Donn King Creative

Category: Uncategorized

  • 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. (more…)

  • 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. (more…)

  • 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. (more…)

  • Want to be more confident? Arrive early!

    The Early Bird

    We live in a busy society. No news there. People cut things too close all the time. But if you want to be more confident as a speaker, this is one of the simplest, easiest things you can do: arrive early. This is almost completely within your control. (more…)

  • Customer service communicates values, part 2

    Actions speak louder

    Last week we talked about how customer service (as in actions) communicates a company’s values far better than any fancy slogans, and we gave an example of a business that was doing it right.

    I also promised to talk about a different experience. (more…)

  • 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. (more…)

  • 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?).

  • 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? (more…)

  • 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. (more…)

  • 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