Dear PitchSmarter: Someone recently said I should try ‘chunking’ to eliminate ‘ums’ and other filler words. What is it, and how do I, um, do it? — Breathless in Bridgewater Dear Breathless: Some presentation coaches find the usual advice — use more pauses, listen for your own filler words — is difficult for some...
Monthly Archives: June 2009
Dear PitchSmarter: Is It Really?
Dear PitchSmarter: A colleague of mine constantly uses the word “really” when making presentations—as in, “We really think this recommendation is the best” or “This picture really engages the readers.” Maybe it’s me, but the repetition is driving me nuts. What should I do? — Really Concerned, New York. Dear Concerned: Any phrase or...
Presenting Digital Creative: Do’s and Don’ts
Ah, for the simplicity of times past. Presenting print creative was easiest of all. We’d just evoke a mental image of the intended audience, then romance the key visual, and talk about how the headline, copy, and tag would lure readers to linger lovingly on the key messages. Broadcast TV was a little trickier....
What Do Clients Really Want?
Sigmund Freud famously (and very sexist-ly) once said, “Despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, I have not been able to answer… the great question that has never been answered: what does a woman want?” Most agency people, however, have puzzled over a far more perplexing great question: What do clients...
