I recently set out to create a list of common U.S. business metaphors for a client who speaks impeccable English but has never lived here. First stop was Perplexity AI. (Why do I prefer Perplexity? It’s not an embodied Nazi fanboy, like Grok, and so far I haven’t caught it making things up.) I asked Read More
Miscellaneous
Is Confidence Really That Important for Great Public Speaking?
Most of my clients want to be more confident. Why not? I’d like to be more confident. (Does anyone ever feel they have enough self-confidence?) But too often, the expectation is that if I was just more confident, I wouldn’t have to work so hard or go through so much emotional struggle to ace this Read More
Job Search? Don’t Let a Bad Attitude Screw You Up (Part 1)
A Critical Attitude toward Yourself Can Turn Other People Off Here’s an example of bad attitude toward yourself: I recently worked with a new job interview client—let’s call her Gina—who’s done some interesting short-term jobs, but doesn’t know what her future career should look like. Normally, we’d spend our 1:1 session time identifying options and Read More
Should You Be Memorable or Precise?
Sometimes You Have to Choose I live across the street from two restaurant sheds* that take up five parking spots. That’s what a client of mine recently said in an interview about her New York City neighborhood. (*”Restaurant sheds” are outdoor dining areas located in parking spaces, driving lanes, or on public sidewalks.) I loved Read More
Your Goal is Good Audience Experience
Whenever you speak in public—whether it’s a stand-up presentation (remember those?), a few remarks to open an event, a comment in a meeting, or “just” talking to your boss or a colleague—you get to choose what your goal is. Your goal can be to “be eloquent,” “impress the audience,” or “show people that I know Read More