Most panels, in-person or virtual, are not done very well. A panel should be a stimulating conversation between individuals who bring passion and different insights on the topic. The audience can become engaged and join the conversation. Unfortunately, that scenario doesn’t happen often enough. Instead,...

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When I received the invitation to give a TED Talk a few years ago, I was already an experienced speaker and coach, but I didn’t know that a journey of fellowship and organic practice lay ahead. First, there was a fellowship among the diverse group...

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So, let’s talk about, you know, those uh filler words. We call them “non-words,” right? They make you sound, like, unprofessional and less sure of yourself. These seven filler words are the most common. There is no doubt you’ve noticed them finding their way into...

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You can research a million papers, articles, and books on Presence. In our experience, there are five essential elements that make up the foundation of Presence. 1.) Body Language People interpret poor posture and restless movement as a lack of confidence. Good posture gives you...

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For a long time, we dismissed storytelling as inappropriate fluff. We followed Aristotle’s (384-322 BC) belief that people were essentially rational and made decisions based on persuasive procedure and reasonable argument. But in the 1980s, Walter Fisher (1931-2018) introduced the idea that we experience life...

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Why Learn Public Speaking? I smile when someone says, “I don’t need public speaking in my job.” Getting on your feet and speaking to a group of people is a practice in human expression that goes back more than 2500 years. It’s in our DNA,...

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Stories engage people in a way that analytical content cannot. The reason is connected to human biology and the dichotomy of brain function.  The left brain handles linear thinking–numbers, letters, logic, and sequence. The right brain thinks in pictures and color — it loves to...

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