Preparation. It's a simple term. Sometimes we do it well. Sometimes we do not. Have you ever run a marathon? I have not, nor is it a bucket list item. However, for the purposes of this conversation, let's stick with the marathon theme. If you were thinking about running a marathon, you would not wake up the morning of the race and say, “You know what? Today is the day I’m putting on my shorts. I’m putting on a pair of tennis shoes I’ve never worn before, and I’m going to get out there and run 26 miles!” This would not be a good idea. You’re going to need to prepare for a while in anticipation ..read more

Do you have an idea, a proposal, a message, a story that you want to share with the world, but you don’t feel like you can because you have a fear of public speaking. Well, let me tell you that there are tips and techniques that you can absolutely use that will help you to overcome the nerves associated with the fear of public speaking. Practice! Practice! Practice! Most of us hate the term "practice" because it sounds like work. Well guess what? It is work! It’s absolutely work. But hard work pays off. And you’ll find that if you follow the technique I coach in my SpeakersTrainingCamp progra ..read more

"Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." Yes, and no. A few years ago, a new marketing manager joined our team. To onboard, he and I went out to stores and had conversations to get to know each other. At the end of our time together, he said, “Christy, I have a question. I have really big shoes to fill and I’m new to this team. What do you think I should do?” I looked at him very thoughtfully. And I said, “Just do you. Just do you!” Over the years, I have coached hundreds of people to become confident and dynamic presenters. One of the ways I encourage people to overcome their fear and n ..read more

If you are one of the three out of four people who have a fear of public speaking, I want to share with a tip that will help you manage those nerves when it comes to public speaking. Think back to your high school days or your college days when you were sitting in a class and the professor just lectured. It was so boring and you just had to sit there and endure it. Unfortunately, that’s the case in a lot of presentations we listen to, even today. We thought we left that in college and high school, but alas, we did not leave it behind. As an audience member, I personally I want to be entertain ..read more

When I was young, whenever I had the hiccups, people would say it was a sign that I was growing. Well, considering I am pretty short in stature, I'm not sure how true that assumption was. Hiccups always seem to come as a surprise. Whenever it happens, I find myself racking my brain for home remedies to make them go away. Why do we get hiccups? What should you do to get rid of them, especially if it happens when you are speaking? Here is a great article I ran across in The Chicago Tribune titled "How to Get Rid of Hiccups." "Doing What I Love ..read more

If you have been speaking for a while, you have likely experienced someone in the audience who constantly interrupts, challenges your authority, or is just down right disrespectful when you are trying to speak. We call these lovely people "bullies" or "hecklers." If you haven't yet experienced it, WONDERFUL! If you have and aren't yet clear on how to manage it, here's a great article in Entrepreneur.com that addresses it perfectly. "Doing What I Love ..read more

I received a text from a good friend of mine this morning, who mentioned she had "recently come under fire" for explaining how she broke generations of family racism by raising her children to "not see color." We had a quick but powerful text conversation about the good intent, but fallacy in her philosophy. In the midst of the continued racism in our country heightened by the latest senseless killing of George Floyd, she and many other non-black Americans are "talking, guiding, searching, and stumbling around here" trying to have the "right" conversations and say the right things to make "it ..read more

We have all probably witnessed it...those side conversations in the audience while someone else is presenting. Has this ever happened to you? As the leader of your presentation, the audience will look to you to handle and manage the rudeness. So, what do you do? In this week's episode of my new video series ",Empowered Speakers Want To Know," where I address many of the sticky situations we run into when presenting, I answer this question for you in 4 minutes! ,Watch the video and ,subscribe to my channel to get automatic updates on future weekly episodes ..read more

You take the time to prepare your presentation slides, handouts, posters, and materials. You have a limited amount of time for your presentation and you need to manage your time wisely. So, when and how do you take questions from the audience? In this week's episode of my new video series ",Empowered Speakers Want To Know," where I address many of the sticky situations we run into when presenting, I answer this question for you in 5 minutes! ,Watch the video and ,subscribe to my channel to get automatic updates on future weekly episodes ..read more

It only takes one person in the audience to hijack your presentation. It starts innocently enough. You ask a question. Someone raises their hand to answer the question. You hand them the mic... Why is this a problem? In this week's episode of my new video series "Empowered Speakers Want To Know," where I address many of the sticky situations we run into when presenting, I address this dilemma for you in 3 minutes! Watch the video and subscribe to my channel to get automatic updates on future weekly episodes ..read more