watch because many of us…
Cam Barber Public Speaking interview on ‘Big Marketing’
Here’s how Tim Reid opens the interview: Cam Barber developed The Vivid Method to help you overcome the fear of public speaking. And thank God! I mean who doesn’t (you…
Create a Persuasive Message in 2 steps
We all need to be persuasive. We need a vivid message to convey the true value of our idea or it will be lost to the world. I coached a…
How to use PowerPoint to Force Attention
Have you ever seen a bad PowerPoint presentation? (Have you ever made one?!) Think about how you use PowerPoint. It can be used to engage, to annoy, to inform or…
Prezi versus PowerPoint for presentation visuals
Have you heard of Prezi? Sometimes called the ‘zooming’ presentation software, Prezi is an online program you can use to create presentations that are considered more dynamic than PowerPoint because of…
Team building and team motivation with vivid messages
Team building can be achieved by developing focused, inspirational messages. It’s amazing how much impact these words can have on team motivation. I’ve written before about the importance of strong…
From sportsperson to sports media
The sports media industry is growing rapidly and sports jobs are increasing in this area. Are you ready to transition from the field to the microphone? Picture the scene for the sportsperson……
How to be persuasive when speaking
The origin of the word hints at how to be persuasive. The latin ‘persuasivus‘ is about being ‘convinced by reasoning’. So even though emotion plays an important part, our focus…
Hawks testimonials for Cam Barber (from Captain, Coach, CEO)
Hawthorn Football Club have used the Vivid Method for Public Speaking and Media Training since 2007. AFL clubs get an incredible amount of media scrutiny and the Hawks are very effective in managing…
Persuasive Speaking – Admit a negative point
Persuasive speaking techniques can be very simple. And effortlessly make a business presentation more engaging. Everybody has made mistakes, failed to achieve goals and been disappointed. So when you admit…
Communication Coaching: Using standup comedy for book publicity
Amy Doering is releasing a book and wanted book publicity and media promotion. We decided on a unique approach; we would create a 5 minute standup comedy routine using the…
Public Speaking Anxiety Evaporates with Clarity
Public Speaking anxiety is directly linked to the amount of uncertainty we feel. The key is dealing with the cause speaking anxiety (uncertainty), not the symptoms (anxiety)! Why do we feel…
Public Speaking Anxiety: Choose fear or fun
Public speaking anxiety can be dissolved. You can CHOOSE the way adrenaline affects you when public speaking. Could public speaking anxiety be fun? Psychologist Stanley Schacter has conducted experiments…
Media Training
Stay in control and get your message across. Vivid Media Training ensures you make the most of media situations – from media releases to interviews (over the phone, face-to-face or…
Facilitation Training for Business Meetings and Workshops
How to Organise and Facilitate Meetings and Workshops 1-day meeting and Facilitation training course Customised for 6-18 people Involves practice role plays Expert coaching to give participants certainty and direction,…
‘First Impression’ Myth when public speaking
You must have heard this one. Your first impression is everything and people form their lasting opinion of your presentation in the first 30 seconds’ (or 8 seconds depending on who…
Crazy over public speaking gestures for 70 years
Found this old film from the 1940s that runs through the ‘basics’ of effective public speaking. It’s absolute rubbish, but very funny, with an over-emphasis on body posture and forced gestures…
Quick tip: Use memory hooks
Think of the listener’s mind as a smooth marble ball. When you speak, most ideas slide off. Your audience may be ‘aware’ of what you are saying, but the information…
How much to tell the media? (AFL football example)
There was an interesting comparison of media management at the recent Hawks v Western Bulldogs match at the MCG. The Bulldogs President (Smorgan) and the Hawks President (Kennett) were sitting…
Quick tip: Ask (rhetorical) questions of your audience
Why ask questions? (like this one). Because they provoke the mind of your listener. Asking questions during a presentation forces the audience to mentally participate. We use the term ‘rhetorical question’…
The Daily Show: The power of Chunking
The July 28 episode of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart had author Peter Tomsen talking about his 900 page(!) book “The Wars of Afghanistan”. Throughout, he summarized his key points…
The trend to better quality explanations
