Your ideas are part of your legacy—but only if you put them out into the world! Joni Mitchell once sang, “Nothing lasts for long,” and she’s right—but we humans want the best parts of ourselves to last for as long as possible. (And yes, the advent of a “big birthday” is what has me thinking Read More
Public Speaking Skills
How to Get Your Flow On
Flow is the quality of being able to move “seamlessly” from one idea to the next in a way that makes sense to your listeners, and doesn’t involve hesitation, hemming, hawing, uhmmmm, or losing your train of thought. People who want more flow in their public speaking are usually convinced that they need to add Read More
Use Chill Thoughts to Crowd Out Negative Ones
I just wrapped up work with a client who’s about to give a big presentation. And my final, most important advice was to focus on chill thoughts until he gets onstage. What’s a Chill Thought? A chill thought helps you calm down, avoid anxiety, and—best of all—crowd out the ugly, self-demeaning thoughts that so often Read More
How to Criticize Your Boss (Without Losing Your Job)
You might get through a lifetime of working and never criticize your boss, either because your bosses are that good or (more likely) because they’re bad enough that it just isn’t worth the risk of retribution. But what if your boss is a basically decent person who’s got some habits that wreak havoc on you Read More
How and When to Stick to Your Point
Public Speaking Requires Flexibility… When you’re trying to communicate with other people, you need to always be on your toes. And even when nothing goes technically wrong — like the lights going out, or a fire alarm sounding — there may be reasons to adjust what you’re doing: If your audience looks confused, it’s good Read More