August 25, 2018 was a historic day for Toastmasters International! For the past 80 years, Toastmasters has held the annual International Speech Contest which culminates in the World Championship of Public of Speaking. For the first time in the organization’s 94-year history, three women emerged as the cream of the crop, finishing in the top…
Stories have the power to move people in many ways. That emotional connection can be increased exponentially when you have clearly defined characters, who provide their own perspective of what’s happening in your story. They may not be the MAIN character, but they can play a significant role in unleashing the power of the…
For more than 25 years, I’ve enjoyed telling stories, but all my life I’ve enjoyed hearing them, from many people all over the world. Stories give us the glorious opportunity to connect with people of different cultures and backgrounds, and also to expose them them to both the differences and the similarities of our life…
Ever notice how seemingly gifted speakers make it look so easy? How do they do that? What if you could? THEY WEREN’T BORN WITH IT; THEY LEARNED IT! Most speakers take the stage, but they don’t own it. They don’t keep their audiences on the edge of their seats, leaning on their every word. They…
Some years ago, I received a disturbing private message from a fellow speaker ‘Sam’, in another country. They were attending a weekend seminar by a very prominent, highly paid professional speaker, but they admitted that they were inclined to leave immediately. When I asked “Why?” they said, “I can’t believe this person just told Val’s…
Each year, during the week before Easter, thousands of high school athletes compete in the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships (better known as Champs) in my hometown of Kingston, Jamaica. ‘Champs’ is the biggest track and field event involving high school students anywhere in the world, and the event…
Thoughts shared with the Hindu Business Line during my recent visit to Chennai, India. https://bloncampus.thehindubusinessline.com/hangout-at-bloc/to-be-a-good-speaker-begin-by-being-a-good-listener/article9990437.ece Mark L Brown World Champion of Public Speaking MAKE THIS AN OUTSTANDING DAY!
Several years ago, to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, I wanted to do something different for my wife Andrea. So instead of leaning on the good folks at Hallmark…which many men do…I decided to MAKE her a greeting card. Now this was 15 years ago, before the days of ‘saying it on Facebook.’ With great…
In 1992 I worked as an IT professional for a New York bank that was being absorbed by another financial institution. My responsibilities involved preparing account files for conversion, testing the conversion process, and providing test files to the receiving bank prior to final conversion. The project was on a strict timetable, and I was…
Recently, after speaking at a high school, I met with students and faculty to talk about conflict resolution. One young man suggested a debate, and the administrator IMMEDIATELY responded. “No! No debates; we can arrange a DISCUSSION.” He made me think about the impact of our word selection…in presentations, and conversations. As a professional communicator…
“Oh! You’re a MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER!” That’s often the response that I get when I tell people that I speak professionally. To be honest, I cringe inwardly because I’m not enamored of the term ‘motivational speaker’…and here’s why: I can’t motivate a soul. Sure…I’ve often WANTED to motivate a few individuals…especially my children, but I’m convinced…
Over the past 20 years, I’ve noticed that more and more, individuals have their heads buried in their mobile devices, even while in the company of others. On one occasion, I snapped a photo of the 9 other passengers who were with me on a rental car shuttle, and they were completely unaware because they…