I’ve been a fan of Joss Whedon since I was introduced to him by master training writer Rose Rubin Rivera. (What actually happened was that Rose wanted to quit smoking, so we locked ourselves in a friend’s house and watched Firefly episodes for four days straight while she went through withdrawals.) Even so, I was Read More
Authenticity and Avatars
Be Your Super Self: Call On Your Public Speaking Avatar
Sometimes you need a little extra juice to get the public speaking job done right. And when that’s the case, it’s wonderful to know that you can don the Public Speaking Avatar of your choice and instantly bring extra pizazz and power to the proceedings. What’s a Public Speaking Avatar? Your Public Speaking Avatar is you… but Read More
For Great Public Speaking, Say Yes to the Dress??!!
Last week, I spent some lazy hours watching old episodes of Say Yes to the Dress. (Men, stay with me; I swear this applies to you, too!) The show is set at Kleinfeld’s, a famed New York City bridal store that stocks 2000 wedding dresses. Real women are pretty scarce on TV, but since Kleinfeld’s Read More
Love, Vulernability, and Public Speaking
“Love is an exchange of vulnerabilities.” —William H. Masters With Valentine’s Day coming up, I’ve been thinking about how hard it is to be emotionally vulnerable. Vulnerability means trusting yourself and another person. It means that you’re exposed to the pain of disappointment, rejection, being misunderstood. It’s the last thing I would choose to step Read More
The Public Speaking Sweet Spot
Have you ever been in the zone? That’s an expression that athletes use (musicians call it being in the groove) to describe the exhilaration you feel when everything comes together so well that an activity seems almost effortless. Public speaking has a zone, too. It’s a Balancing Act I’d argue that the the public speaking Read More