The Deconstructed Speech: Speech Writing Techniques Revealed

I’m going to be a little vulnerable here and let you see a video of me giving a new speech for the first time, practicing in front of a Toastmasters Club. It’s material that I will be developing into a longer keynote. If you watch the video (9:51), and then read the annotated speech below, […]

Interview with a Champion!

District 106 Toastmasters speech champion Kenzie Casciano and I had a fun video interview (34:55) with retired newscaster John Gross. Learn about Kenzie’s journey and get a few bonus comments from me, too!

Learn from Speech Evaluations

One of the most valuable aspects of participating in Toastmasters is getting feedback. At every meeting, speakers are evaluated by a peer. The video below (3:54) is an evaluation I did of a presentation at PowerTalk Toastmasters recently. This is also a short “showcase” of my skills as a presentation coach. The speaker wanted me to give […]

Speak with Confidence and Credibility Webinar (practice session)

In this 51-minute webinar practice video (I’m giving a webinar for the TCSHRM–Twin Cities Society for Human Resource Management in a couple of weeks), you will learn 6 Power Tips to Speaking with Confidence and Credibility (it’s not perfect, but I am modeling my belief in practice & dress rehearsal!): Structure with PREP Create Catchy […]

Just say, “No!”

I grew up in a home where “yes” meant “yes” and “no” meant “no.” And, conflict was not necessarily a problem. Not talking about issues was a problem. And, then I married into my husband’s Korean-Norwegian family (Korean mom, Norwegian dad). And I quickly learned that “No” doesn’t always mean “No.” Shortly after we were […]

Engage with Eye Contact (practice with a “fake” audience)

Video from my online course, No Fear Public Speaking PDF of 3 Faces for your “fake” audience (or just draw your own–you only really need eyes to look at). Learn to be a Confident Speaker! Take Diane’s Online Course, No Fear Public Speaking: Look, Sound and Feel Confident!

Speak Conversationally

You don’t want to sound robotic. You don’t want to sound scripted. The video above (3:21)  gives you some tips on speaking conversationally, which is one of many skills you will practice in my online course, No Fear Public Speaking. Below is the transcript of the video, which was transcribed (for only $0.40!) using TEMI […]

Stand Tall! Improve Your Speaking Posture

“Stand up straight!” my mother frequently nagged me  (I attained my adult height of 5’8” at age 12 and slouched to minimize my height). Poor posture is not something only tall teen girls deal with. It is pandemic, especially since so many of us hunch over phones or other devices, giving us “forward head” posture, […]

Public Speaking Secrets to Reducing Ums, Uhs & Filler Words

“Well, that was awful,” said Robert, a technical expert for an energy company, as he looked up from my iPad. He had just finished listening to my on-the-spot recording of his speech introduction. “I had no idea I said so many ‘ums.’” In the first 3 minutes of his speech introduction, he had said “um” […]