One idea a week to help you teach and present with more clarity, confidence, and calm. No fluff. No scripts. Just practical tools that land.
You’re moving on too soon
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You’ve seen it happen. Just as your brain is catching up - just as you’re about to get it - click The slide vanishes. Replaced by the next one. And the moment is gone. 💡 ONE IDEA WELLHere’s the trap: We click when we’re done speaking. But the audience isn’t done thinking. We’ve rehearsed the message. They’re hearing it for the first time. And just when they’re starting to process it… we move on. But meaning takes a moment. Holding the slide a few beats longer - even after you’ve stopped speaking - gives people space to absorb it. 🧰 LESS MESS, MORE MESSAGEDon’t rush your ideas off stage. You’ve lived with your talk for days - weeks, even. But for the audience, this moment is brand new. They need time to catch up. So try this: Pause on your final slide beat. Let it land. Count—one… two… three - before you click. Let the words echo. Let the image do its job. Let silence do its job. Silence isn’t awkward. It’s generous. It says: “This matters. Take your time.” The best slide might not be your next one. It might be the one you already showed - just held long enough to be remembered. 🧭 ASK YOURSELF THISAre you clicking forward because you’re finished -
or because your audience is?
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TEACHING ISN’T A SCRIPT. NEITHER IS THIS.
One idea a week to help you teach and present with more clarity, confidence, and calm. No fluff. No scripts. Just practical tools that land.
Ever sit through a talk that starts with a mystery — and ends without solving it? It’s like watching a movie that opens on a gun resting on a desk. You notice it. You wait for it. But the payoff never comes. 💡 ONE IDEA WELL Chekhov’s Gun is a simple rule of storytelling: If you show the audience a gun in Act I, you’d better fire it by Act III. In your talk, the “gun” might be a provocative question, a compelling stat, or a case that promises a twist. And if you don’t circle back? You leave...
A few weeks ago, I was invited to run a workshop on public speaking. Along with the invitation came a slide template - the official university-branded deck. You know the kind: big logos, gradient backgrounds, clip-art flair. This was the opening slide they asked me to use: I get it. It's well-intentioned. There’s an event logo. There's my name. There's even a helpful purple mist. But I didn’t use it. Here’s what I used instead: Why? Because your first slide isn’t just a title card. It’s a...
Ever watched a talk and thought:“This is flawless. And I feel… nothing.” That’s the curse of overpolish. Style without soul. Technique without tension. Connection - lost in the cadence. 💡 ONE IDEA WELL The three most-watched TED Talks of all time? Sir Ken Robinson – Do Schools Kill Creativity? Amy Cuddy – Your Body Language May Shape Who You Are Simon Sinek – How Great Leaders Inspire Action They’ve been watched over 200 million times between them. They’re polished. Structured. Well-lit. And...