Last week, I wrote about the necessity of a post-presentation debrief, which elicited the following comment, “I agree that deconstructing my presentations has made me a much better speaker.”   Interesting. That is a statement that is both true and yet not accurate as...

Sometimes I feel like a mother hen. After intensive collaboration with a client to create, structure, design, practice, and videotape their presentation, it culminates with me saying, “Go forth, be bold, you are ready.”  Rarely do I see clients in action. It’s so...

This is the second in a series of how to manage the unexpected, the unforeseen complication, the curve ball that can otherwise undermine even the most experienced and successful speaker. The first post was focused on technology and other mishaps that can occur in real...

Maybe it's the fact that the temperature will rise above freezing today, or maybe it's because we just turned the clocks ahead, but whatever the reason, I've got spring training on my mind. It's the time of year when we New Englanders renew our Red Sox Nation...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRQp6HTrk6Y

Recently I had the opportunity to visit Mark Twain’s House in Hartford, CT. This is the home where he lived from 1874 – 1891, the time he referred to as the happiest and most productive phase of his life. The tour starts out in the foyer (beautiful, interesting), then...

Q: Recently you mentioned that you have absolutely no fear or anxiety when you speak in public. Can that really be true? Say more.        A: Thirty years of public speaking– from symposiums and conferences to my career as a university professor –  has taught me one...

Let’s face it. For many of us the anticipatory anxiety we experience about a looming presentation, keynote or sales pitch can be equal to, if not more stressful than the event itself. And in this age of aspirational “You must fail in order to succeed!” mantras, it can...

‘Tis the time of year to give thanks. And by 'thanks' I’m talking about going beyond the “thanks a lot” and the “great job” type of thank you. I’m talking about the heartfelt (choose the perfect words, feel the feelings), specific thank you.  And since this is a...

I worked with two managers last week who co-manage a large group of sales reps. They run a lot of meetings together and try to make collective decisions to ensure fairness and consistency. They asked me to help them find ways to improve communication across the two...

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Dear Coach - One thing I struggle with is speaking about myself.  I come from a background that values humility. Add to that my overall discomfort with being in the spotlight and you see how those moments can be fraught with fear and anxiety, not to mention the risk...

Without a doubt, the emotional seesaw of the keynote preparation cycle is seriously stressful. Often this stress manifests in comments like, “I don't know why this is so hard for me. My boss (or spouse, colleague, friend, celebrity, recent TED talker) doesn't stress...

I feel compelled to acknowledge that this post is an outlier. The SpeakWell is about all things spoken. This post, however, is about your online presence and how that influences career success. This is the first in an ongoing series of Do’s and Don’ts of online...