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Much has been written about the recent situation where United Airlines forcibly removed a passenger (David Dao, a 69 year-old doctor born in Vietnam and living in the U.S.) because they overbooked the flight. It raised questions about everything from passenger rights and the small print on your ticket, to outright discrimination against people of Asian descent. There was a lively discussion here at The Speech Improvement Company about service-oriented corporate culture, the attitudes of

My observance today included hydrating, and singing classic rock in the car during a long drive. World Voice Day is an annual, now-international event created to recognize and honor the importance of the human voice – “to share the excitement of voice science, pedagogy and the vocal arts”[1]. We use our voices to communicate from the very beginning of life, crying, laughing, and babbling before we can hold a crayon or even know a word

Congratulations on bringing your innovative idea to the investor presentation stage. Now comes your next challenge–creating a winning presentation. Here are 8 key ideas for success: Develop the mindset of a ‘professional presenter’. In addition to innovator, entrepreneur, CEO, CFO, or executive, your skills as a professional presenter/communicator are also being judged. Professional presenters know their words and delivery are being scrutinized. A $10,000,000 decision could rest on the right rhetoric! You are prepared, vigilant, and self-aware with your

When I work with clients on strengthening their communication effectiveness, I’m often asked, “How can I make these new tools come more naturally?” I assure them that when they carve out time to practice they are creating ‘muscle memory’.  Muscle memory is something we often take for granted, yet it’s there and if harnessed, we can use it anytime to project confidence in doing any task.  Obvious examples include putting your car key into the

Recently I saw a conference agenda that listed multiple keynote speakers. This is all too common, and it’s wrong. Formally, there can only be 1 keynote speaker. Consider it like this. In an orchestra, where the term keynote comes from, a member plays a “key note” before they begin, and all other members tune their instruments to that note. The result is a symphony! Without this important step, you have something that’s musically akin to

My colleagues and I are delighted to welcome a new app, LikeSo into our toolbox of  techniques to help clients become top notch speakers and communicators. We coaches are always on the lookout for ways to help clients practice and progress in their crazy busy lives. The leaders, managers and professionals I work with are attached to their mobile devices (Ok, I admit, so am I!) That’s why I am so delighted to collaborate with Audrey

In his TED talk, The Hidden Power of Smiling, Ron Gutman provides some insights into the proven value of smiling. We are born smiling. Using 3D ultrasound, we can see developing babies smile in the womb. When born, they continue to smile. A smile is one of the most basic expressions of all humans and it is the fastest way to build trust and rapport during face-to-face interactions. OK, so why doesn’t Bill Belichick smile? What

For those who present with slides, you will want to look closely at the new MacBook Pro with Touch Bar. Apple’s Keynote presentation software has added a simple, yet powerful feature to its software that will have a profound impact on public speakers. Hopefully PowerPoint will have it too. Some background: We know through research at The Speech Improvement Company that the most effective speakers are able to synchronize their visual aid support so your

There has been a plethora of communication about President Trump’s communication.  We are , indeed, experiencing a new kind of communication from the office and the person who holds the Presidency of the United States.  In recent days, the attention and commentary has shifted from everyone’s ability to LISTEN, in addition to the ability to talk.  It stirred in me a bit of wisdom that I would like to share with you in hopes that it