It happens every once in a while. And the truth is, it’s frustrating. Conflicting. I’m in the audience, watching a presentation, and everything is going great. The speaker is high energy, knowledgeable, loud enough (thank you!), speaks slowly enough, and even involves the audience. It’s clear that significant time went into rehearsing the talk. Then…
DetailsWhen the 2008 recession hit, small business owners had to start thinking differently. Big budgets were rewritten. Marketing plans revised. Avenues for growth re-evaluated. In some cases, company mission and vision statements changed. As noted in this recent article, Ft. Collins author Harrison Hand was one such business owner, and he did think differently. He…
DetailsIn the last 3 posts, we’ve pondered the speaker (author), the audience, and how to craft your message (or text). If you’ve read those, congratulations! You’ve just completed a crash course in Rhetorical Criticism. These 3 components are the essence of Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle. “Sounds intriguing, but what kind of triangle is that?” Well, it’s a triangle we all use every day. Let’s…
DetailsIn the two previous posts, we’ve looked at tips for “When you’re the speaker” and “When you’re the audience”. Today we explore the 3rd and final component of the rhetorical (persuasive) triangle – the message. A great speech has a lot in common with a great symphony. The words on the page to a speaker…
Details[This is a companion to an earlier post, “When You’re the Speaker.”] Usually, when I sit in the audience and listen to a presentation, there’s a lot going on among audience members. This week was an exception. On Wednesday, I attended the CSU Collegiate Challenge (think mini Shark Tank). The speakers had a nice…
Details