In Western cultures, we tend to associate eye contact with being given attention and respect. In other parts of the world, however, eye contact means something completely different. While Westerners may feel validated when people make eye contact with them, in other parts of the world, behaviours will be very different. As speakers, we need to revisit our mindsets.
In Western cultures, we tend to associate eye contact with being given attention and respect. In other parts of the world, however, eye contact means…Read more about Different strokes for different folks
Over the years, I’ve found myself analyzing how other speakers deliver their content, and I regularly find myself pointing out mistakes they make with regard…Read more about Acknowledging my dark passenger
When we think about all the ways in which communication could go wrong, it’s easy to feel intimidated. Social media can spread bad reputations like…Read more about Building a business case for inclusive speaking
When a professional communicator offers a follow-up touchpoint, about 10% of audience members will consider buying into it. This can be anything from a simple…Read more about Enter the 40/50/x rule of inclusive speaking
If you don’t connect with your audience with disabilities, you might be missing out on potential clients and income. To improve your inclusive approach to…Read more about Connecting with those who have hearing or cognitive issues
There’s no way for you to tell how many people in your audience might be affected by disabling circumstances, such as colourblindness, dyslexia, attention deficit…Read more about You can never really tell who you shut out
People with disabilities are not the negligible minority we tend to believe they are, as they make up a quarter of any given audience that…Read more about Core principles of inclusive speaking
People with disabilities, invisible or not, are the same people that come to our talks, read our blogs, buy our books, watch our videos, feed…Read more about Are you giving up on some of your audience?
People with disabilities people, the elderly, and anyone marginalized by the way we create, share, and communicate information represent a much bigger market than we…Read more about Inclusion means big bucks and smart business
When professional speakers discuss the needs and expectations of audience members with disabilities, they typically refer to these things as edge cases. If we begin…Read more about Dismissing audience members as edge cases
People are professionally active for much longer than they used to be, and as such, will experience sensory declines while still active in the workplace.…Read more about Don’t leave the ageing workforce behind
If you’re a professional communicator, you’re living up to a promise of something spectacular coming out of the ideas you’re about to share from the…Read more about Present as if you were on a radio show
Colour mindfulness can make perceiving your material easier for the rest of your audience, as well as those who can’t perceive visual information due to…Read more about How colour perception affects the experience
Colourblindness affects a person’s ability to perceive colours, causing them to struggle with distinguishing between colours used in graphs and the legends right next to…Read more about Are colours killing your great ideas?
The iceberg metaphor fits perfectly with the landscape of disabilities and inclusion, where visible disabilities make up a small portion of the total. As professional…Read more about The tip of the inclusive speaking iceberg
With the prevalence of disabilities in the meeting rooms, the question is not whether you’re leaving money on the table by not paying attention to…Read more about Measuring the hidden costs of exclusion
As an expert who monetizes the spoken word, your goal should be to touch the heart and soul of everyone in your audience, including those…Read more about Don’t send them out to Fadeout Town
Whose responsibility is it to ensure that as many audience members as possible are taken into consideration when creating content and planning for the live,…Read more about Avoiding communication breakdowns
When we address our audience, we can prevent fade-outs from happening by being mindful of considerations to actively work towards the inclusion of all of…Read more about One-way ticket to Fadeout Town
If you don’t include people with disabilities and the elderly when communicating your ideas, you are leaving money on the table. Embracing the idea of…Read more about Are you leaving money on the table?