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”).
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Erik Fisher is the producer and host of the Beyond The To-Do List Podcast for over 11 years. Erik has talked with productivity experts as they share how they implement productivity strategies in their personal and professional lives. His mission is to explore all aspects of productivity as a means towards the true end goal: living a meaningful life.
