Dealing with stage fright can be summed up in one simple equation: E+R=O...The Event, plus our Reaction to the event, equals the Outcome. Notice the specific order of the letters. Notice that the R comes before the O – not the other way around. Most of us walk through...

The alchemy of a great presentation has lots of moving parts - content, personal presence, audience focus, and the body as vehicle for communication. Coaching speakers is so dynamic because individual preparation needs are so different. But, one issue emerges so...

You may recall that SWP’s goal for 2013 is to eradicate “Death by PowerPoint.”  We want to do our part in saving people from the pain and suffering associated with slide after slide of bulleted text, punctuated only by this guy on the right:  the stick figure guy. I...

I didn’t want to do it. I wasn’t going to do it. I sat down at 8:30 pm to record the Oscars with no intention of sitting there for three and a half hours. But, the lure, the beauty, the theater, the very American pageantry of winners and losers and all the drama...

The following post is an excerpt from Barbara’s forthcoming book, Commit to Confidence, due out in a couple of weeks. Let me ask you a question. What can increase your self-confidence, make you feel incredibly powerful, offer an enormous degree of satisfaction, and...

Right up until I saw Marco Rubio reach up and wipe the dripping sweat off his temple, I was barely paying attention.  At that moment, though, I perked up. Suddenly, I was very interested – not for the politics, but for the potential public speaking Do’s and Don‘ts...

I have watched the HBO series, ‘Girls’, with admiration, horror, fascination and always alone (way too awkward to watch with anyone). I spent most of this week’s episode wondering how on earth Lena Dunham’s parents could possibly watch her on screen with Patrick...

Have you ever stumbled on a fantastic restaurant or read an amazing book, and you could not wait to tell everyone about it?  That’s how I feel about executive coaching this week.  I had the pleasure of being part of three invigorating sessions, each resulting in all...

I believe that all of Western civilization knows that here in New England we are preparing for a storm, a blizzard with winds over 35 mph and from 12-24 inches of snow. It's the buzz on the streets, in the work place, in the grocery lines, the dentist office, on FB,...

It seems to me that one of the worst criticisms you can hear about another person is that they're spineless. Even reading the definition makes me uneasy: lacking resolution; weak and purposeless. The same can be said about speeches and presentations. Those that...

Who decided that during the Q&A portion of a presentation the automatic response to any question should be, “Great Question!”?  In the last few months, I have noticed presenters defaulting consistently to this phrase. Here are some reasons why it seriously bothers...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfbF6bdl5nA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opZIiM0q9CQ

This is an excerpt from Barbara's forthcoming book, Commit to Confidence, to be published next month. Stay tuned! Have you ever met someone at a party or networking event and noticed that they had such a magnetic personality that you found yourself drawn to them? ...

I relish this season of award ceremonies when the gods and goddesses of entertainment descend from Mount Olympus in their magnificent finery and parade before us. Every word, look, outfit, comment and action is magnified for public consumption and it is a feast for...

The tragic events in Newtown, CT have left us all reeling. That a fellow human being could kill innocent children in their school classroom is unthinkable. It happened and it is still unthinkable. I guess this is why I have been focused on how President Obama must...