Speak for Yourself
Claire Duffy's blog about public speaking and communication (in real life). Speak well, do well!
Lovely Voices: Your Grandma, the voice of contentment
This is an edited extract from a post on http://egsforbreakfast.com/. The fact that I had not read Winnie the Pooh is an indictment of everyone who has known me up … Continue reading
It’s not write to attack Kate
“WRITER Hilary Mantel went from comparative obscurity to public enemy No1 last week. It wasn’t an unguarded Facebook post, an ill-judged tweet or even a spur-of-the-moment insult. It was a … Continue reading
Oscar speeches by numbers
Rebecca Rolfe, a Georgia Institute of Technology masters student, has analyzed 60 years of Academy Awards speeches as part of a research project on, wait for it, gratitude. Her findings have been … Continue reading
The science of convincing others to say “yes”
In 1984, Robert Cialdini, Regents’ Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University published “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.” It’s a classic that every good communicator should read. Cialdini … Continue reading
What DID Abraham Lincoln’s Voice Sound Like ?
Re-creating the voice of someone you’ve never heard must be pretty daunting. Daniel Day Lewis’s light squeak in the role of Abe Lincoln has not made all movie goers happy, though … Continue reading
The Big Finish, or how to end a speech with oomph.
We know that the audience’s attention is highest at the start of a speech, so you need to get their attention then, and keep it. Here is where you use … Continue reading
Lovely Voices: David Attenborough, natural wonder.
David Attenborough’s conspiratorial whisper has made him the most trusted person in Britain, according to a recent Readers’ Digest poll. Attenborough is a magician. He entrances and intrigues us. Fuelled by … Continue reading
Advice for teachers: Look after your voice
If you were a professional violinist would you start each day by giving the instrument a good whack? Would you leave it out in the sun, use it when you … Continue reading
“Liar Liar… ” Ten ways to spot one
Hello everyone, time for more Tall Tales by Big Names. Lying in public, misuse of power, cheating and wrongdoing are headlines once again. Catch up here on Lance Armstrong, whose … Continue reading
I’m Jo and I’m an introvert. Here’s my speaking story.
So here’s the thing: you have been working seriously in your chosen profession for over 20 years. You have some credibility: diplomas, degrees, served on committees, taught, organised, managed…all that … Continue reading
Lovely Voices: David Tennant, pitch perfect.
If you know David Tennant from his smash hit role as Doctor Who you may not be aware that his real voice is clipped and Scottish. There’s even a gag exploiting … Continue reading
How to say Sorry. Properly.
Like the five stages of grief, the disgrace of a public figure has a trajectory. Being caught leads to outrage, silence, dismissal, denial, and finally (if they can’t avoid it) … Continue reading
And now a word from Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster excited a storm of comment with her acceptance (or coming out, or right to privacy) speech at the Golden Globes. An award ceremony is normally an occasion for … Continue reading
Why reading aloud is back in fashion
There seems to be an epidemic in public at the moment, of people who read from their notes, never look up, stumble over words, speak in a flat monotone or in a … Continue reading
