A few days ago, I was working with one of my clients on how to handle a speaking situation that strikes fear in the hearts of many:  IMPROMPTU SPEAKING. This feels intimidating for good reason! You had no time to prepare in advance and don’t want to look incompetent in front of your audience, whether […]

A couple of days ago, I received this message: “I have a small presentation today and I am very, very nervous. If I mess up once, I get flustered and rush through the rest as fast as I can. I try to tell myself it’s gonna be over before I know it, but I’m still […]

As a speaker, you have to be prepared for ANYTHING to happen – including technical difficulties! It can still be a nerve-wracking experience though when things do go wrong. And presentation slides not working is one of those situations I’ve seen happen more than once unfortunately. Check out my six top tips for how to […]

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 […]

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 […]

  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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Greetings! I hope you have had a joyous holiday with your loved ones.  Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I love all the happy feelings that come with it and spending time with my family. However, I saw a social media post recently that gave me pause: “Christmas feels more like a deadline than a holiday.” […]

One common way that many speakers can negatively impact their credibility is by using crutch or filler words throughout their presentation. If you’re not familiar with this term, it means the words that we use when we’re not sure what to say next or to buy us time to find the right word we want to […]