When I was young, in the early 1970s, I spent a few years working in some pretty disreputable bars. One was the kind of joint where people arrived at 6am to start drinking their disability checks, and the other was a biker bar in San Francisco’s “Tenderloin” (red light) district. The main thing I learned from Read More
Blog
Breathing: A Public Speaking Practice Exercise
I’ve struggled to breathe for most of my life. And yes, I know: Breathing is supposed to be a natural, unconscious function. Babies are born knowing how to do it. But most of our adult customs—from swallowing our feelings to sitting at our desks all day—work against the “natural” part and leave our brains and Read More
Take Stock of Your Wins!
Many years ago, I discovered a book called Your Best Year Yet: Ten Questions for Making Your Next Twelve Months the Most Successful Ever. In it, author Jinny Ditzler invites you take stock of yourself by answering questions like, Normally, these sorts of exercises are not my idea of a good time. (They’re too “New Read More
Do You Talk TOO MUCH or TOO LITTLE in Meetings?
Here’s how to make your participation “Just Right”! If you’ve heard the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, you know that when our girl invaded the bears’ home, her goal was to appropriate the “just right” bed. And chair. And bowl of porridge. She found (and took) all of these things. But if Goldilocks had Read More
Do You Know These Four Marketing Skills?
In “Don’t Self-Promote…Do This Instead!” I wrote about the joys of letting other people spread the word about your business or work. And believe me, if you’re an introvert or a shy person who doesn’t particularly like talking about yourself, it really is a joy when other people step up to do it for you. Read More