Speak With Confidence
Is It Possible to Over Prepare for a Presentation?
When preparing a presentation, TED talk, webinar, investor pitch, wedding toast, or anything in between, there can be a struggle with how much to prepare in advance.
What Continued Zoom Fatigue and the COVID Delta Variant Means for You and Your Team
If you’re like me, you’ve experienced heavy Zoom fatigue in the last 16 months. During this ongoing pandemic, it’s earned its slang term, right alongside “Quarantine” (the drink you make with whatever you can find in your fridge or freezer), “Blursday” (an unspecified day because of lockdown’s disorientating effect on time), “zoom bombing” (hijacking a Zoom video call). “WFH” (working from home) and “quaranteams” (online teams created during lockdown).
Does virtual presenting level the speaking field?
Last week, I worked with a client who shared with me that her nervousness associated with public speaking was not as much of a problem since the world went virtual. I was curious about what changed for her or what had helped her. When working with clients on controlling their nervousness, there are many things to be considered. A major focus of the help we bring is with thoughts. The thoughts are what people say
Paraprosdokians
We love paraprosdokians, figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected. Where there’s a will, I want to be in it. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list. Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear bright until you hear them speak. If I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong. War does not determine who
Executive presence: what is it, why do you need it, and how do you build it?
During these last 467 days, we’ve had to make significant adjustments to the way we convey our presence and confidence. As we moved into a virtual world, executive presence was created, focusing on how we look and sound on camera. So, the question is, how do we build a relationship with somebody that you’re only meeting from the waist up? How do you establish that executive presence in a way that can build trust and
Lead With Purpose
People are going to change as a result of this time in our lives. You may even need to change your business model. Right now, it’s a new day – Every day. Change is happening so quickly. Business and life as we know it has changed since just a week ago. In times of what we call the FUD Factor – Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, the companies that communicated and demonstrated that they care about
Are cell phones hurting the next generation?
A recent article on CNN was about government-run camps to treat teen internet addiction in South Korea. After reading the article, I thought what a fantastic idea. I wonder how many parents think their kids are addicted to their cell phones. The South Koreans may be on to something. According to South Korea’s government, in 2018, 98% of South Korean teens used a cell phone. The article mentioned a 16-year who, after spending 13 hours
Are some organizations shirking their responsibilities regarding public speaking coaching and professional development opportunities?
As a speech coach, I readily admit that it is hard for me to remain unbiased about the question above. ALL of us, speech coaches included, should be on a never-ending quest to improve our public speaking, presentation skills, and ability to connect with listeners virtually and in person. That is a utopian view, I know. Based in our Kerala, India office, I do see a disturbing trend about the support and development of speakers
Three Tips for Using a Teleprompter in a Business Presentation
As more and more events become hybrid or completely virtual, the ability to use a teleprompter with ease will enhance the quality of your presentation. Of course, the opposite is also true; fumbling with your script on a screen can make you look panicked, low energy, and under-prepared. Being a great presenter means you have developed mastery with all the tools at your disposal. When used well, you may utilize a teleprompter at your next