Public Speaking
Make the Second Half Count
Are you over 50? What if, for everything you do in the second half of life, you get extra credit? It’s true in figure skating scoring. I’ve been wanting to write this to you since the Olympics a few months ago. Not only do I adore figure skating, but I’m fascinated by this fact: In…
Read MoreMimi is an Official TEDx Talk Speech Coach!
Have you had dreams of being a speaker on a big stage – – lighting up the audience with empowering thoughts and meaningful laughter? I have been doing that for over 30 years on the keynote stage. Lately, however, the keynoting business is celebrity-driven. So unless you are already “famous” or have a best-selling book…
Read MoreLeave It All On the Ice
Like some of you, I just spent two weeks watching 6 hours a day of Olympic coverage. Whew! I love figure skating more than football or any other sport. I find the Shib Sibs (Shibutani siblings) synchronized twizzles (multi-rotational one-foot turns) in ice dancing moved me to instant tears, just as the running back who…
Read More2nd Row in Zumba Class
Just had a birthday. I love my birthday. I love the whole month of February. It’s when I take stock of my life – – where I stand in the scheme of things. This time, I understand what Dad meant, “It’s all about quality of life.” So, I am thrilled at my quality of life.…
Read MoreNo Resolutions – – Just Do It!
When someone you want to have lunch with says, “Let’s have lunch sometime,” do you say, “Yes, let’s,” and leave it at that? Or do you get out your calendar? I get out my calendar and I schedule it. PLAN is not a 4-letter word. Most things get done because they are scheduled. Ask a…
Read MoreDon’t Wait Till Thanksgiving
Don’t wait till Thanksgiving to thank people. Do it now and always. So I want to say thank you to my bold brave clients, who are willing to put themselves out there and speak. Thank you for taking the word journey with me to write your answers to the question, “What do you do?” You…
Read MoreWhy You Should Never “Wing It”
Remember, one of Mimi’s Laws of Great Speaking: “Never make an audience nervous.” It’s not just that the audience is reminded of 8th grade speech class. They are more sophisticated now. With the popularity of TED Talks, people are used to well-structured excellence from the speaker on stage. They expect you to be smart, polished,…
Read MoreThe More You Know, the Better the Flow
Picture it: your audience is sitting in front of you. They are potential clients or customers. Here’s the way I see it. If there are five or fewer adults in your audience, they will remain adults, exhibiting the sophisticated behavior of giving you their attention. In my 30 years of speaking in front of groups,…
Read MoreHow Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?
Ya know how when you go to a wedding, and speaker after speaker comes to the front, extolling the virtues of the bride and groom? And it’s just lovely, except the part at the beginning, when they pull out three sheets of paper, and you can kinda tell, even from far away, that the type…
Read MoreGet Rid of Your “Um’s”
Have you ever heard a speaker who punctuated each sentence with “um?” Did you ever get distracted by the excessive use of “like?” Have you ever found yourself counting the “ya knows?” When someone asks, “What do you do?” is your first word “um?” If your answer needs to be a 30-second intro or a…
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