Words to Speak by

1. Tell stories about real people doing real things in real places. Don't try to be funny unless you're really skilled at it.
   
   
2. Don't brag. Let some other consultant take credit for saving Harley-Davidson or talk about hobnobbing with Nelson Mandela. Showy name-dropping is an insufferable bummer.
   
   
3. Never read your text. Yawn. Snore.
   
   
4. Don't put a whole bunch of fancy stuff on a slide or overhead, just because PowerPoint lets you.
   
   
5. A certain amount of nervousness can be a good thing; sometimes you can turn it into something that the audience will see as energy.