Funny photos really get me going, especially when they're accompanied by witty comments from the presenter.

When I first started speaking for a living almost 30 years ago, I took a public speaking class from Kirk Kilpatrick in Atlanta. I asked him if being funny was important, and he responded by saying, "Only if you want to get paid."

After giving...

Bob Sommers

So, you've been asked to give an acceptance speech on behalf of your organization and you don't know what to say. You do know however, that you want to leave the audience with a presentation that is funny, emotionally moving and memorable. But where do you start? Here are a few tips that will get you through the experience with flying colors. If you would like to see an example of an actual acceptance speech, please watch this video and read on.

YouTube - Bob Sommers - Quality Supplier Award Presentation...

Bob Sommers

I just finished listening to my interview with Paulette Ensign on "How To Write A Tips Booklet." After doing so, I was inspired to apply her tips writing technique to a subject that I'm very familiar with, public speaking.

According to Paulette, the best tips are written by starting the first sentence with a verb and adding no more than two additional...

Bob Sommers

In my first post I discussed the easiest way to overcome the fear of public speaking. In this post I'm going to show you three ways to use a question/answer format to give a dynamic, stress free presentation.

The First Technique
Send members of the audience a pre-program questionnaire and ask them to list their greatest concerns...

Bob Sommers

I've given well over 1,000 paid speeches in my life, and you would think after all of that time I would be much more comfortable standing-up in front of an audience ... and I am. Yes, it's true that a lot of my confidence comes from giving a thousand presentations, but most of is due to my speech preparation. Let me explain.

In the early...

Bob Sommers