How to tell if you’re confident
It often surprises my clients that they actually come across confidently when speaking. As they were standing in front of the group they felt nervous and they were sure they came across this way. Some who feel nervous but don’t look that way are shocked to hear listeners report they didn’t see their nerves. Could .. read more
Every Day Mantra for Attorneys and Other Introverts
“Get Out There” You may be a leader, a business developer, a trainer or a co-worker. Any of these roles require noticing how your efforts affect others. If you’re daily activities include research, analysis, drafting or any other form of content-creation, you, in part, do justice to your profession while you remain in a passive .. read more
The Wrong Feedback – Dangerous to Introvert Speakers
Introverts have what it takes to speak well. And just like extroverts, they need constructive feedback to improve and stay motivated to speak in front of groups. Unfortunately they are frequently compared to extroverts. And even more often, they compare themselves to extroverts dismissing their own value. Introverts are dismissive of their value when they say to themselves .. read more
Had a bad experience as a presenter? It’s time for a good one.
Not only is it common for people to have bad experiences presenting, bad presentations happen to all of us, even the best speakers. (By the way, most of us who speak a lot have learned our craft after bad experiences.) After one of these experiences is a perfect time to get in front of a neutral observer to .. read more
When You Let Someone Observe You
Back in the early 1980’s I often was observed. A soon-to-be new education graduate of Bowling Green State University, in my last semester I spent 90 days in the classroom, assessing my mentor-teachers’ methods, teaching style, management of the classroom and creativity. Soon the tables would turn. Since I was assigned to several teachers because .. read more
Slow down for thinking.
Need more conviction in your speaking? When’s the last time you gave yourself permission to think through what you will say? If you wish to speak with conviction, slow down to think. Brainstorming, gathering information, seeking perspective and bouncing your ideas off another person leads to our ability to speak with conviction. Not only is this .. read more
2 Tips after a Job Well Done
We are constantly growing or falling backwards. So it stands to reason that any time we speakers/performers feel we have done well in front of an audience, whether accomplishing our intent (entertain, persuade, inform, call to action, etc.) or surviving the event unscathed, we are most ready for constructive feedback. I used to hear from .. read more
It’s Okay to Get Feedback
Several of my clients as well as many in my network are on the speaking “circuit”. Whether they are the thought-leaders in their industry or just commonly called on to provide entertaining and informative content, they regularly get on a platform (webinar, panel discussion, presenter, workshop leader) to present content. One of the ways I have been .. read more
Performance Reviews – they are worth a speaker’s time
Thanks to a class I am taking through the National Speaker Association, I have returned to the practice of asking for feedback at the conclusion of each of my presentations. NSA highly suggests using a form of evaluation, suggesting we speakers craft our own form with the intent to get specific feedback beyond a rating or .. read more
Validation or Education – Which feedback do you want?
We watched her struggle through her presentation, rambling on about the points she thought she should make, voicing thoughts and finding examples, yet not sold on anything herself. Her stream of consciousness speaking, evident by her inner-focus and demonstrated by her commitment to talking through her thoughts, gave her the chance to produce some poignant, .. read more
