Public Speaking
Are You Running Tough?
1983 – the finish line of my marathon. My running partner: Donna, a fellow HR trainer at Northrop Aircraft. Anyone who has run a marathon knows just how tough it can be. And it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. And it’s not even about HOW you finish, it’s just about finishing!…
Read MoreBlank Page Paralysis? Here’s a Cure
Content is king. You know it. You need to write. You need to “post.” Intimidating, isn’t it? I know. Sounds huge. How do you get motivated? Long ago, in a company far, far away, I was training managers in business writing. I pointed out a syndrome I called: “Blank Page Paralysis.” Now it’s blank screen…
Read MorePast Is Prelude: What Did You Do Before This?
Tomorrow the Sun makes its way into the constellation of Aquarius and, my birthday season begins. I take stock of my life and who I have become in the year since my last birthday. Here’s my recent “a-ha”: I am sure that every moment in my life has led me to this moment right now.…
Read MoreBless Your Holiday Stress, Revisited 2022
Here it comes again – the season of giving AND receiving. You know how you’ll be “receiving” some family and friend obligations you never receive except during this season? Once you CHOOSE to receive, you now get to choose your attitude and behavior. I always say, “Bless your stress.” I even wrote a book about…
Read MoreThe Case for the Verbal Colon
I love the colon. Not just the punctuation mark, although I’m a big fan. I encourage you to speak using the colon. It says, “Listen up; I’m about to say something important.” Colon. Pause. Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em. That’s the colon. Then, tell ‘em. Then, tell ‘em what you told ‘em. When…
Read MorePlan Your Vote
It’s your voice. And I’m all about using your voice. Now’s the time. The election is a little more than two weeks away. The contrast is stark. My mail-in ballot is a work in progress. In 2019, I wrote a blog that began: “What keeps you sane every day? How do you stay hopeful about…
Read MoreTeaching You How to Fish
“Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day. Teach them how to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime.” This is a quote from Chinese philosopher, Lao Tsu, founder of Taoism. I spent all of my college years proclaiming to be a Taoist, and it stuck. When I coach, I…
Read MorePerspective: What’s Important?
My favorite definition of “perspective” is the ability to understand what is important and what isn’t. It’s the point of view—the position from which an individual or group of people see and respond. When I coach you to speak about your business, I urge you to analyze the listener to understand their perspective—what’s important to…
Read MoreHow Do We Restart?
Shut down. Restart. We can’t just push a button. How do we turn back on? Here’s my process. I call it the 6 M’s. These 6 M’s are my cornerstones to achieve conscious competence. Conscious competence is the awareness of the process that allowed your success, so you can repeat it. Number 1: Mission. Be…
Read MoreWho Are Your Cheerleaders?
These are dark days. We need a blast of a past blog, updated to remind us of the bright lights in our lives. Time to connect with the people who motivate us. We need them now more than ever. Recall a moment when you were excited. Was it when you started a new project or…
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