Five Tips To Becoming a Better Public Speaker

Have I told you how much I love Catalyst Ranch? It's a wildly creative space, so outrageous you might think I designed it! If you're looking for a location for your next meeting or seminar or retreat or party...and you want a place that will stimulate your creative juices, check out the Ranch.
A couple weeks ago I did my presentation Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Shtick!TM there and it was awesome. That presentation is on how to become a better speaker, and Lauren Smith wrote about it on Catalyst Ranch's blog. Check it out...I couldn't have said it better myself!

5 Presentation Tips I Learned From Mikki by Lauren Smith
She’s motivational, charming, sensational, inspirational, humorous and, she gave her latest presentation at Catalyst Ranch wearing a skirt made out of balloons. Really, the whole thing! I’ve seen a lot of wacky stuff in my time here but a balloon dress was a first. Mikki Williams is a lady with eclectic tastes and she has channeled her flamboyant style and infectious energy into award winning presentations. This summer, Mikki was inducted into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame, an achievement attained by fewer than 1% of all professional speakers. Catalyst Ranch is very lucky to have Mikki Williams present not one, but three of her signature presentations. Last week I attended “Speak Loudly and Carry a Big Shtick!” and learned many new tricks that I will incorporate into my next presentation.
READ THE TEST OF THE ARTICLE

Speaker Hall of Fame: The Thrill of a Lifetime!

Last week I received the greatest honor of my career: I was inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame at my National Speakers Association Convention in Philadelphia.

You probably don't know what that is so here's a little explanation:
In February 1977, National Speakers Association (NSA) established the Council of Peers Award for Excellence Speaker Hall of Fame to honor professional speakers who have reached the top echelon of platform excellence.
To date, only 196 men and women have been inducted into the CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame, including Zig Ziglar, Ronald Reagan and Norman Vincent Peale.
Each candidate must excel in seven categories: material, style, experience, delivery, image, professionalism and communication. 
See why I'm so excited? It's the top honor in my industry and I am thrilled beyond words.
So now I am: Mikki Williams, CSP, CPAE!
Not to brag, but fewer than 1% of all professional speakers hold both of those designations.
Yay!!
Thank you, thank you to my fellow speakers for this awesome honor!

He Who Laughts... Lasts | Video

At  NSA this year there were eight of us who did a short comedy routine called Whose Cliché Is It Anyway? Very funny.

Here's the list of clichés we had to incorporate into our presentation:
Think outside the box

Check up from the neck up

We become what we think about

Awaken the giant within

You’ve got to be hungry

Build a bigger pie

Think and grow rich

We didn't have to use the phrase exactly, just the general wording.
Check it out: