American Idol for 2011 has completely captured my attention. I am loving it! Finally they have a group of judges who all are insightful, honest, compassionate, entertaining and funny! Steven Tyler is a total delight! He listens with his eyes closed and feels the music as contestants sing. Sometimes he sings along with relish. Jennifer Lopez brings…
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Pearls are created by irritation and discomfort. An oyster is irritated by a grain of sand. To thrive and survive, the oyster develops a hard shell around the grain of sand and it becomes a pearl. Through the process of discomfort, the oyster grows a beautiful pearl. Ever think about the phrase pearls of wisdom? …
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I don’t want you to work so hard at public speaking. Consider opening to the experience that public speaking doesn’t have to be so hard and that you don’t have to work so hard to connect with listeners. I have this new battery operated toothbrush that does all the work for me. But I…
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Much has been said about Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg and how he appears when speaking in public. As recently as June this year, he sweated profusely while being interviewed. But last Sunday he seemed calm, comfortable and in command of himself on CBS 60 Minutes. His passion is palpable in this interview. Some have speculated that he…
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University of Houston professor, Dr. Brene Brown debutes The Gifts of Imperfection: Living with Courage, Compassion & Connection on Houstons PBS TV station Channel 8 Monday night November 29th at 7 and 8:30 PM. I hope that Dr. Brown will do for authenticity what Dr. John Bradshaw did for family systems theory when he aired his PBS programs. He…
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On Tuesday, October 12, 2010, The Houston Chronicle highlighted a trend that foreign-born professionals are working with voice and speech experts to reduce or modify accents so that they can be understood when they speak English. The article can be found online at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/main/7243893.html. Non-native speakers are often challenged to be understood when they…
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“Has anyone ever been in prison?” These were the words that opened W Mitchell’s talk to NSA Houston Chapter in September 2010. Words spoken quietly in a voice vibrating from deep within his chest. Words not spoken immediately. W Mitchell wheeled himself to the center of the staging area, sat deeply into his wheelchair and…
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The following Article was written by Josh Popichak and published in the June Issue of Steve Harrison’s Book Marketing Update. It is offered here by permission of the author. Have you ever had a nightmare about having to make a speech, or found yourself panicked about speaking to a group in real life? If so,…
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Underneath the words, intentions and body expressions, communication is a dance of being with another person. In communication, making connection is often more important that the actual words spoken. We don’t have to be perfect wordsmiths to be good communicators if we can learn to engage in full connection with others. Full connection is an…
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Things quiet down at the beginning of the summer. So, I have been taking more time for introspection. Doing some deep inner focusing to see if I can get inspired to create some new classes. I ask myself, “What is it that I have really learned to do in my lifetime? What have I conquered…
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