It’s spring-like in New York these days, and the entire world seems to be waking up. This past week, I hung out at a jazz club, had dinner in a fancy restaurant, and went to a birthday gathering with 18 people, many of them strangers. None of that would be worth noting if it was Read More
public speaking skills
“Don’t Look Up”: How to Talk about the End of the World
NOTE: If you plan to see Don’t Look Up on Netflix, but haven’t done it yet…stop reading now, before the spoilers begin, and come back after you’ve watched the final credits! A Film about How We Communicate Since you’ve seen the movie, you know that (a) Kate Dibiasky has discovered a new comet that (b) Read More
We’re All Going Back to School. Again.
NOTE: Yes, this is about public speaking in the pandemic. Someday, I hope we’ll be able to read these old missives and think “how quaint.” Back to school used to be easy Sometime in August, you would: scrape up the money to buy your kid(s) some notebooks and new clothes, check out their bus route (or figure out the 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
The Starbucks Public Speaking Strategy: Talk To Large Groups Like They’re Individuals
Want to get more comfortable speaking to large groups? It’s easy with the Starbucks Strategy. To start, imagine that you’re in your local coffee shop. (Or health club, or grocery store, or multiplex…) You don’t hear much dull delivery, or see many bored audience members here, do you!? Everyone Speaks Well When They’re Speaking to Friends Read More