It’s that time of year again, when Randy Ford and I sit down and share the best and worst of speaking from the year. We share our own wins and sins, along with those of other speakers. The DNC took place in Chicago, so, of course, we had to pick on the public speakers in our hometown.

According to Forbes, most new year’s resolutions are about self-improvement, whether it’s personal (read more, get healthier, learn a new language…) or professional (learn TikTok, work with a coach, improve my speaking skills so I can get a promotion…)

Unfortunately, we can’t copyedit our speeches as we give them, and we probably won’t be able to deliver presentations in sepia tone until 2028. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t have control over how audience perceive you.