February 24th, 2011 was a significant day. Until then, much of the content found via a Google search was low quality fluff produced by ‘Content Farms’, purely to get higher rankings…
PowerPoint blows up Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off July 8 on the final flight of the shuttle program. A video of the launch here. Seeing a Space Shuttle in the news reminds me of the TWO…
Get a method! Public speaking rules stop you thinking
There is a big focus on public speaking rules. The ‘Dos and Don’ts’ – a list of things you should always do to be successful. And a (typically long) list of thing…
Distorted message: “It’s not about winning”
There is a big difference between a distorted message and true message. I recently went to a school sports day for 6 to 10 year olds. The teacher introducing the event made…
Natural Style: Vital secret from ‘The King’s Speech’
King George in the movie ‘The King’s Speech‘ was naturally left-handed, yet forced to use his right hand at a young age. His speech therapist, Australian Lionel Logue, explains that this is…
Confused about public speaking nerves? (you’re not alone)
Confusion creates fertile ground for anxiety, so it’s important to understand how public speaking nerves work. You might recognise parts of this conversation with a successful and confident senior manager. It’s…
Goldilocks communication: Just the right amount of information
In the story ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, Goldilocks made sure everything was juuust right – what she ate (not too hot or too cold), the chairs she sat on…
3 quick tips: Presentation visuals
1. Lights Up Avoid turning the lights down during a presentation. If your visual support requires a darkened room, ensure it’s not long enough for them to take a nap!…
Focus on the gaps, not just your words
I recently attended a conference where two of the speakers raced through their talk without pausing. It was so exhausting. And their ideas seemed less important with the speaker racing…
$100 million habit: Janine Allis keeps it simple and solves problems
I’m a fan of Janine Allis. A recent article in The Age outlines her story and secret to success with Boost Juice (250 stores, $130 million turnover). In a nutshell:…
Give the media a good ‘story’ – they’ll promote it for you!
Media training should start with an understanding of what every journalist wants: a good story. Let’s take a look at an example from Apple – who are masters at providing…
Is the internet making us stupid? (Book review)
Nicholas Carr has written a book called ‘The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains‘ where he argues that our dependence on the internet may have a dark…
Happy New Year!
The view from this year’s Christmas present…
Useless advice and business presentations
Have you been given any useless advice about public speaking and presentations skills? Check out this discussion between ‘Mr Rules’ and Jennifer as she prepares for a big Presentation in…
The lost art of the Speech Outline
When preparing for important communication, most people miss the crucial step – the speech outline. They start thinking about what their speech, document or PowerPoint slides should look like and…
A wicked message: how to make sure your message gets results (part 2)
In the last post, we defined the difference between a wicked message (which requires more mental effort on the part of the listener) and a tame message (which is clear…
Wicked messages: getting people to take action (part 1)
A few years ago, a Systems Engineer at USC Berkeley wanted to understand how we could put a man on the moon, yet couldn’t do things that seemed straightforward –…
Understand the Stress Response: Skate park vs public speaking
I like to rollerblade and thought the skate park would be fun. Here’s what I learned… Firstly, the straight ramps are very different to the curved ramps. After 15 minutes…
FAQ: How do I answer questions briefly?
Q: “How can I answer questions more briefly at the end of my presentation? During the Q & A session of a major presentation I answered questions to death!” A:…
Steve Jobs’ iPad: not such a vivid message
As promised at the end of my last post, ‘Steve Jobs– structure helps engage’, here are the reasons I think Steve Jobs missed his message with the launch of the…
Don’t try too hard. Less effort, better speaking results
Over-efforting is an interesting principle. Many of us have been taught the ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy but, in many situations, the more pressure we apply, the more resistance we…
Public Speaking: how to stop racing through presentations
Q: “How do I stop racing through presentations? I always find myself rushing. What’s the best way to pace myself?” This is a common thing when public speaking. The…