Thinking on your feet is “streaming speech.” Just like video streams over the internet, streaming speech is flowing your words, thoughts and feelings unimpeded by mind control. People who are in a position to have to think on their feet usually have a deep well of knowledge and experience. Yet they often don’t trust themselves…
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No one knows how Abraham Lincoln sounded. But history has it that his voice was high-pitched and nasal. While it was not pleasant to listen to, his sound was able to cut through the noise of large crowds. It has been said that his voice floated over the crowds which would have made him an…
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Learning by doing is how we learn! Seems so simple. Yet old fashioned teaching methods have teachers, instructors and professors lecturing on and on and on and students tuning out. The flipped classroom concept allows students to watch short instructional videos outside of the classroom and then to practice skills in class while a teacher…
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Do you really want to make a difference? It’s easy! You don’t have to start a non-profit, give up your day job and travel to Africa to live among the poor or sell all your worldly possessions and donate the proceeds to a charity. All you have to do is tell someone he is good…
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A standing ovation is a spontaneous emotional response from an audience that is moved deeply by a speaker or performer. The only way to earn a standing ovation is to get naked! I don’t mean take off all your clothes, I mean take off all protection and pretense, and be emotional. When a presenter is…
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On August 29, 2012 The Houston Chronical reprinted a Chicago Tribune article on shyness in people who are single and breaking the bashful barrier. The article states that behind shyness is extreme self-consciousness. Shy people constantly worry that others are judging them, and they blame themselves for negative outcomes, so they choose to not do…
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In an interview with Charlie Rose, Steve Martin shared that his experience doing stand-up comedy at universities in the 1970s gave him a sense of confidence that people could smell. When Steve describes confidence this way, I think he means that he learned to create chemistry with his audiences. He learned to be so good…
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Travis Kalanick is the CEO of Uber, a service that uses apps to call a car, usually a Town Car, in 15 minutes. What I like about him is his authenticity. He says that telling your authentic story is how business needs to be communicating. He shares that in toughest times, we learn to be…
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This is the absolute bottom line of what to do to transform your public speaking tension and performance anxiety into radiant, authentic presence so that you shine in front of others. Coaching a corporate HR executive from a Fortune 100 company on his anxiety about public speaking, I said something new, something I’ve never said…
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I just read an excellent blog post by Frenetta Tate MBA called The Seven Success Characteristics of Inspirational Leadership. Ms. Tate identified a powerful set of qualities that leaders who inspire others possess. They are: 1. The Crusader 2. The Connector 3. The Innovator 4. The Encourager 5. The Coach 6. The Builder 7. The…
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