Bill McGowan, author of Speak Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience, shares practical ways to make your ideas stick—on stage, on Zoom, and in any high-stakes moment. We get into dynamic delivery, smarter structure, and memorable language devices you can use immediately.
In this conversation, we discuss:
- Dial it up (a bit): Why what feels “over the top” on video usually plays just right.
- Story over stats: Using Francis Ford Coppola’s “three best things” idea to craft stronger openings and closings.
- Primacy & recency: Designing beginnings and endings people actually remember (and skipping the dreaded agenda slide).
- Cliffhangers > previews: Start with something engaging—don’t promise you’ll be engaging later.
- Slow beats filler: How pacing reduces “uh/you know” and helps you choose better words.
- Slides with a point: Lead each slide with a clear statement of value; know your closing line before you advance.
- Be your own brutal editor: Cut 25% from emails and presentations to boost clarity and punch.
- Levity, not jokes: Use a light touch to build trust and retention; avoid risky stand-up and overdone self-deprecation.
- Seven memorable devices (highlights): Analogy/metaphor, “creative labels” (e.g., the “toothbrush test”), mirror pairs, original definitions, simple equations/ratios, and smart cliché twists (“survival of the quickest”).
Links & resources:
- Book: Speak Memorably: The Art of Captivating an Audience — Bill McGowan
- Connect with Bill on LinkedIn
Connect with Erik:
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