Articles tagged: lists

The holiday season is a time of renewing traditions: parties with friends, family, and colleagues; decorating the house, inside and out; and making wishlists and shopping for the items on the lists of those you love.

On Six Minutes, we have a holiday tradition too: a holiday list of gift ideas for speakers, whether that recipient is you, or someone special in your life. In this article, we list speaker gift ideas ranging from tiny stocking stuffers to more tantalizing items. Whether you are a professional speaker or whether speaking is a new hobby, there’s something for everyone.

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The barbecues are ready. The vacations are planned. The schools are squeezing students out.

Summer has arrived.

Lazy summer days and relaxing summer evenings provide some of the best conditions for enjoying a good book, whether educational or frivolous.

What will you be reading? Will a speaking book or two slide into your plans? If you are looking for a great summer read, consider the books below.

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

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If your family is like mine, Christmas fever is starting to strike. Decorations are going up around the neighborhood, and every day brings new ads for holiday sales.

If you are anything like me, your Christmas wish list includes an item or two to feed your speaking hobby or career.

Last year, Six Minutes provided dozens of Christmas ideas for the speaker in your life (or you!). By popular demand, we’re doing it again.

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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.

Please Share With Your Colleagues

Six Minutes has over 4000 subscribers and thousands more read the articles on the website every day. If you know someone who would benefit from Six Minutes, please email this article to them and encourage them to subscribe.

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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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Is this the year you become a more effective speaker?

Is this the year you conquer your fear?

Is this the year you customize every presentation for the audience who will receive it?

Is this the year you worry less about ums and ahs, and worry more about connecting with the audience?

Is this the year you realize its not the quantity of information conveyed, but the quality of how you convey it?

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I am a Bert Decker fan. I subscribe to his blog and learn from him often. I’ve got his books on my wishlist.

But, after reading his “Top Ten Best (and Worst) Communicators of 2008” list, I’m confused — how did he get it wrong?

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Looking for the perfect gift for the public speaker in your life?

Looking for something to add to your own personal wishlist?

Here’s a great list of ideas inspired by emails telling me the gifts that public speakers really want.

Stocking stuffers, moderate, deluxe, and priceless gifts — a comprehensive list with dozens of public speaking gift ideas for you or the public speaker in your life.

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Regardless of industry or job title, all companies seek employees with superior communication skills.

Reading comprehension and writing skills are taught heavily in school. You and your peers may not be equally skilled, but the differences are relatively minor.

Presentation skills, on the other hand, are largely neglected in schools, and few people put effort into developing them. Thus, presentation skills are a primary differentiator among you and your peers. Master your presentation skills, and become the master of your career options.

This article highlights 10 ways your career will improve if you have superior presentation skills. Continue Reading »

The public speaking blogosphere: a large and varied space with fuzzy edges spanning many disciplines. There are public speaking blogs which focus on speech delivery, visual presentation design, speechwriting, humor, personal development, and interpersonal communication. Now, you can subscribe to all of them in seconds. (Find out how at the end of this post.)

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