Can I Interest You in a Comma?
It’s crazy how excited I got reading Ben Yagoda’s article, ”The Most Comma Mistakes” in Sunday’s New York Times. How could writing about standard comma usage errors be so interesting? Here’s why I thought so, why you should read the article and why this all applies...
Engage Your Audience and Get the Sale (the Job, the Promotion, the “I Do”)
I’ve been working with a cross-functional team recently and had the pleasure of sitting in on their big presentation last week. It was thrilling to watch their respective bosses sit up, open their eyes, nod their heads, and take copious notes. The team managed to...
How to Write an Interesting Bio
Whether you need a description of yourself for the “About Us” page of your website or to send a blurb to the host of your upcoming conference, every professional should have an interesting, well-written and easily accessible biographical sketch (you never know when...
Think Too Much?
The best concert I ever saw was Joan Baez and Paul Simon at the Orpheum Theater, Boston, circa 1989. We went to see Joan Baez, but it was Paul Simon who stole our hearts. He was funny, warm, talented, so real. He sang many songs from his not so acclaimed album,...
My Turn to be Queen of the World
Taking the tiara and staff away from Queen Carlotta, I am thrilled to be Queen for the Day and tell you how my benevolent reign would improve the world. I would start by making it illegal to uptalk – the “moronic interrogative” that drives us all crazy. Next up would...
If I Were Queen of the World
I was invited to run a workshop for high school seniors. I’ve never worked with this age group before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially at 8:00am. I dove right in. “If I were queen of the world,” I said, “our educational systems would require public...
The Secret to Connecting With an Audience
I stumbled upon a Charlie Rose interview with TED curator, Chris Anderson and it was one of those moments that makes you think more seriously about the power of intention. The timing was perfect. I was getting ready for an important presentation and was thinking about...
On the Senate Floor – Washington, D.C.
After three rounds of security checks, our group entered the senate chamber with 50 other tourists. Senator John Barrasso (R -WY) was speaking and clearly well into his presentation. A large poster mounted on a stand next to him read, "A Second Opinion" in bold color....
How to Answer Questions with Authority
I think I can speak for all news junkies, social activists, and people who wear hoodies when I say that the Trayvon Martin case has been riveting and disturbing all at the same time. As a communication coach, I am continually impressed by how well Trayvon’s parents...
Great Speeches: Meryl Streep Nails It
Who doesn’t admire Meryl Streep - her talent, her intelligence, her apparent centeredness amidst A-league celebrity? I remember being swept away by her performance in The French Lieutenant’s Woman, and I have kept a sharp eye on her since. This tribute and...
The #1 Reason Why You Fear Public Speaking
More Brain Science to the Rescue I once worked with two change management experts who spent several years on the speaking circuit together. They were always more impressive when they presented as a team. We’ll call them Luvit and Dreadit since that is an accurate...
Which Scares You More?
1. Being in a car with a driver who is texting 2. Presenting to a room of 50 people It should be #1 that generates the heart palpitations, sweaty palms, shallow breathing, shaky limbs of fear! And yet, why doesn’t the very real life risk of texting while driving...
Just How Believable Are You?
As you can see from our previous post, Charlotte and I attended Edward Tufte’s Presenting Data and Information workshop. When it was over, we talked about what worked and what didn’t so that we could add to our repertoire of presentation tips and tricks. We bounced...
Two Presentation Coaches Spend a Day with Edward Tufte
Edward Tufte (ET) is Professor Emeritus at Yale University. He is the author of four books on visual display, including the most recent, Beautiful Evidence. ET was recently appointed to the Obama Administration’s Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board. ...
Men, Women and Public Speaking
During a public speaking forum, I was asked to describe the differences between men and women public speakers. I was taken aback by this question and drew a genuine blank. Since then, I have been paying attention to see if there is a difference worthy of note. I do...
Put an Exclamation Point on It!
One of my favorite Seinfeld episodes is the one where Elaine’s boss calls her into his office to discuss her edits to a manuscript and asks her to explain all the exclamation points. In a halting, hesitant response, she tells him that the writing lacked “a certain...