Surprise! I hate surprises. Yes, there is such a thing as “pleasant surprises,” like discovering my kids cleaned their room without being told (that WOULD be a surprise!). But in general, I do NOT like surprises. And I don’t just mean the jump-out-of-a-box...
Claiming vs. Violating Space One key ingredient for personal presence, as well as excellent public speaking skills, is the ability to claim space. When you claim space, you expand your awareness beyond your own personal space bubble, fill the area around you with your...
Can You Be Too Authentic? I am a huge proponent of authenticity: Know yourself. Present the truth about yourself to others. Allow the real you to be seen. In fact, earlier this week I posted these very sentiments on social media. But here’s the caveat: Not...
3 Ways to Fascinate Your Audience Awhile back, my family and I visited the middle-of-nowhere podunk town of Goldendale, WA and its observatory. The girls got to reposition the telescope, we looked at the sun (through filters, of course) and Sirius, and then...
Be Silent. Be Still. Do you want or need to get people’s attention? You can get it with volume and movement: yelling and screaming and waving your arms. It’s hard to resist looking, when you hear a sudden squawk from a baby or voices raised in an argument,...
From Talking to Speaking to … Presenting Awhile back, I observed a man give a twenty-minute presentation at a formal event. He leaned one elbow on the podium, making occasional languid gestures, as he meandered his way through his points and finally closed....
