The Blog / Archive

Sometimes it feels like there’s a school of thought in public speaking training that “more is more.” Do more with your voice, more with your gestures, more with your movement. If some is good, more must be better! My view on this is that it gets confusing for the audience when we load up every word and syllable with vocal inflection and gestures. It’s too much to process. People don’t communicate like that generally, so we’re overwhelmed with messages when someone does their talk this way. If you recognize this tendency in yourself, good news: you can do less! It’s … Read more

One of my clients is up for a promotion, and we’ve been practicing the presentation she needs to give as part of that process. Recently she told me, “I practiced with a colleague the other day, and he told me that I look really serious. Do I need to smile more?” Sigh.  This is such a loaded topic, primarily, but not only, because women hear this advice so much more than men do.  I’ll tell you what I told her. “I think it sets a good tone when you find a way to be warm in the first 15-20 seconds … Read more

I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email! Do you ever have the experience of being sure you told someone an important something, but they don’t remember it? Or maybe you’re on other side of the exchange, with a friend or loved one insisting they mentioned a specific crucial topic to you, but you have no recollection of it? I have been noticing this in my own life lately, and … Read more

I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email! When you’re starting a presentation, challenge yourself to engage the audience from your very first words. The first minute or so when we’re speaking is the honeymoon period, when they are really ready to listen and be wowed, so you don’t want to waste it on boring introductions and thank-yous. Ask a question, say something surprising, or tell a short story that … Read more

I’m taking a sabbatical from writing new blog posts. You’ll be seeing some re-runs and old favorites for the next little while. You can always write me back with suggestions or ideas just by responding to this email! There’s an important tenet in theatre that I want to share with you. It’s this: if a prop gets dropped, or if something falls off someone’s costume, pick it up. Young actors often miss this. They’re thinking, “That wasn’t supposed to happen, so I should ignore it.”  But the audience can’t ignore it. They will be distracted by the dropped glove, the … Read more