Once in a while, an idea comes along which changes all the other ideas that I am teaching. I met that idea this week at The UP Experience in Houston.  Among the cadre of sixteen awesome speakers, who were all thought leaders in their fields, was Dr. Brené Brown.  Dr. Brené Brown is a writer, researcher, [...]

   Have you noticed how there will be some people in your audience who shine like headlights at you?  For some reason they are already with you and are beaming attention at you!  Learn to look for the lights in your audience members to absorb love and support for your talk. Link up with their energy [...]

  Presence is a palpable sense of being all here – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It gives you a masterful command of yourself and it commands the attention of others. Presence is spiritual in nature. It is the embodiment of spirit. Through simple mental and physical practices, you can develop this power. Actors develop presence [...]

  Sean  Buvala  at storyteller.net has written an awesome post on using stories for apologies and healing.  He says that “Storytelling can be used for many different applications. One of the most difficult, but needed, application of storytelling is to express reconciliation, repentance and recompense.” Sean lists five steps that help create a story of redemption: [...]

  The trick to awesome speaking is not looking good on the outside, but feeling good on the inside.  You must build an inner foundation of comfort in your skin, presence, internal fullness and receptivity to the flow of other’s attention.   What trips people up about speaking is often the internal tension that distracts [...]

  Everyday about 5 pm, I drive past a street fighter at the corner of Westheimer and Shadowbriar.  Really!  A street fighter!  For at least a year, I have seen this man, maybe 30 years old, dressed in fight gear, hat, gloves, armbands, shorts.  He dances on the corner, fighting with an invisible opponent.  Once [...]

  When one journey ends, another begins.  But sometimes, maybe, you have to wait to see the next path. A little over 20 years ago, I started the journey of learning to transform stage fright and fear of public speaking so that I and others could connect with the power of presence when speaking or [...]

Imagine my thrill as I read respected author Seth Godin declare that any great presenter must have two qualities – respect from the audience and love for the audience!  Take a look at his post at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/the-two-elements-of-a-great-presenter.html.. Then read my post at http://www.self-expression.com/speaking-freely/don%e2%80%99t-talk-to-strangers-how-caring-for-your-audience-helps-stage-fright-and-fear-of-public-speaking/ Love is a vibrational frequency that attracts.  Love is not only the answer [...]

Many speakers allow their listeners to ask them questions, but not many ask questions of the audience.  Ellen Finklestein of ellenfinklestein.com writes an excellent article about asking questions of your audience.  I will let you read her article for yourself. At the end of her article she says it is important to plan your questions carefully.  [...]

This week, Andrew Dlugan’s Six Minutes Blog on Public Speaking and Presentation Skills published my guest article “9 Steps to Conquer Nerves and Communicate Clearly in Interviews.”  This article is only published on Six Minutes.  You can read the entire article.  Thanks Andrew for the opportunity to share!