Episode #412 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to.

When people ask me what is the main skill required for success in life, I think of one thing: being able to present an idea in a cogent way. When I

When I got my first opportunity to speak in front of a large audience, I wasn't sure where to turn for more professional public speaking and presentation skills training. Many names of individuals and organizations were thrown my way, but one name that kept rising to the top was Nick Morgan. I immediately purchased his book, Give Your Speech, Change The World, and it did - in fact - change my world and perception of what a presentation is really all about. Then came Working The Room follow by Trust Me. I eagerly bought and devoured them all. Thankfully, Nick jumped into social media and started blogging over at Public Words. Why all of this attention on his work? In the marketing world, the best ideas don't always win. One of the main reasons is because they're not presented well (in essence, a poor presentation can kill the best of ideas). That's not just specific to the marketing industry, but all aspects of life. Being a great presenter is a core capability of success. Sadly, most people ignore it. In his latest book, Power Cues, Nick dives deeper into neuroscience and how the smallest of indicators (from voice to body language to more minor nuances affect success. It's a fascinating read from a fascinating mind. Enjoy the conversation...

You can grab the latest episode of Six Pixels of Separation here (or feel free to subscribe via iTunes): Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast #412.

Tags: advertising podcast blog blogging brand business book business podcast david usher digital marketing facebook give your speech change the world itunes marketing podcast nick morgan power cues public words trust me twitter working the room

Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see?

My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, Solve For Interesting, the author of Complete Web Monitoring, Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks and Lean Analytics), Hugh McGuire (PressBooks, LibriVox, iambik and co-author of Book: A Futurist's Manifesto) and I decided that every week the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see".

Check out these six links that we're recommending to one another:

• The Fermi Paradox: Where the Hell Are the Other Earths? - Gizmodo. "Take a step back. Way back. Back to the point when you think about human existence. 'Why are we here?' is a good question to ask, but unfortunately, the related conclusion is that as sentient life in the universe, either 'we're rare, we're first, or we're f-d.' In what may be the greatest breakdown of the Drake Equation ever, this clearly lays out why it means a lot that we haven't yet found signals of an alien intelligence. Damn, it's time to get off this rock." (Alistair for Hugh).
• A Fearmongering Anti-RPG Comic Gets the Film Adaptation It Deserves - Wired. "Dark Dungeons was a hilarious comic book, the print version of Reefer Madness with Dungeons and Dragons as its mark. So it's a bit weird, at first blush, that an outfit which loves role-playing games decided to make the movie version, or that the author gave them the rights to do so. And that they played it straight is even better. I give you: Dark Dungeons." (Alistair for Mitch).
• The Internet With A Human Face - Idle Words. "(Non-)privacy, big data, and the terrifying Internet we have wrought." (Hugh for Alistair).
• Climate Change Debate - Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. "Are there hats? Yes or No?" (Hugh for Mitch).
• Cathay Pacific explores online auction for seat upgrades - South China Morning Post. "I fly I ton (but you knew that already). And, there are instances when I sit in economy and see many open/available seats in business class. As someone with Super Elite status, I often wondered why the employees don't look at the passenger manifesto and upgrade those with status to the empty seats up front? Well, it looks like Cathay Pacific is going to start testing something a little more lucrative. Now, all passengers can bid - like eBay - on available premium seats, and they will go to the highest bidder. Clearly, this will cause some issues for those hoping to upgrade with points, etc... but it's a smart move. I'd like to see this concept pushed a little further by enabling this to happen on a mobile device up to the point when the plane door is closed for departure." (Mitch for Alistair).
• 5 Brilliant Business Lessons From Motley Crue (Seriously!) - Fast Company. "Have you read Motley Crue's biography, The Dirt? I read a lot of rock biographies, but this one is pure chaos. You get the same story told by each member of the band in completely different ways. They were - without a doubt - out of their minds in the 80s and 90s. It's a crazy read and one of the best rock n' roll stories ever told (and you don't even have to like the band). Still, I loved this band when I was a much younger head banger. Now, the band is calling it quits and they're reflecting on their career. So, are there lessons that every business can learn from this particular hair band? Read on... and shout at the devil!" (Mitch for Hugh).

Feel free to share these links and add your picks on Twitter, Facebook, in the comments below or wherever you play.

Tags: alistair croll bitcurrent book a futurists manifesto cathay pacific complete web monitoring dark dungeons drake equation ebay fast company gigaom gizmodo hugh mcguire human 20 iambik idle words john oliver last week tonight lean analytics librivox link bait link exchange link sharing managing bandwidth media hacks motley crue pressbooks social media solve for interesting south china morning post the dirt wired year one labs