Speaking

Here’s the thing: most speeches suck.

It’s not just the stiff delivery, the asbence of context and the crippling dependence on Power Point that can bring a captive audience to its knees.

It’s the fact that most speeches are immediately forgotten.

Instead of delivering contextual information, asking challenging questions and spurring an audience to action, most speeches exist solely to fill the gaps between rounds of applause.  Yes, there may be sound bites, but considering how much sound is being generated, you’d think an audience deserves more than just bites.

So let’s fix that.

What I Speak About

Since 2006, I’ve spoken around the world on numerous media-related topics, including:

• Social Media 101 (Creative Alliance – Baltimore, MD 2010)
• 10 Things No One Else Will Tell You About Social Media (PCPGH4 – 2009)
• How social media changes the world (Mensa Annual Gathering ’09 – Pittsburgh, PA)
• Twitter for business (Business Smart Tools Conference – Stamford, CT 2009)
• Defending your online reputation (The Art Institute of Pittsburgh – 2009)
• Blog comments: the good, the bad & the trolls (Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 – 2008)
• How to avoid “podfading” and blog burnout (Podcamp Pittsburgh 3 – 2008)
• The future of online media (Video on the Net – San Jose, 2007)
• Web video production (Blogference – Tel Aviv, 2007)

Sometimes I provide information people can use.  Other times I pose questions to make the audience think.  And sometimes I rock the boat, just to see what happens.

For example…

10 Things No One Else Will Tell You About Social Media

(Oct 2009 @ PodCamp Pittsburgh 4)

Wit, sarcsasm and insight come standard in every presentation; bad hair is optional.

Do You Need a Speaker?

You’re in luck; I do that.  (And I improvise.)

Customizable presentations include:

10 Things No One Else Will Tell You About Social Media (Today): A sarcastic, irreverent and painfully true account of the ups and downs of a life in social media.  No two presentations are the same because no two days (or audiences) are the same.

Social Media 101: A Crash Course. At its root, social media is simply people talking to people.  Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr…  these are just the modern tools, descended from cave paintings and smoke signals.  It’s nothing you haven’t seen before; you just haven’t seen it move this fast, this far or this wide.  Here’s how it works.

Creating Media That Matters: Anyone can blog, tweet, or post a video to YouTube.  Millions of people do, every day.  But why should anyone care about you?  Being heard is about more than just marketing and promotions; being heard starts with being worth listening to.  And with a few tips, anecdotes and cautionary tales, you’ll be well on your way to relevance.

Managing Feedback ~ The Good, the Bad and the Trolls: If you’re good at what you do, some people will like it.  If you’re really good at what you do, some people will hate it.  But don’t worry; there are plenty of ways you can learn from the positive, embrace the negative and keep the trolls at bay.

Need a speaker for your event? Contact me for pricing and availability.