I. Thou shalt not simply trot out thy usual schtick.

II. Thou shalt dream a great dream, or show forth a wondrous new thing, or share something thou hast never shared before.

III. Thou shalt reveal thy curiosity and thy passion.

IV. Thou shalt tell a story.

V. Thou shalt freely comment on the utterances of other speakers for the sake of blessed connection and exquisite controversy.

VI.Thou shalt not flaunt thine ego. Be thou vulnerable. Speak of thy failure as well as thy success.

VII. Thou shalt not sell from the stage.

VIII. Thou shalt remember all the while: laughter is good.

IX. Thou shalt not read thy speech.

X. Thou shalt not steal the time of them that follow thee.

I. Have passion about your talk and show it.

II. Evoke emotional about your ideas.

III. Be memorable.

IV. Remember the value of 3 ... there are three acts to every talk.

V. Help people visualize your ideas.

VI. Practice .... practice .... practice ... and then practice some more.

VII. Don't talk at people, make it conversational.

VIII. Inspire your audience.

IX. Eliminate jargon words.

X. Practice some more (Mr. Donius suggests practicing 20 hours for an 18 minute presentation.)

I. Know your stuff.

II. Know your audience.

III. Know your venue.

IV. Know the strengths and weaknesses of your group.

V. Choose your images wisely.

VI. KISS.

VII. Proofread, damn it (and don't swear).

VIII. Don't read.

IX. Keep to your allotted time.

X. Practice so that it looks easy.

*These originally appeared in Dr. Quigley's presentation to UMSL MindTrex. They are used with permission.