Best Speech

Chris Norton has developed a speaking career telling his inspirational story of injury and resiliency. He talks with Mike about giving the same speech over and over, but maintaining presence with his audience, even when they're virtual. Chris Norton ( @chrisanorton16 ) is an inspirational public speaker and the founder of the Chris Norton Foundation . He co-wrote a memoir with his wife titled The...

Charli talks to Mike about her initial fear of public speaking and how becoming a YouTube star helped her overcome that fear. She shares tips about how to script a speech, how to design better slides for a speech and a story about how attending a conference changed her life. Charli Marie Prangley is a YouTuber with over 200,000 subscribers, the design lead for ConvertKit, and a public speaker. You...

Josh Shipp and Mike spend the hour discussing Josh's vast experience as a public speaker since he was 17 years old. Josh gave a moving TED talk a few years ago, and he and Mike walk through all the steps Josh uses to get from nothing to memorized to presenting. Josh Shipp ( @joshshipp ) is a speaker and an author. You can watch his main keynote speech and hear his very moving, personal history. Yo...

Jodie Cook talks with Mike about her public speaking journey from doing weekly 60-second self promos as a 22-year-old to her TedX Talk and her experiences as a surprise special guest speaker. They also talk about her method for "learning the route" of her speech and she tells a story about her experiences selling coffee mugs. Her charity donation goes to Kauffman Foundation . Jodie Cook is a write...

Koula Callahan was one of the key message makers at Story Brand, and now she's an independent branding consultant. She's also an Enneagram 9 (The Peacemaker) who struggles with conflict in daily life, but when she gets on stage, she's presenting a strong point of view. How does she change her mentality to present with authority? Koula Callahan can be found on Instagram at @koulacal , and her chari...

Mike talks to Joshua Becker of Becoming Minimalist about a story Joshua tells frequently in many different contexts, and why it always lands. They also discuss the use of statistics in establishing credibility and finally Joshua tells us a story that Mike can't get out of his mind. Joshua Becker is a speaker, author and blogger at Becoming Minimalist . He is also the co-founder of The Hope Effect...

Geomyra Pollard is a  life and business coach ( geomyra.com )who talks with Mike about her experience being coached by him for a major workshop opportunity. Follow her at @iamlivingwellrounded Mike Pacchione is a  public speaking coach who helps individual and corporate clients improve their speaking and storytelling skills. He can be found at bestspeech.co or @mpacc .  

In every episode of the Best Speech podcast, the guest shares a personalized public speaking tip. For the final episode of Season 2, this is a compilation of all those tips. As Mike says in the episode, just four or five of these tips could transform your public speaking career! Hear tips from: Grant Baldwin of The Speaker Lab Ally Fallon of Find Your Voice Jelani Memory of a kid's book about... M...

This episode is the second anthology of the stories shared during Season 2. Chase Reeves talks about advice from his wife's midwife that inspires him to this day.  Gary Ware tells the story of how and why he threw himself into play therapy. Marli Williams shares about her first paid public speaking opportunity and the lesson she learned from it. Marc Megna recounts the time he made a big play and...

Michelle's very personal 15-minute speech at the Showit United conference starts this week's episode, followed by a conversation with Mike about the things she enjoys and dreads about public speaking. Michelle Harris ( @MHarris_Studios ) is a  DC-based wedding photographer who was named Rangefinder's 2021 Creator of the Year . She leads a community of creators called "hustlers" in a private Facebo...

Vanessa gave a five-minute speech at the United conference put on by Showit. Mike helped coach her through the preparation phase, so you'll hear about some of the advice he gave her, then hear the speech itself to see if she used his tips.   Vanessa Kynes is a Pinterest consultant and educator, helping creative small businesses craft traffic-generating Pinterest marketing strategies. She can be fo...

Davey Jones takes Mike on the journey of taking a very successful 20-minute speech and shrinking it down for a 10-minute spot at the United Showit conference, including the final product! Davey Jones is a marketer and content strategist. He’s co-founded two agencies: Davey & Krista , a brand and website design agency, and the Till Agency , a paid advertising agency.  Since building his first busin...

Mike spoke at his first on-stage event in nearly two years in November 2021 at the United conference put on by Showit, and he takes the audience along for the ride.  Mike Pacchione is a public speaking consultant who can be hired for personal or group coaching at bestspeech.co . Sign up for his weekly-ish email and get free speaking tips.

