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 […]

There are times when you will have to give the same presentation numerous times, to numerous audiences. This is especially true if you work in a field where you have to train groups of people, such as sales, human resources, or insurance. Let’s face it – sometimes it can start to feel a little boring […]

One of my favorite holidays is here! Thanksgiving is when many of us reflect on our blessings and enjoy the fellowship of family and friends. This is also the time of year when many clothing and food collection drives pop up across the country, to help our community members in need. This past weekend, I […]

  Have you ever started reading a book, and found it tough to continue reading because the first few pages didn’t grab your attention? Or have you watched a movie that just dragggggged in the beginning? Both situations are painful to endure! Imagine how an audience feels when listening to a speech or presentation that […]

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 […]

The other night, I was at a meeting where there was a guest speaker.  I knew the gentleman, but more on an acquaintance level. So my ears perked up when the meeting MC began to formally introduce him to the group, since it’s always interesting what you learn about someone from their introduction. It started […]

What do you do when a lot is riding on your speech, and you need to grab the audience’s attention IMMEDIATELY? I had a coaching client contact me recently about a very important speech she had coming up in just a few days. She is an elementary school psychologist, and also occasionally tutors children in […]

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 […]

I know – getting up to speak in front of an audience is a big accomplishment in itself!  You crossed the first hurdle of deciding your topic, jumped over the next hurdle of creating the content, soared towards the finish line by practicing, and dived over the finish line to victory by presenting your speech. […]

“I don’t even know what her speech was about.”  This is what my mother said to me about the keynote speaker at the breast cancer survivors’ luncheon she recently attended.  I wasn’t sure if my mother meant that the speech wasn’t memorable, or that she didn’t get it.  I asked her to clarify a bit […]