CTL 2016 – “Strengths Finder” on Public Speaking

I just spent 2 days at the Career Thought Leaders Conference in Denver and presented alongside a talented group of business owners. When I was in the audience, I was able to engage in one of my favorite activities: Watching speakers, and finding their strengths. The speaker lineup was excellent overall. Here’s a rundown of 5 elements that mark excellence in public speaking, and who displayed them in spades at CTL 2016. Presence: Vaneese Johnson, The Boldness Coach, has a presence most professionals strive for years to achieve. It’s a natural gift, and she comes to the stage with a strong voice,…

The Art of Storytelling

Join us at Liberty Common High School this Saturday, March 5th from 9am-12pm for the First Annual Spring Colloquium! We’ve lined up 20 presentations on a wide variety of subjects including black holes, the Thirty Years’ War, the history of the color red, and I’ll be speaking on the art of storytelling at 11:15 a.m. Don’t miss it! See www.libertycommon.org/spring for location, speaker bios and talk summaries. Cindy Skalicky, M.A.: The Ageless Art of Storytelling LCHS parent and owner of On Point Communications, LLC, Cindy Skalicky will analyze the art and function of storytelling. Using one of her On Point coaching tools, she…

Hide Your Title Slide

Giving a Power Point soon? Try this: Don’t display the title slide as individuals enter the room – leave the screen blank. Instead, greet those taking their seats, welcome them with a smile. When it’s time to begin your talk, move a little closer to the audience if space allows. Keep that title slide hidden. Start with just you. Give a brief, general explanation of your presentation objectives. Itching to start that slide show? Hold on. Resist the temptation to take the focus off yourself for just one more moment. Maybe there’s time to tell a short, related story. Wrap it up and…

Testimonials

“Cindy: You know what, empathic emotion does sell. I would have been all numbers. I learned a big lesson. Thank you so much.”

2017 Go Code Colorado finalist

You are a wonderful presenter Cindy! I have taken so much from your presentation at the conference. I noticed when you speak, you at times lowered your volume in a way where we still heard you, but it PULLED the audience in, as if you were confiding in us.

Your vocal variety was lovely, (as well as your content, of course!). The advice to gather your stories from your past and weave them into your presentations is spot on.

Julie Roberts, Linked In profile writer|Coach

“Cindy, I’m in your Career Thought Leaders Conference session right now and you’re absolutely delivering on what you promised when we first met! I’m so excited to keep making progress in developing my brand story.”

Mashaal Ahmed|DC Career Coach

“Last year, I reached out to Cindy to help me with a sales deck I use frequently. I learned how to personalize my presentation in an authentic and informative way, making it more interesting to deliver and for my audience to observe! Cindy was professional, enthusiastic, and knowledgeable and her suggestions were spot on. If you want to enhance your communication skills, gain confidence in speaking, and improve overall delivery, I definitely recommend working with On Point!”

Nicole Steed, Global Account Manager | Helms Briscoe

When you meet Cindy, you can’t help but feel engaged and pay attention. She clearly is an outstanding communications professional. The way she took the stage, conveyed her message and shared her approach to storytelling at the recent conference was mesmerizing.

Cindy made me rethink my approach to storytelling that I had used in my client work for many years. Cindy’s workshop alone made my trip to Denver worthwhile.

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