Everybody has a story according to one of my audio programs. But some have better stories than others.

I had the privilege this week of spending time with a young man whose story is unique. His name is Sean Aiken and he’s almost finished with a year-long project in which he has held a different job every week for the past year. Actually, he just completed week 50 as an association executive in Austin, Texas. Next week he “enlists” in the Canadian Air Force and in his concluding week he will be Mayor of his hometown, Port Moody, British Columbia.

I encourage you to read about his grand year-long adventure at OneWeekJob.com. To read about his experience in Austin with my family and me, read his March 20, 2008 blog entry titled Discovering the Land of Associations. If you’re like me, you will be impressed and inspired.

Read all entries in Dave's Raves
Posted Friday, March 21, 2008 | Link to entry

The day following the Clinton-Obama debate in Ohio, several international news services, including Reuters, distributed an article by Toastmaster Magazine Editor Suzanne Frey that featured my commentary and analysis. Also featured in the article are past International Director Ann Hastings and fellow World Champion Lance Miller. Carried by numerous publications around the world, the article, A Slugfest of Speaking Skills: Toastmasters Declare Obama Winner of Debate can be read here.

Read all entries in In The News
Posted Sunday, March 16, 2008 | Link to entry

Which is correct: “The flag is red, white, and blue” or “The flag is red, white and blue”? Actually, both are acceptable. However, as a general practice the recommended business style is to use the comma before “and.” This comes straight from the Gregg Reference Manual, my favorite grammar dispute settler. According to Gregg: “When three or more items are listed in a series and the last item is preceded by and, or, or nor, place a comma before the conjunction.” However, many newspapers and magazines prefer the “non-comma” style, and that is also acceptable. But what is not acceptable is to use both styles intermittently. Pick one style and stick with it. Otherwise, you look careless.

Want to learn more? Consider my two writing seminars: Business Writing in Plain English and Goof-Proof Grammar.

Read all entries in The Written Word
Posted Sunday, March 16, 2008 | Link to entry

Before you speak or write a single word, you must determine what you want your audience to think, feel, or do as a result of your presentation. You may think this is common sense. It is, but it is not common practice. Most speakers skip this critical step, assuming “I know my material. I’ll say it and the audience will hear it; if they hear it, they’ll figure out the message.” Wrong. Your purpose will never be clearer to a listener than it is to you. That’s why I recommend you apply the “business card test.” As noted in a posting below (1-11-2008) you should write on the back of your business card exactly what you want the audience to think, feel, or do as a result of your presentation. Why use the back of a business card? See “The Business Card Test” entry below.

Want to learn more? Consider Connect With Any Audience and my speaking skills seminars Elements of Eloquence and Eight Essentials of Effective Speaking.

Read all entries in The Spoken Word
Posted Saturday, March 15, 2008 | Link to entry

We’ve all been admonished, “Never end a sentence with at.” True, there are times when you definitely should not; but there are also times when you should. It’s common to hear “Where is he at?” That’s simply wrong, but not for the reason most think. You may think it’s because “at” is a preposition and “you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition*.” But that’s not the reason. It’s merely because “at” in the sentence above is a redundancy. “Where is he?” says exactly the same thing, so adding “at” is simply superfluous. And your goal should be to have no unnecessary words. However, there are times when “at” is desirable at the end of a sentence. If you see someone looking at you, snickering, what are you going to say: “What are you laughing at?” Or, would you say “At what are you laughing?” I’d choose “What are you laughing at?” any day.

*If you still believe “you shouldn’t end a sentence with a preposition,” see the entry dated 3-8-2008 below.

Want to learn more? Consider my two writing seminars: Business Writing in Plain English and Goof-Proof Grammar.

Read all entries in The Written Word
Posted Saturday, March 15, 2008 | Link to entry