Articles by Andrew Dlugan:

Two years ago, the very first article was published here on Six Minutes.

Since then, we’ve added 172 more, all of which are available free in the article archives.

Today, we celebrate the best articles of Six Minutes as determined by you, the reader. We list reader favorites in the major Six Minutes categories, from speechwriting to speech critiques, from visual aids to speaker resources.

It has been a pleasure sharing these articles with you. Thank you for your readership, and thank you for all of your emails with great suggestions and feedback.

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You know that the start of your presentation is critical to grab attention. [You did read Peter Jeff’s recent article with 5 ways to start your speech, right?]

But do you know how to develop a mindset that will enable you to devise effective speech openings?

Carmen Taran’s Better Beginnings: How to capture your audience in 30 seconds is a one-of-a-kind book entirely dedicated to helping you master this critical speaking skill.

This article is the latest of a series of public speaking book reviews here on Six Minutes.

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To mark the 85th anniversary of the world’s leading organization devoted to communications, we recently asked Six Minutes readers to share their stories of growth through Toastmasters.

Question: How has Toastmasters made a difference in your life?

We received a flood of testimonials, and are pleased to share several of them below.

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On Saturdays, we survey the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere.

This review features topics including:

• tools for presenting with Twitter;
• pauses to highlight key statements;
• better bullet points;
• Pecha Kucha;
• confidence and charisma;
• gender differences;
• speaking on a panel; and
• energy zappers to avoid.

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October 22, 2009 is the 85th anniversary of Toastmasters International.

Since that first meeting in the basement of the YMCA in California, hundreds of thousands of people around the world have become more effective communicators, more effective leaders, and more effective citizens.

Are you one of them? Please share your story!

Be Featured on Six Minutes

Six Minutes is looking for personal stories of success through Toastmasters. We’ll compile the best responses and feature them in a future article.

Question: How has Toastmasters made a difference in your life?

Maybe your career was boosted by superior presentation skills? Maybe your extra confidence helped you achieve your goals? Maybe your relationships improved thanks to better communication?

Please share your story, whether it be short or long, personal or public. Include your name, location, and (if relevant) your occupation.

Update: Responses have been compiled here.

On Saturdays, we survey the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere.

This review includes:

• new public speaking books;
• focusing on a single idea;
• limiting the amount of information presented;
• using statistics in a speech;
• the phony speaker’s smile;
• research about bullet slides;
• choosing slide colors; and
• gender issues in public speaking.

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On Saturdays, we survey the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere.

This review features topics including:

• 3-step humor formula;
• how to give an acceptance speech;
• reading a speech;
• chairing a session;
• presenting with visuals;
• public speaking fear;
• introducing a speaker;
• how much to charge for speaking; and
• marketing yourself as a speaker.

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Some speaking sins, like the occasional “ah” or “um”, will not doom your presentation. With good content, you can earn forgiveness from the audience for those sins.

Other speaking sins are so grave that when you commit them, your speech or presentation is certain to fail. This article reveals the seven deadly sins of public speaking.

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When I’m looking for books to read, the only thing more convincing than a single recommendation from a colleague or friend is multiple recommendations for the same book from colleagues and friends.

Earlier, we published book testimonials from individual Six Minutes readers.

In this article, we list the most popular public speaking books and gear being read by the Six Minutes community — people just like you with an avid interest in speaking effectively.

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On Saturdays, we survey the best public speaking articles from throughout the public speaking blogosphere.

This review features topics including:

• tips for speechwriting research;
• audience engagement;
• connecting with a large group;
• stepping in front of the projector;
• charting techniques; and
• the problem with a lack of honesty from your audience.

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Garr Reynolds, Nancy Duarte, and Cliff Atkinson are the authors of three hugely popular books on presentation design in the last five years.

What else do all three have in common? They all point to Richard E Mayer’s Multimedia Learning as recommended reading for presentation design.

And I agree.

This article is the latest of a series of public speaking book reviews here on Six Minutes.

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