"In his book "The Virgin Way," Richard Branson reveals that he loathes speaking in public.

"Ralph Gardner Jr.

"Many people are afraid of public speaking.

"In the past year and a half, I’ve given over 100 keynote speeches and hundreds of presentations, and things have changed dramatically.

Dr.

"Start by writing short, declarative sentences.

"In his fourth book, "American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures in North America," award-winning author Colin Woodard [photo, left] identifies 11 distinct cultures that have historically divided the US.

"When we speak, we have about 60 seconds to capture our audience's attention, establish credibility, orient them to our topic, and motivate them to listen, says Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc.

"I am continuously fascinated by what comes out of people's mouths in the workplace.

Jacquelyn Smith relays the advice of Darlene Price (photo, left).

Helen Coster (photo, left) presents "10 Tips for Better Business Writing.

"When it comes to persuasive communication, if you wander, you are lost.

"Developing an effective presentation is akin to the value chain in business: a series of activities performed to deliver a valuable product or service.

"New research by Dr.

"Having sat through more presentations that we can count and having had to present our own work and ideas throughout the years, we have learnt a lot about what makes you a good presenter and what doesn’t.

"Luckily, there are signs we can look for when trying to detect a lie.

"I normally introduce myself by my first name.

"Asiana Airlines flight 214 crashed upon landing at San Francisco International Airport on June 6, 2013.

"Facial expressions are a universal language of emotion, instantly conveying happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and much more.

First Round Review reports on the work of IDEO and their Project Lead, Nicole Kahn (photo, left).

According to Drake Baer, "Within moments of meeting people, you decide all sorts of things about them, from status to intelligence to promiscuity.

"In honor of National Etiquette Week and our just-published list of the 45 best restaurants in America, we decided to clear up some common etiquette questions," writes Megan Willett.

See Damon Nofar's slideshow - 8 Tips for an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation - at BusinessInsider.

"As mobile work styles become increasingly popular, odds are you’re going to wind up hosting a video conference or webinar sometime in the near future.

"It’s fairly inevitable: at some point in your career, you’re likely to be asked to make a presentation," remarks Bernard Marr.