Vik started her public speaking career with "The Incident" in which she didn'ht manage to get a single word out. She takes Mike step-by-step through the process she followed to become a confident and well-regarded speaker.  Vik Harrison is the co-founder of charity: water  and is now a non-profit coach specializing in marketing and branding at Mission Critical . She is on Instagram at @vikharrison...

Former professional football player Marc Megna talks with Mike about his public speaking journey from anxiety to giving his favorite speech on mere moments' notice. Marc shares one of his best stories about playing for coach Bill Belichick.  Marc Megna played professional football for seven years and now co-owns Anatomy Fitness in Miami . He has a podcast Megna Method , a memoir Dream Big, Never Q...

Mike talks with one of his recent speaking clients, Neel Dhingra, about Neel's journey from "I suck at speaking" to doing a keynote in front of 1,500 people. Neel came to Mike through a Pat Flynn video. (Mike was also one of Pat Flynn's favorite podcast guests of 2021 for their conversation about storytelling .) Neel Dhingra is a real estate and mortgage expert with a major online presence at Neel...

Marli and Mike talk about Marli's particular blend of facilitation and public speaking, her experiences with engaging people even virtually, and her very first paid speaking engagement...in Dubai. Marli William s is a coach, a presenter, an educator and a "joy instigator." She can be found at her website, MarliWilliams.com , and on social media @MarliWilliams . Mike Pacchione is a speaking coach f...

Mike and Gary talk about the innovative idea of bringing play into our work lives. They talk about how someone who is very high energy, like Gary, transitioned to online presentations, and how Gary wins over the skeptic in the room. Finally, Mike almost gets Gary kicked out of the Magicians' Alliance by asking him to explain a magic trick. Gary Ware is a Play Consultant for Breakthrough Play , whe...

YouTube and product reviewer Chase Reeves talks with Mike about his public speaking career, including his process for producing online video content. Chase can be found on his YouTube channel, chasereeves and his website Matterful . Chase can also be found on social media at chasewreeves . Mike Pacchione is a public speaking coach at BestSpeech.co where he can be hired for individual or group coac...

Mike recalls all the stories that past guests have shared on the Best Speech Podcast. Hear stories from: Grant Baldwin of The Speaker Lab (1:01) Ally Fallon of Find Your Voice (4:45) Jelani Memory of a kids book about... (9:36) Maya Elious of Built to Impact (15:43) Donald Miller of StoryBrand (18:16) James Clear , author of Atomic Habits (21:13) Courtney Carver of Be More with Less (24:05) Domini...

Ian and Mike talk about the Enneagram, a personality typing system about our unconscious motivations, and the speaking experiences and lessons that Ian has learned during the hundreds of times he has presented the Enneagram. Ian Morgan Cron is a teacher, author, presenter and Episcopal priest. He can be found at IanMorganCron.com and his work is at TypologyInstitute.com . Ian's newest book, The St...

Paige Griffith, aka The Legal Paige (@thelegalpaige), talks with Mike about her public speaking career, including how her history of speech and debate made her the speaker she is today and what she wishes she'd learned earlier about public speaking. She also shares with Mike about the best feeling she's ever had on stage, and tells us a story about the big chance she missed. Mike Pacchione (@mpacc...

Justin and Mike talk about Justin's speaking career as a fundraiser for non-profits and his battle to manage a stutter as a public speaker. Justin Zoradi can be found on Instagram at @justinzoradi and @givingfuel , and his book Made for These Times can be purchased at Justin's website: justinzoradi.com . Mike Pacchione is at bestspeech.co where you can sign up for his weekly email and get a free g...

Dom Quartuccio is a public speaker specializing in helping men do the inner work that will help them succeed in their relationships, both professional and personal. He transitioned from a high-flying career in sales to public speaking full-time. He has two books, Design Your Future and On Purpose Leadership , and a podcast, The Great Man Within . Mike and Dom went to college together, so they talk...

After Courtney Carver was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she set out on a mission to radically simplify her life. Now she shares about that journey and the principles that transformed her life through her writing and public speaking. She and Mike talk about how she prepares for speaking, how she handles Q&A, and how she stays present with people who wait to see her after her talks. Courtney is...