Learning to pronounce consonant sounds is vital to mastering clear, crisp, intelligible speech. This translates into meaningful spoken communication that is easily understood. Pronouncing consonant sounds clearly makes every word you articulate more precise. This in turn makes your overall message more readily understood by your audience, whether it is a small group or large…
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In terms of public speaking, developing greater authenticity is an important key to unlocking stage fright and fear of public speaking. To transform stage fright and fear of public speaking, you must learn to be comfortable being who you are in front of other people. In public speaking, the tension associated with stage fright comes from…
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As the year draws to a close, I start musing about believing in myself more. I have a certain amount of confidence in myself, but I think I can believe and do more. In the last few days of each year, I like to ponder what I want to do and be in the new…
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As 2013 and the movie version of Les Miserables open, we can all use a little inspiration to remind us it is possible to fly and to spur us all on to new heights. No one did that better than Susan Boyle at her first audition of Britian’s Got Talent! Her is a video of…
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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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I have been dreaming about teaching acting for some reason. I taught acting for about 30 years and thought I had had my fill of it. But last week, in a dream, I seemed to be auditioning to teach acting. Strange! Some rather arrogant acting teachers were complaining how hard it is to train beginning actors.…
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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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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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