Authentalk’s Advice
What I learned in the Land of Song
A trip to my grandmother’s mining town reminded me that storytelling is about where we came from and who remembers.
There’s no such thing as a “10-minute speech”
Great speeches aren’t long performances—they’re short segments, stacked.
Storytellers, the future needs us
Without human storytellers to shape and share it, data gets lost, misread, or ignored.
Lessons from losing ballots
UCLA Mock Trial is undefeated this season—and still, one judge hated us.
The four types of speech stories
Whether you’re coaching a TED Talk or writing for Toastmasters, nearly every winning speech fits one of four narrative arcs: Evolve, Persist, Illuminate, or Connect.
What should have Zelenskyy said?
In a critical Oval Office moment, Ukraine’s president didn’t adapt to his true audience. What should he have said?
How a national champion coach gets better at giving feedback
After 1,600 championships, I still worry about giving the right feedback. So I fed transcripts of my sessions into AI and asked: what’s actually helping students?
Public speaking lessons from Portugal
On a recent trip to Lisbon, six execs were given two hours to pitch a coffee product to real stakeholders. Three minutes later, those stakeholders wanted to hire us.
How can I be a better speech coach?
Learn the hard rules of coaching that actually change how people speak, perform, and win.