by Zoe M. McCarthy | Jan 21, 2016 | Speaking
“Your goal should not be to ‘deliver a presentation.’ It should be to inspire your audience, to move them, and to encourage them to dream bigger.” —Amy Carmine GalloIf I’m going to put my trembling body before an audience, I want to rivet the members with what I...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | Nov 21, 2013 | Writing
“Let’s have some new clichés.” —Samuel Goldwyn People roll their eyes at others who talk in constant clichés. Writers and speakers are told to edit out clichés from their work. So, are these overused phrases, which often hit the nail on the head, not worth the paper...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 30, 2013 | Creating
“The secret to humor is surprise. ” — Aristotle We know humor adds much to engaging an audience. This is true whether our works are art pieces, presentations, dramas, novels, short stories or non-fiction. But we also know humor, unlike other elements in our creative...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 23, 2013 | Leading
“Communicating an idea juxtaposed with its polar opposite creates energy. Moving back and forth between the contradictory poles encourages full engagement from the audience.” —Nancy Duarte You step back from your creative work and, no matter how hard you rationalize...
by Zoe M. McCarthy | May 16, 2013 | Creating
“If people never did silly things, then nothing intelligent would ever get done.” —Ludwig Wittgenstein Tired of staring at a blank screen? Are all your ideas frozen inside your brain? Try this exercise. It’ll thaw your brain cells. 4 Steps to Jumpstart Your Stalled...