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I love the month of May for a few reasons: it’s my birthday month, the weather is warming up (I LOVE hot weather!), and I can start doing my walks by the lake again. Can you say Winning!! May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. And if you’re someone who’s uncomfortable with public speaking, just the […]

Confidence, Nervousness, Preparation

May 12, 2023

5 Ways Speakers Can Protect their Mental Health

It’s a new year and you may be thinking about what resources you need that will help you accomplish your goals. If you’ve been telling yourself year after year that you need to improve your public speaking and presentation skills, and this year has to be different – you may consider working with a public […]

Confidence, Preparation, Q & A

January 20, 2023

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Working with a Public Speaking Coach

I can’t believe we are winding down the last month of 2022 already! It seems like we just started the year. I pray you are taking time to enjoy yourself and not getting overwhelmed with all the hustle and bustle that often comes in December. Below is a great article from Black Speakers Network that […]

Confidence, Speaking Tips

December 25, 2022

10 Inspiring Toasts for a Memorable Holiday Celebration

It’s that time of year for holiday parties and small talk can be an anxiety-inducing situation for some introverts. It doesn’t have to be though! Here are a few tips to make the experience less stressful and more easygoing: 1️⃣Asking open-ended questions allows the other person to give you answers that let you get to […]

Confidence, Engagement, Nervousness

November 23, 2022

Holiday Small Talk Tips for Introverts

  Even though in-person events have returned (thank God!), virtual events are here to stay. Virtual events are a different animal from in-person events, and that includes audience engagement. You have to be intentional about HOW you engage them, WHEN to engage them, and the WHY behind your engagement tactic. Yes it’s that deep. After […]

Confidence, Engagement, Nervousness, Speaking Tips, Virtual Meetings, Zoom

September 23, 2022

5 Virtual Engagement Tips

If you’ve ever looked out into your audience and noticed confusing looks on their faces – it can feel unsettling to you as a speaker! You’re wondering why they look that way. There are a host of reasons, but here are three major ones:  Your speech has no real structure and is going all over […]

Confidence, Preparation, Speaking Tips, Stage Presence

June 4, 2022

3 Reasons Why You’re Confusing Your Audience

You were feeling confident before your speech. But after speaking for a few minutes, those butterflies start flying out of control in your stomach. 😳 So what can you do to calm yourself and finish your speech on a high note? 1. Focus on why the audience needs to hear your message. Always keep their […]

Confidence, Nervousness, Preparation, Speaking Tips

April 24, 2022

3 Tips for When You Get Nervous While Speaking

I was speaking to a friend recently, and she said something that made my ears perk up. We were discussing one of her challenges when it comes to public speaking. She said, “I feel like I have to say things differently for a white audience…code-switching. But I want to speak how I really want to […]

Confidence, Preparation, Speaking Tips, Stage Presence

September 27, 2021

Code-Switching in Public Speaking

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This photo of me was taken in 2014 when I won first place in the Humorous Speech Contest for my Toastmasters International district. As you can see here, I am all smiles as it was truly one of the happiest days of my life. However… What you DON’T see is all that happened behind the […]

Confidence, Engagement, Nervousness, Preparation, Speaking Tips, Speech Competitions, Zoom

August 17, 2021

What People DON’T See

Toastmaster Winner

“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar I love this quote by the late great Zig Ziglar, a well-known motivational speaker and author. I think most of us have the genuine desire to be great at something, but taking those necessary steps to become great is […]

Confidence, Preparation, Speaking Tips

December 29, 2018

4 Ways to Become A Better Public Speaker