Some meetings actually work better virtually - as long as you follow a few clear, simple guidelines.
Read More
It’s time for some tough love about how we spend our time on the stage. Too often we get so wrapped up in thinking we are saying the most important thing ever, that we abuse the time allotted and end up boring our audience. Or worse, we speak for so long they become agitated and even feel trapped! This isn't just a stage problem, it can go back to the beginning of preparation, all the way to the writing process as well.
Read More
About a year ago my training partner and I were speaking with a client who told us that another trainer they worked with was frustrated because her RFP’s were consistently being rejected. She felt she was being treated unfairly and had filed a formal complaint; this was exacerbated when she found out we were being offered repeat work, without having to go through the RFP process at all. What she did not know (nor was she told, which is a whole other blog post), was that her trainings were deeply ineffective,
Read More
A couple of weeks ago a speaker asked for my feedback on a speech she was working on with another coach, for a large event. We scheduled a phone session, and she had her coach on the line so we’d all be on the same page. When she was done with the read-through of her speech, it was pretty clear that she was way off the mark. Her speech lacked a clear purpose
Read More
How much thought do you give to how the emcee at an event brings you on stage?
Many speakers give this as little thought as possible because they’re focused on their content and what will happen after they’re on stage. But the introduction the emcee uses to introduce you to the audience is when your speech truly begins.
Read More
How often have you had to give a speech, but did little to no practice ahead of time? I don’t mean impromptu speeches; I’m talking about getting lots of notice about the speech but choosing to avoid practice altogether. It’s an easy step to want to skip. After all, practice isn’t glamorous…
Read More
Does the thought of giving a speech make you feel a little queasy? Do your hands still get sweaty? Does your heart start pounding before you go on stage? Does your brain play a sizzle reel of all the things that could possibly go wrong (everyone hates it, people boo, you fall off the stage, get pelted with rotten tomatoes, etc.) beforehand? Here’s a secret: me too. And I’ve been doing this a long time.
Read More
Last night I watched Ron Chapman deliver a wonderful speech about what we can learn from dog shows. Yes, dog shows. His point was that in a dog show we are not comparing a pug to a labrador, rather, we are judging whether that pug is the best version of himself compared to whether the labrador is the best version of herself. The point he made was that each of us is the best possible version of ourselves, therefore it’s foolish to try and be someone else.
Read More
When I was a teenager, I struggled to communicate my ideas and opinions with people who disagreed with me, or heck, even those who did. I knew I had strong feelings about things, but I didn’t know how to articulate them well.
Read More
A quick scroll through my LinkedIn feed shows endless blog posts about how important it is to become a masterful storyteller, and a few solid tips on how to get there. Learning how to craft a well-thought-out narrative can help you explain difficult concepts, create emotional connection with the audience, and elevate your presentation from just informative to actually entertaining.
Read More
The number one way to connect with your audience has less to do with eye contact, making them laugh (though this is helpful), or how energetic you are, and has a lot more to do with feelings. True connection is developed when the audience feels you are adding value to their lives.
Read More
Brace yourselves, because I’m about to get real: I think motivational speeches are a scourge on the world of public speaking. And no, I’m not some pessimistic humbug misanthrope. I’m actually an optimist who firmly believes in the power of personal development and growth!
Read More
“It quickly became apparent that while this class was technically about writing essays, in reality it needed to be about learning how to think critically…”
Read More
This post is specifically about composing emails that are correspondence with your colleagues, and others with whom you want to make a positive, professional impression.
Read More
This post is specifically about composing emails that require a clear action from the recipient.
Read More
How do you make yourself stand out amongst all of the competition when applying for jobs? After all, most jobs get multiple applications and many of the applicants have similar levels of education, experience, etc. There are many ideas about this, but the one my colleagues and I have had the most success with is a resume that tells a story about the way you will bring value to the organization and uses visual design to emphasize key elements.
Read More
That’s where I came in: using strategies I’d employed as an educator, I was able to teach the clients about their project. It lead to higher success rates in signing new clients, and clients that were happier with the work because they understood what we were doing. Since then I’ve mostly transitioned into my own work as a coach and trainer, but every so often I still attend meetings with my husband to help him educate his clients about their projects.
Read More
This past spring my husband started working with a coach – a poker coach. That’s right, he’s working with someone to improve his poker-playing skills. At first I was skeptical; after all, I come from a world where you only hire a coach for high-level professional development like public speaking and leadership.
Read More
One of the best scenes from an otherwise mediocre movie was when Will Farrell’s character in “Talladega Nights” couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands while he was speaking in front of a large crowd. While he spoke, his arms slowly kept rising next to him, as if possessed by their own will.
Read More
A decade ago I spent two weeks participating (as a learner) in a corporate training for the education company that I worked for at the time. I had high hopes, as we were an organization focused on teaching kids how to learn effectively; unfortunately, that philosophy didn’t carry over into training for the employees. We spent the entirety of the two weeks listening to droning lectures,
Read More