“People don’t usually talk to us the way you just did.”   Back in February, I got into a bit of a hairy travel situation while attempting to travel home from Calgary, with a serious dumping of snow over multiple days in Eastern Canada that wreaked havoc on any and all flights going in my ..read more

Who hasn’t felt a little (or a lot) nervous before public speaking, with the thought of “what if I mess up?” loop playing in your head? But here’s the thing: those nerves don’t have to take over. With 3 steps, you can turn those nerves into confidence and deliver a presentation that leaves your audience saying, “Wow, they nailed it!” Check out this 1.5 minute video to learn how ..read more

At around dinnertime on a recent work trip in Columbus Ohio to deliver a presentation and communication training program, I faced the “Big Dilemma” of traveling alone: Should I eat alone at a restaurant, or get room service takeout to bring up to my hotel room? It seemed like such a straightforward question. But it ..read more

  “What quality makes a GREAT speaker?” I ask this question in many of my corporate training programs, and my audience usually provides a variety of interesting responses — including ONE particular quality that is brought up each and every time. They’re not wrong. But they’re not 100% right either. There’s one very necessary question ..read more

I get that this blog generally isn’t the place to share gardening photos. But hear me out… In past years, I would always plant a small garden in my backyard. I would plant “a bunch of stuff” (that’s my technical gardening term for cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, and whatever else I was ready to experiment ..read more

  According to a report by The Harris Poll and Grammarly, 75% of business leaders say they spend too much time and energy resolving miscommunications in the workplace. But here’s what really caught my attention: The article states that U.S. businesses lose a staggering $1.2 trillion annually due to poor communication! So let’s consider this: When communication falters, productivity takes a nosedive, morale gets squashed, and growth stumbles. Confusion, error or frustration as a result of miscommunications result in missed opportunities, failed connections, costs going up, deadlines get ..read more

  I was so excited to see that my book, From Nervous to Nailed It, has been featured on Shepherd.com‘s top list of “Best Books for Nice People to Be More Persuasive.” This article is insightfully written by Shelle Rose Charvet, CSP, HoF, GSF,  influence and persuasion expert, accomplished (and hilarious) speaker, all-around nice person, and best-selling author of Words That Change Minds, which has been in my go-to business book library for at least 5 years – and which I still refer to every now and then when I need a good persuasion refresher. What I love mo ..read more

You’ve got a presentation coming up, and you’re excited, you’re nervous, you’re ready to share your message and uplevel your visibility. So what’s your first step? Get your slides together, of course! But….wait! Can I convince you of trying a different, not-necessarily-intuitive-but-far-more-effective-way? Put your slides to the side — and start this way instead The process of creating a presentation goes far beyond putting information on a slide, throwing in a few images, and then delivering it to your audience. If the speaker does not have strong clarity on both the objective of their prese ..read more

Have you ever met a complete stranger who recognizes and knows you because they were once impacted by something that you said, and they never forgot it? Have YOU ever had a chance to meet someone who had an impact on your life – a speaker, author, mentor, teacher– and you never forgot it? We don’t always realize that when we speak up and share our expertise, we may be making a huge difference in someone’s personal or professional lives. Imagine having a huge impact on someone’s life…and not even knowing it! I recently had a chance to personally meet and connect with someone who I first saw sp ..read more

  A presentation mistake, public speaking mistake, or communication mistake — just don’t do it! A few years ago, I attended a networking group meeting where the organizers regularly gave a different member 20 minutes to present themselves and what they do. Pretty standard practice for many networking groups, and nicely supportive of their members. And it provided me with a real-life example of a presentation mistake that I – and maybe you, and the collective “we” – don’t want to make. On this particular night, a real estate agent was given this opportunity. And from the looks of it, she ..read more