Public Speaking – Setting Up a Story

Last week, I was working with a client who had created an impressive presentation on the people of New Guinea. He had created a PowerPoint presentation, that consisted of these gorgeous photos he had taken himself during a trip to that far away land, that he augmented witih his many stories of his trip and […]

The Fear of Public Speaking: It’s a Love Thing

The more I work with people who are scared of speaking in public, the more obvious it becomes. The fear of speaking in public could be cured with a healthy dose of love and respect for yourself. Think about it. When people get super-nervous about speaking it’s often because they fear being judged negatively, of […]

What Is Confidence?

I’m always yackity-yacking about confidence but I have I ever fully defined it?I don’t think so. At least, not here on this blog. But I am inspired by a recent post at Parent’s Eye View that actually used a dictionary definition of confidence that felt rich, complete and accurate. I am especially facinated by the […]

Mister Rogers Was a Confidence Guru

"Why in the world couldn’t we use this thing called television for the broadcasting of grace through the land?" — Fred Rogers It’s Friday night, and there’s nothing on T.V.  It’s a good time to sit back and watch a YouTube video that might just make you cry. My buddy Andy Wibbels turned me on […]

When Performing, Sometimes, Connection Has to Come Before Content

Performing, like speaking in public, can at times be an outrageous act of courage. Especially if you are a singer who has lost her voice. My friend, who shall remain nameless, called me yesterday. It was the first night of her two-week run at a very well-known cabaret room in San Francisco. And she was […]

Public Speaking – How to Beat the Epidemic of Not Enough

Danger! There’s an epidemic infecting the majority of the population of America. Maybe the world. No, I’m not talking about avian flu, or malaria or hyperopia. I’m talking about the Epidemic of Not Enough. The symptoms to watch for are: a tendency to always think or feel that you are in some way not enough, […]

What a Violinist Can Teach You About Stage Fright

Whether you are speaking in public or performing, you may appreciate these tips from violinist Clayton Haslop. In his latest blog post, he coaches a nervous violinist on how to prepare right before a performance in order to play at his best from the get-go. What I appreciate about Clayton’s tips are that they include […]

Public Speaking & Your Purpose: What Do You Want Them To Do?

I always ask my clients, what do you want to experience when you are speaking in public? The answers vary from "I want to feel like I’m doing a great job." "I want to get a standing ovation." "I want to feel like I know what I’m talking about." But my favorite answer was, "I […]

Why Am I Presenting This Challenge?

Some people are asking me why am I talking about a World Drunk on Appreciation challenge on a blog dedicated to fearless self-expression and confident speaking. Because I want to. Ha! No, the real reason is that this challenge is all focus. Focus and Feeling. Two of the most powerful tools we can use when […]

A Technorati Technicality

I apologize to my Feedblitz Friends who are going to receive this post in their email.Please pay no attention.I had to post this bit of code in order to get Technorati to recognize this blog. Technorati Profile But I’ll be back with something substantial any second now.