My cousin once told me that she was stressed. When I asked her what was stressing her  she said, “It’s the little things.” I found that odd. If she got stressed by little things how would she handle major events? Richard Carlson, author of the best selling book,  Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, seemed to agree. But it turns out we may have been wrong. Harvard Business Review published an article by Rob Cross and Karen Dillon, entitled, The Hidden Toll of Microstress. What is microstress? It was determined that the “accumulation of small unnoticed events was affecting workers” well bein ..read more

The big day has finally arrived. You've rehearsed your presentation for months, and now it's time to step onto the stage. The spotlight hits, and suddenly, you realize—where is the audience? Anyone who’s been on a large stage knows that when all the lights are on you, the audience fades into darkness. You can’t see them, even though you know they’re right there in front of you. Or maybe your presentation is happening online—you're leading a webinar, and the audience is nowhere to be found. All you can see is your slide deck. How do you create a connection? Where do you focus? How can you tell ..read more

We attended the wake of my husband's friend. They had worked together at the back office of the NY Stock Exchange and were golf buddies. He passed away at age 78. He had been in the hospital so his passing was not a surprise. But it was still hard to believe he was gone. When we entered the funeral parlor we met the adult son. After expressing condolences, my husband started to tell stories about his friend to the son. The stories were comforting and enlightening. My husband confirmed that the deceased was a loyal friend and a good person. But the work stories about his skills and reputation ..read more

Do you know if your audience is listening? Can they be on a phone and still listen? How do you entice them to listen? It’s a given. Attention spans are shrinking. Your audience decides in seconds whether you are interesting and if your message is worth listening to. Here are common clues that your audience is listening. Eye Contact: Are they making steady eye contact with the speaker? Are they looking at the slides on the screen?  ·  Body Language: Audience members who are leaning forward with open body language are signaling that they are receptive to the message. Other body l ..read more

Remember the thrill of July 4th when you were a child? The excitement of Independence Day with fireworks, sparklers, barbecues, corn on the cob, and juicy watermelon. It was a joyous celebration of freedom and our nation's independence. But what if we celebrated another kind of independence? Imagine declaring Independence from Public Speaking Fear. Public speaking is an essential skill that isn't going anywhere, not even with the rise of artificial intelligence (though it can help make it easier). Picture yourself as a confident public speaker at work, equipped with the skills you need to succ ..read more

Think back to the last conference you attended. You were excited about a particular panel presentation. Maybe it was because of the topic or the presenter or both. You leaned forward in anticipation only to be disappointed. This recently happened to me. The panelists had interesting information but it wasn’t easy to follow. One of the panelists spoke too fast. Another had a tendency to mumble intermittently. And the last panelist was difficult to hear. Fortunately, the Audio Visual person quickly boosted the sound level to amplify her soft voice. Afterwards, I approached the AV team to offer ..read more

"Can't hear you." "Use the mic." Nothing is more frustrating for an audience than a speaker who cannot be heard. It doesn’t take a professional speaker to use a microphone effectively, but there will come a time when a subject matter expert or volunteer will need to step up and speak in public. Whether it’s a wedding toast, a thank you for an award, guesting on a podcast, or making an announcement over the PA system, using a microphone effectively is crucial to ensure your message is heard and to demonstrate professionalism. Types of Microphones Handheld Microphones Watch the YouTube Short ..read more

In American baseball the pitcher can make or break a ball game. The best pitchers warm up, they know the right strategy- whether to strike out the batter or let them walk, They vary their pitch and never lose confidence. Well, you don’t have to play baseball to pitch. In business you will be making pitches whether it’s an elevator pitch, a sales pitch, a media pitch, a job interview pitch, an investor pitch, or pitching an idea to your manager. Michael Quinn, the founder of Minor Nobles, the NYC-based consultancy, conducted a study to learn about what makes a good pitch. There were 1800 respo ..read more

Are you losing opportunities because of the sound of your voice? Have you ever heard a voice that was velvety and inviting? What about a voice that sounded like nails on a chalkboard? Recently, I attended a virtual program The webinar was about a new app. I was interested in the topic and took out my journal ready to take notes. What happened next was jarring. The presenter’s voice started to get in the way of the message. There were three reasons her voice was so irritating: Vocal fry. She had that low pitched gravely Kim Kardashian voice that is so popular in the media especially for fema ..read more

In today's technologically driven world, artificial intelligence (AI) is being integrated into many aspects of life including public speaking.. From chatbots to driverless vehicles, AI's influence is reshaping industries and changing the way we interact with technology. And AI is making an important impact in the area of public speaking, transforming the way speeches are crafted, delivered, and received. AI-Powered Speech Analytics One of the most important AI  public speaking applications is speech analysis. Algorithms can evaluate speeches and presentations with impressive accuracy, pr ..read more