People are often incredulous when I share my story about being trained as an actress and yet having such fear of public speaking. But acting is a skill based on saying the words of a character, not usually your own words. In acting there is no need to reveal your own thinking, whereas in public…
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As 2013 and the movie version of Les Miserables open, we can all use a little inspiration to remind us it is possible to fly and to spur us all on to new heights. No one did that better than Susan Boyle at her first audition of Britian’s Got Talent! Her is a video of…
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The tragic news of our 2012 Holiday Season is the sad deaths of children and teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. Much has been said and reported; and I don’t have anything to offer that can help the situation. My heart hurts for those families, friends and neighbors who are grieving this…
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Thinking on your feet is “streaming speech.” Just like video streams over the internet, streaming speech is flowing your words, thoughts and feelings unimpeded by mind control. People who are in a position to have to think on their feet usually have a deep well of knowledge and experience. Yet they often don’t trust themselves…
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No one knows how Abraham Lincoln sounded. But history has it that his voice was high-pitched and nasal. While it was not pleasant to listen to, his sound was able to cut through the noise of large crowds. It has been said that his voice floated over the crowds which would have made him an…
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Learning by doing is how we learn! Seems so simple. Yet old fashioned teaching methods have teachers, instructors and professors lecturing on and on and on and students tuning out. The flipped classroom concept allows students to watch short instructional videos outside of the classroom and then to practice skills in class while a teacher…
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Do you really want to make a difference? It’s easy! You don’t have to start a non-profit, give up your day job and travel to Africa to live among the poor or sell all your worldly possessions and donate the proceeds to a charity. All you have to do is tell someone he is good…
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A standing ovation is a spontaneous emotional response from an audience that is moved deeply by a speaker or performer. The only way to earn a standing ovation is to get naked! I don’t mean take off all your clothes, I mean take off all protection and pretense, and be emotional. When a presenter is…
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On August 29, 2012 The Houston Chronical reprinted a Chicago Tribune article on shyness in people who are single and breaking the bashful barrier. The article states that behind shyness is extreme self-consciousness. Shy people constantly worry that others are judging them, and they blame themselves for negative outcomes, so they choose to not do…
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In an interview with Charlie Rose, Steve Martin shared that his experience doing stand-up comedy at universities in the 1970s gave him a sense of confidence that people could smell. When Steve describes confidence this way, I think he means that he learned to create chemistry with his audiences. He learned to be so good…
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