Speak With Confidence
Why doesn’t she appreciate my advice?
In Nan and Billy’s house it goes like this: Nan: I wish I could find a cause to get into, maybe volunteering or just doing something worth-while. Billy: So call the College Club – I heard they need help, and the hospital gift shop might be looking for volunteers. Nan: Forget it, you don’t even know what I’m interested in. Billy: Geez! Why bring it up if you don’t want my opinion? Billy means well,
What?!? No PowerPoint?
Three different speech coaching clients have told me how they are planning to follow the steps of Amazon and do away with PowerPoint in their senior executive meetings. Fortunately, I was able to stop this colossal mistake before it was too late. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not unaware of the torture and mis-communication that can happen when PowerPoint is used. I agree and support that certain types of meetings are best conducted without it.
The Transformational Effect of Live Storytelling
The ability to speak with impact directly correlates with one’s salary. As an Executive Communication Coach, I have helped many nervous professionals hone their speaking skills in order to advance their careers. Typically, the coaching and training focuses on content organization and delivery skills for maximum effectiveness. I love communication so much that it is not just my day job, but also my hobby. I’m a storyteller and participate in story slams. These are events
I’m always more interested in talking than he is
Welcome to the one way conversation club. Though plenty of men turn somersaults to get conversational action going with their mates, more often women end up exasperated with silent partners. It’s not that women bore men – watch a man salivate over her every syllable on a long-awaited first date. Rather, whereas women tend to need a daily dose of conversational closeness, men value just being together and doing things together, even mundane activities like
Where Should I Look When I’m Speaking to a Group?
If you view the listeners as piranhas, you’ll grab any chance to avoid looking them in the eye. Lisa, a friendly, charming woman who had just been elected president of a large national church group, was dreading her first talk to the state leaders in her organization. She asked me if it was OK to aim her speech at the clock in the back of the church she’d be speaking in. “Surely,” I suggested, “you
The Best Choice
How many decisions do you make in a day? Hundreds, maybe thousands, maybe many thousands…? Some of them are life critical. Some of them are thoughtless. Yet, each one of them helps to determine who you are, what kind of a life you will have, and the impression you make on others. When it comes to the choices you make every day and the number of people who want to influence those choices, there is
He/She Always Interrupts Me
Both sexes can perpetrate and suffer interruptions. Yet researchers in the art of communication have repeatedly found that from the age of three on, males tend to interrupt and females tend to pass the conversational ball. The right to interrupt or dominate a conversation often serves as an expression of superiority or status. Nevertheless, when women yield the floor to men, it is not so much a display of inferiority as an indication of the
3 Ways to Handle Difficult Questions Confidently
Why do people ask difficult questions? They need the information They want attention from the group They want to look smart They use the questions to influence and persuade They want to intimidate Because it’s culturally appropriate They want to challenge the presenter They want to make the presenter look unprepared/foolish/dumb Questions are safer to ask than providing answers They want to be disruptive They want to change the subject They want to give their
Should I take fear of public speaking medication?
Thinking about fear of public speaking medication? Consider these 5 points. 1. Medication can reduce the uncomfortable physiological signs of nervousness (heart rate increase, sweating, shakiness). Three other approaches: learning effective presentation skills, controlling breathing, and developing helpful thinking patterns are proven non-medical strategies. 2. Beta blockers, originally developed to control cardiac problems, are often effective and can usually be prescribed on an as needed basis. Beta blockers inhibit the flow of adrenaline in the body, reducing the physical