"Presentations should cover no more than three aspects in fifteen minutes." - Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo
People tune out boring coaches.
The Greeks said three factors influenced others - ethos (character), logos (logic), and pathos (emotion). The best talks rely on pathos manifesting as passion. Tell great stories. Paint mental pictures. Engage audiences.
Quality presentations had three prominent qualities - novelty, emotion, and memorable stories.
Be original. Everyone can be more creative, more influential. Business leaders were shocked when they heard that introverts were often the most creative people in the room. They assumed their loudest voice was the smartest. You know the saying, "An empty barrel makes the most noise."
Learn across domains. Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Chuck Daly said, "I'm a salesman." Think how you can sell yourself.
The last song Doug Collins heard before the 1972 Olympic game against Russia? "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted?" He's not a fan. But he could begin a talk with that.
Bring emotion. Big events leave big marks, indelible mental ink. That's literally "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat."
An Athletic Director's parent told me that a parent came to the AD irate about the softball coach. "The coach doesn't know what he's doing." The AD answered, "Well, he's 21-1." The coach stayed as the parent's complained got dismissed.
Be memorable. Geno Auriemma took questions after a UCONN practice. Someone asked, "were you nice because you had an audience?" "No, I was nice because they're babies. If I yell, they think, "Coach hates me.""
Bill Gates gives a lecture on infections.
What leaves the greatest impact on people? Belief. When you hear, "I believe in you" or tell a player, "you're the best player I've ever coached," they never forget that moment.
Style and content both matter.
Use eye contact and an occasional gesture.
Vary our voice. Alter the volume. Alter the pitch. Sometime silence can work.
Add humor. Add graphics. Combine them.
You see the local baseball field and the football field behind it.
The longest homer ever in Melrose helped launch Craig's professional baseball and Hall of Fame career. It landed halfway down the goal post down the left field line. It had a crew of four and a hot meal on it. I served that up. I was part of engineering history.
Know your stuff. Be direct. Be memorable.
Summary:
- Make it original.
- Make it emotional.
- Make it memorable.
Lagniappe. Control the narrative.
This is elite coaching
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) April 2, 2025
“We are trying to play fast when it’s 5 on 5, we can’t do that. We have to manipulate the spacing first”
Really good stuff
He’s a young coach but you can tell he is a non stop student of the game
(Via @NBCSCeltics 🎥)
pic.twitter.com/LI10jfsFhW
Lagniappe 2. Jim Rohn said, "suffer the pain of discipline or the pain of regret."
There are Two Pains in Life
— Greg Berge (@gb1121) March 31, 2025
1. The Pain of Discipline.
- Daily habits
- Get up early
- Energy giver
- Keep your poise
- Positive mindset
- Get your reps in
- Compete each day
- Hold others accountable
OR
2. The Pain of Regret.
You choose.
Lagniappe 3. Can't scout original.
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