10 Ways to Deal with Someone Who Talks Too Much on the Phone or in an Online Meeting
You’re on a Zoom meeting or a phone call and someone doesn’t stop talking, making it hard to exit or to hear from others in a meeting. Below are 10 tips for taking control of a conversation and bringing it to a close in a professional and (mostly) graceful manner.
The Link Between Performance Anxiety and Stuttering
Performance anxiety (or stage fright) is a subset of glossophobia — the fear of public speaking. It’s estimated that 77% of the population suffers from some level of anxiety regarding public speaking. Some physical symptoms of this are sweating, increased heart rate, and muscle tension. This can also manifest behaviorally through stuttering. How performance anxiety […]
4 Ways Female Leaders Can Grow Their Confidence In & Out of the Workplace
Regardless of whether you’re working in-person or remotely, a major key to succeeding in these environments is confidence. Similarly, self-esteem is also important for personal growth, development and fulfillment. While some may be born with confidence, it doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. Especially for female leaders, their self-esteem in and out of the workplace […]
How to Get People to Speak Up in Virtual Meetings
It’s been almost 2 years since almost everyone has had to participate in virtual meetings. We’ve gotten better at it, but if you lead or facillitate virtual meetings, you may still struggle with getting people to speak up. A recent Harvard Business Review article, How to Get People to Speak up in Virtual Meetings, has […]
Speaker Introductions: Engage & Connect BEFORE You Speak!
You’ve worked hard on your speech, but have you thought about how you will be introduced? A good speaker introduction can get your audience leaning forward with anticipation. A bad introduction can put people to sleep! Below is a how-to video on creating a speaker introduction. The template steps in the video are:1. Audience-Focused opening2. […]
Shape of a Story
When you tell a story, you want to engage your audience from start to finish. You can plan an engaging story, if you follow the typical story plot or shape. The basic elements of a story are: A. Context (Time, place, characters, goals)B. Challenge (inciting incident/obstacle)C. Rising Action (more obstacles or events leading to . […]
Getting Real. Getting Helpful. Getting Clients to Improve Presentations.
I believe that the fastest way to improve your presentations is to get feedback on areas to improve and specific ideas to try, including watching video of yourself. And then, change! Try out the ideas and get more feedback so that you are continually improving. While I strive to be encouraging in my coaching, I […]
Free Online Course on Impromptu Speaking for Business
Would you like to speak off the top of your head without sounding like you’ve lost your mind? Have you ever tripped over your tongue or rambled on without making a point during a meeting? Have you ever been gripped by fear when someone asks you a question and your mind goes blank? Yes? It’s […]
Telling Facts vs. Telling a Story
In the video below, I give an example of fleshing out a fact with a story to create greater engagement and buy-in.
Can You Figure Out this Riddle?
In the short video below, I share a riddle so that you can see how a story can flesh out facts and make your ideas, your products, and your services easier for people to visualize.