Nick Morgan's Blog, page 2

Why the Hybrid Workplace Doesn’t Work Yet

How’s the hybrid workplace working out?  According to a recent study, published in HBR, “Hybrid Still Isn't Working,” in the July-August 2025 issue, not well.  Meetings are less effective, despite being more frequent.  The wrong people are getting promoted.  The culture of hybrid companies is weaker than in-person ones.  The commitment of workers in general ...

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How to Create a Great Story

Great storytelling is rare and difficult – and it has always been so.  But the challenges are becoming more rather than less formidable.  In our overstimulated age, we are skimmers more and more often, and so those of us who are storytellers have to worry about catching and keeping the attention of our audiences more ...

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How to Close a Speech

In great speechmaking, there’s a received wisdom: “Start strong, end stronger.” People remember the first thing you say, and the last.  If both pack a punch, the speech will be powerful.  Today, I’m focusing on the ending (I’ve posted before about how to begin a speech).   The ending of a speech is the moment when ...

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How to Fake Your Way to Good Cheer

The idea of ‘faking it until you make it’ receives a bad rap in this authentic era.  Better to be real than bogus, goes the current thinking.  But by taking advantage of a bit of brain science, you can trick yourself into thinking that you are more of a superstar than you are yet really ...

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How to Provoke Change – New Approaches

Let’s say you are a leader having to give a speech persuading people to change in some way.  Maybe you need them to leave some old behaviors behind, or address a new market challenge, or launch a new division of your organization in a new locale.  What are all the levers you can use to ...

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Thought Leaders – Need a Creativity Boost? Here’s How

If you’re an expert on African drumming or thought leader in the field of quantum computing, or any other topic as rich and rare as these, chances are you’ve been immersed in your topic for years. You’ve spoken about it, written about it, maybe even taught it. But sometimes, familiarity can be a trap. The ...

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Warming Up vs. Technique: Why Both Matter for a Healthy, Resonant Voice

I welcome Jessica Cooper, our vocal coach, once again to the blog.  Many people think that “warming up the voice” and “doing vocal exercises” are one and the same. However, they serve two distinct (and equally crucial) purposes, and understanding this difference is key to healthy speaking (and singing). Warming Up: Increasing Blood Flow, Releasing ...

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Are You Playful?

A recent study found that playful people are more optimistic, manage life’s stresses better, and derive more joy from life in general, than the rest of us. For me, that immediately raised the question: how can speakers – and leaders – be more playful? We have a deadly epidemic of seriousness—and even gloom—permeating our Western ...

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What Do Audiences Remember, Part 2

Warning:  this blog post contains shocking revelations that may trigger summer camp attendees.  Read at your own risk.  In my blog post last week I asked a trick question:  how much do your audiences remember?  Trick, because I knew the answer, and it wasn’t a treat.  The answer:  tragically little.  And lists don’t help much.  ...

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How Much Do Your Audiences Remember?

Any speaker who has received feedback of any kind from an audience has likely been humbled by how little that audience remembers. Studies of retention (of what we’ve heard) over the years range from 10 to 30 percent – a woefully small number. At best, less than a third of all that carefully prepared content ...

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