Straight Up:  A Thought is Not a Fact.  Never has been.  Never will be.  And yet, without any awareness or extra effort, we invariably turn a negative and self-defeating thought into a fait accompli.  The most recent, from a client, “I just know I’m going to bomb up...

So you have to sell, convince, lead, motivate or influence someone to take action.  Your tendency may be to load up on facts, data, logic and analysis.  Who, after all, does not value a rigorous argument?  Your time collecting all those items - and possibly turning...

Join us for a free webinar on Tuesday, July 22nd, 1:00 - 2:00 pm, EDT, when we will discuss three techniques to enhance your influence, credibility and connection to your audience. Register here!  

Given that it's the 4th of July holiday week, we thought we'd revisit one of our more popular posts, with a couple of updated references.  Really, how often do you get to use the word smorzando in a sentence?!  Enjoy, and Happy 4th! It’s that time of year again, when...

I am having an interesting week. I was asked to coach someone who has failed to hold up his end of the Team Presenter Pact. Apparently, the two most recent presentations were, according to one team member “abject failures.”  According to another colleague, “he shows...

In my last book review about women and confidence, I shared some provocative research revealed in The Confidence Code. I was struck by the findings about the genetic and socially-induced inclination for women to ruminate and how undermining rumination is to the...

Could you deliver a commencement speech from a Post-it Note? That’s what one brave speaker did this spring. Thankfully, he was the third and final speaker of the day. The first two were co-captains of the All Drone Team. No heart. All head. Speaker #1 looked down at...

Is it stereotyping to suggest that women are less confident than men in the workplace? Does this explain the glass ceiling or is it a chicken and egg debate about the serious lack of women’s proportional representation in senior positions of power? And my question -...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIFQCZ1zS3A

  As I drove into Boston this morning with hordes of cranky, distracted commuters, I laughed in delight when I saw this sign. It is a  brilliant and elegant example of what great communicators can do. KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: Every Bostonian (with or without an...

Check all that apply: You find yourself fine-tuning your remarks at midnight before the big presentation You are still fiddling with  your deck ten minutes before the presentation is to begin You find yourself tripping on your words because you are trying so hard to...

Radio City Music Hall just announced the cancellation of the new Rockettes show, "Hearts and Light.’" After two years in production, a week before opening night, and a huge marketing campaign, why did the producers pull the plug? Not because of the extraordinary dance...

I decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a power walk. There I was, walking down the trail like a crazy person, charging toward a group of people who were blocking my path to the 60 stairs I like to run up (OK, walk/jog up). I pulled out one ear...

Here are two public speaking observations that still surprise me:  1. That my first 5 minutes facilitating a workshop unnerve me as much today as  they did 35 years ago. 2.  That the following refrain from workshop participants continues to be so recurrent, generic...

Raise your hand if you have set a New Year’s Resolution that has something to do with improving your public speaking, presentation skills, or your ability to communicate effectively. Wow, that’s a lot of hands!  Congratulations – it’s a worthy goal, and somewhere out...