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Three Qualities of a Great Human Being
Bullying happens among both children and adults. I’ve been invited to give workshops to Grades 5 – 8 in a local school, with the intention of doing more than teach public speaking. I’ll be teaching...
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SPEAK UP! Webinar Still Available
GOOD NEWS! If you missed my webinar, “SPEAK UP! How to Talk So People Listen”, you can watch a recording of it! We’re re-playing it on four dates over the holiday season, with two times on each day....
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The Gift of a Smile
It was getting dark on a bitterly cold winter afternoon in Winnipeg. I was sixteen and returning home from an after-school piano lesson that had not gone well. Standing at the bus stop, chin...
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Social Interaction, Toddler Style
Over the holiday season, my husband and I hosted a family pot luck lunch. With nearly 20 adults and a few children, it was a good sized group. For me, the most outstanding guest of the day was a...
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A Strong Start
Your opening should build the audience’s energy from your very first word. Recently I read a blog post by speaking coach, Ethan Rotman, “Real Life Examples of Terrible Opening Lines”. A couple of...
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Don’t Be Afraid to Speak
Last week, I was delighted to be the guest on “Curious Muriel” blogtalk radio, hosted by Wendy Matthews and Rashmi Biswas. We covered a lot of territory in half an hour. Much of it centred on the...
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Managing Your Nervous System
Did you know that the nervous system is the most complex system in the human body? It allows us to perceive, interpret and respond to stimuli from our environment, both on a conscious level and an...
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How to Tell a Story
Public speaking coaches are constantly nagging their clients to tell stories in their presentations. What they don’t always explain is why, and especially, how. Why? Nothing engages a listener more...
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Here’s Looking at You
Photo from Hillsboro Community Youth Choir, Hillsboro, OR Have you ever watched a group of kindergarten children on stage for a performance? Inevitably, at least a couple of them are looking into the...
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Perspective and Positive Self-Talk
Any quantum physicist will tell you we live in a universe that’s pulsing with vibrating energy, that energy vibrates in various frequencies and patterns, and that our very thoughts are energy....
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Structure Your Presentation
Whether it’s to sell, to persuade or to inform, people give presentations every day as part of their work. Here’s an article I wrote for The Experion Group Blog on the benefits of giving your...
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Avoid the Information Trap!
Telling people too much is as bad as not telling them anything at all. Anybody who works in a specialized field is vulnerable to the too-much-information trap – technical and scientific people...
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Stage Presence Tips for Job Interviews
Many young people are graduating and starting their job search this month. This article from a few years ago is still relevant. The moment you walk in the door for your job interview, you’ve made an...
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The Wedding Toast
As we move into June, the month for weddings, here’s a “Tips on Talking” re-post from shortly after the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate. ‘Tis the season. Of weddings,...
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Telephone Talk
Ringggg! Me: Hello? Caller (unknown, young, female voice in a casual, offhand tone): Hi, how’re you? Me (abrupt change to formal tone): Who’s calling, please? Caller: I’m from XYZ Financial (the...
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Searching for a Word
Yesterday I met a man from Zimbabwe. He told me that his mother and father were from two different African countries, and that he, himself, spoke five languages. He said that when talking with...
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Getting Comfortable with Large Groups
“I’m fine talking to small groups,” he said, “but this time I have to present to 50 or 60 people. It’s freaking me out!” What my client didn’t realize is that speaking to large groups is no different...
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What to Do When You’re Being Judged
Before she receives her Master’s degree, my client will have to present and defend her thesis. With admirable foresight, she came to me four months in advance to work on her presentation skills and,...
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Help Your Audience Follow You
The spoken word is fleeting. It sounds and is gone. Unlike you, who may have spent months – years, even – developing an understanding about your topic, your audience has only one shot at grasping the...
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Don’t Pretend They’re Naked
Have you heard this ridiculous piece of advice? “If you’re scared to speak to a group, pretend everyone in the audience is naked.” Does anybody actually follow this advice anymore? It may sound...
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