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There seems to be an inherent insecurity around being able to accomplish good public speaking consistently. Even people who are skilled speakers worry about “losing the magic” or not being “in the zone.” I get it—I’ve definitely had experiences when it feels like a talk I’m giving reaches a place it hasn’t gone before, where all the cylinders are firing in a brand-new way. But when we let ourselves believe that it’s a fluke, that the planets just happened to align that one day, then we let ourselves off the hook for doing a great job every time.  Dancers, athletes, … Read more

There’s a difference. You can prepare yourself. You might memorize your speech, or choose your outfit. You could review your notes just before you go on. But preparing for your audience is different. It requires thinking about the entire experience from their viewpoint. What do they want to hear? How do they hope to feel when it’s over? Do they need to learn something in particular? How can you create your talk to lead to the outcome they’re interested in ( or that they’ll be surprised and delighted by?) Sometimes (often, actually) we have to sacrifice some of what makes … Read more

This post originally came out in August of 2020. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of “good enough,” and you’ll see more about that in this space soon. (Thanks, KH!) We can’t be great at everything. It is reasonable, and smart, to decide to focus our skill and resources on getting really good at just a few things. But in the process of specializing, it’s worth taking look at what we have decided goes in the “it’s fine to be ‘good enough’ at this” column. And then the question is, “good enough” for whom? For what? In … Read more

I’m rethinking what this blog might be. I love writing for you, and I’m curious about what you find interesting and useful. Monday’s and today’s posts are new ones, and Friday’s post will be a rerun. If you have ideas about what you’d like to see in this space, please drop me an email! One of the most satisfying moments I experience as a coach is pretty subtle. It happens when we’ve been working together on something that’s challenging for them, something that requires changing an old habit, and you see them adjust in the moment. I’ll give you an … 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! “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.” Spock, the rational thinker, makes decisions based on the greater good. Who will benefit? One individual, or many?  A moment may come when you need to start preparing for a speech, presentation, meeting, or event. You won’t feel like it. You may think there’s plenty of time later, … 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! You know those actors you really love? The ones who make you cry. Who inhabit their characters so completely it’s hard for you to believe they’re real people. Who make you laugh with recognition and delight. The actors you seek out because they bring insight and thoughtfulness and humanity to whatever play, movie, or show they’re in. Those actors speak lines someone … 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! We got to work with a small group of people recently who were all practicing short introductions. These were about a minute long and served the purpose of kicking off a “lunch and learn” type of event.  One minute. Short enough to maybe not bother really preparing, but definitely long enough to set the tone, for better or worse. When we find … 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! They say that, when you start running for exercise, you need to give yourself ten minutes to get warmed up and start feeling good.  I suggest you apply the same formula to practicing. Give it ten minutes of focused effort to get over the hump of not wanting to do it, feeling silly, whatever.  Ten minutes of focused practice. By the time … Read more

Putting in the work. Bit by bit, over days and weeks and months, we can get better at something. Problem is, we often don’t think about putting in the work until it really matters—and then it’s too late. There are so many things we’ve learned this way, though. When we were small, everything was like this—walking, talking, reading, shapes, you name it. We had to learn everything there is to know, and we had to do it one tiny bit at a time. Oh, and we had to fail, a lot. As adults, though, we want to skip straight to … Read more