Author: Donn King

Speaking when you don’t feel like it

Audience members expect certain things of any speaker. One of those common expectations is that the speaker will show up! Sometimes, that can be the biggest challenge.

Writers have it easier in this respect. You have no way of knowing, for instance, that there was a three-hour gap between my writing the first paragraph and writing this paragraph, except that I just told you. The gap was there because I wasn’t feeling well, and just didn’t feel like writing this post at that moment. Writers have deadlines, but once an article is delivered the time a reader connects is very flexible.

It’s a little different for speakers, obviously. Continue reading →

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How habits get made

Have you ever wondered how you got yourself into a situation?

I don’t watch a lot of TV, and certainly not a lot of reality TV, but I often pick up on shows my wife watches. I just saw one called “World’s Worst Tenants.” This particular episode involved a woman who brought what she thought was a miniature horse into a room in the house she rented to take care of it.

Over time, as it turns out, it became obvious it wasn’t a miniature. Continue reading →

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Why Darren LaCroix is one of my heroes

I benefit from the shared experience of many professional speakers and writers, and count several as friends. I couldn’t pick one out as being the “most important,” and I’m not attempting here to do so. But today marks the beginning of a series called “My Speaking Heroes” in which I’ll tell you about some of the speakers and writers who have made a difference to me.

Today it struck me why I continue to be impressed by one particular speaker/writer: Darren LaCroix. Continue reading →

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Censorship just boosts message spread

Despite the title, I know that not all censorship boosts communication. Repression and violence coupled with censorship can prevent a message from getting out. Nevertheless, it strikes me that censorship attempts in a free (or at least semi-free) society usually backfire.

Thanks to Learning with ‘e’s for pointing this one out.

A Scottish local authority thought a 9-year-old’s blog was making them look bad, and tried to shut her down. The result: her blog has now registered nearly 4 million hits, which means that a ton more people know how bad the food in her school is than otherwise would have. Continue reading →

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  1. Open government leads to greater happiness
  2. When you open up a channel…
  3. The market as communication tool, and how government garbles the message
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Bonus: Reduce fillers in your speech

Take a look at this article from The Art of Manliness blog. Yes, it’s gender-centric. But the advice is good for anyone, and really is more properly focused toward men. As the article notes, men are much more likely to use filled pauses (ums, uhs, etc.) than women.

So try to look past any perceived bias to the pragmatic explanation of where filled pauses come from and what to do about them. Just read Becoming Well-Spoken: How to Minimize Your Uh’s and Um’s by Brett and Kate McKay (does it help that the co-author is female?).

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  1. Three classes of vocalized pause

Customer service communicates values, part 1

 Actions speak louder

Remember that old saying? Attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson, but probably a simplification of the original, the saying is, “What you do thunders so loudly, I can’t hear what you’re saying.” Lost to history is the origin of the underlying principle, “Actions speak louder than words.” Modern communication scholarship confirms that when behavior and words contradict, we believe the nonverbal communication.

That’s why customer service communicates so clearly. When companies declare how important their customers are, and yet their policies and actions say otherwise, then guess what? Continue reading →

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  1. Customer service communicates values, part 2

Article input sought: Customer service is communication

Bad customer service

Do you have a story you could share with me?

I just got back from doing a presentation at a conference. The conference was just fantastic, and the presentation went well. The only dark spot on the whole trip, in fact, was an experience with the airline that got me thinking about the theme for an upcoming article: customer service is communication.

Readers here sense a frequent theme: you cannot not communicate. The way you treat your customers communicates how you view them. Continue reading →

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Bonus: The Anatomy of Fear

It’s a bit dated at this point, but it’s a great infographic about the anatomy of fear. Public speaking made #9! Enjoy. (Click the image for the original and a larger image.)

Halloween Infographic
Sortable Anatomy of Fear Infographic

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