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“Is it ok to use notes?” “What’s the right way to use notes when speaking?” These are the two most common questions I hear when it comes to speech notes. First, let me make it clear that it IS OK to bring your trusty notes with you. I have been to conferences where I was […]

Preparation, Speaking Tips, Stage Presence

August 13, 2022

If you want to use notes, there are 5 things you must do

Using notes

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

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

barcode

Virtual work meetings from home have become a way of life for many of us over the past few months. Just when one meeting ends, another one is scheduled to begin. All those back-to-back virtual meetings can start to wear on you after a while, and cause “Zoom fatigue” (this can happen with any virtual […]

Engagement, Stage Presence, Virtual Meetings

September 14, 2020

3 Tips for Staying Energetic in Virtual Meetings

woman in meeting

I attended the Power Networking Conference in Houston at the end of June. This is an annual event created by Dr. George Fraser – master networker, entrepreneur, and author – where the brightest business minds converge in one place. I attended the dynamic “Art and Science of Sales” workshop by Linda Clemons, a sales and […]

Engagement, Speaking Tips, Speaking Tools, Stage Presence

August 12, 2019

What’s In A Name? Use Your Audience Members’ Names

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 […]

Confidence, Nervousness, Preparation, Speaking Tips, Speaking Tools, Stage Presence

December 21, 2018

Shhhhh…When You Should Pause

Over the past seven years, I’ve competed in quite a few speech competitions. I’m still an active member of the Toastmasters International organization, and speech contests happen twice a year during the spring and fall. One of the proudest and happiest moments of my life was when I placed first, out of 8 contestants, in […]

Speaking Tips, Speech Competitions, Stage Presence, Storytelling

May 22, 2018

5 Tips for being an Unforgettable Speaker

The big day of your presentation is almost here and you’ve been doing your best to ensure everything goes as planned. You’ve prepared your PowerPoint slides, rehearsed your speech a hundred times, visualized yourself wowing the audience and them fawning over you (well maybe this is going a little overboard), and now you should be […]

Speaking Tips, Stage Presence

June 5, 2017

5 TIPS FOR YOUR BEST SPEAKING VOICE

I recently attended the annual fundraising banquet for a local chapter of a well-known, national nonprofit organization. The event was held at a very classy restaurant on the water and attendees were certainly dressed to the nines: from floor-length gowns to cocktail dresses to tuxedos – there was definitely an atmosphere of elegance. So you […]

Humor, Speaking Tips, Stage Presence

October 7, 2016

SAY WHAT? FOUR HUMOR TIPS WHEN YOU’RE THE EVENT MC