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Ignite your power to communicate.

We coach people to make a fundamental shift in the way they understand their own power to communicate.

We help people feel seen and heard so that they can do their best work.

A little routine for when you’re freaking out.

When you’re nervous, your body can start to betray you. Your hands or voice may shake, or maybe you suddenly can’t quite get your breath. Here’s a quick routine to get you back in your body, and get your body back on your side.  Roll your shoulders all the way around their sockets. Forward, up, …

“Hot! Behind you!”

I have been rewatching some old seasons of “Top Chef,” the reality show where chefs compete over several weeks, and one wins, and they cook lots of amazing-looking things. There is a lot of activity, and hustle, and there’s a deadline, just like in a real kitchen. You need to get your dish cooked and …

A plea to audiences

Extend your generosity. When you’re in the audience and the speaker says “um,” mispronounces a word, or seems a little nervous, give them a break. As long as they are prepared, and they’re trying to make a connection with you, give them the benefit of the doubt. If, on the other hand, the speaker seems …

Let’s get rid of “elevator speeches.”

The idea of an “elevator speech” or “pitch” is that you have something concise at the ready when someone, in an elevator, asks, “What are you up to these days?” Your time is limited! The floors are ticking by! WHAT WILL YOU SAY?! An elevator speech gives you a way to respond that’s better than …

Don’t rush to put out that fire.

A client recently had a wonderful insight that I wanted to share. You know how sometimes we talk about “putting out fires” to describe solving urgent problems at work? My client pointed out that even firefighters take a minute to plan before they get to work. In fact, the planning is built into their process: …

The two tests every presentation must pass

When you’re crafting your presentation, start by figuring out two important things. First, you need to be able to boil your message down to a sentence or two. What are you trying to convey? What’s the kernel of your content? This shouldn’t be a multi-paragraph summary of details. Instead, spend some time determining the main …

Everybody’s got a language pet peeve (what’s yours?)

There are SO MANY lists, articles, and videos that spotlight the writer’s “don’t ever do this” language pet peeves. For added credibility, they sometimes claim to reflect “the grammar mistakes that drive your manager crazy” or “eight words that always undermine your public speaking.” Here’s my take. There’s no definitive list of language pitfalls that …

Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Some folks come to us for coaching after years of feeling bad about how they communicate. They got some harsh feedback, or maybe they didn’t do a great job on a presentation, and now their internal story is “I’m not good at this.” I’m not sure why public speaking, in particular, brings out so many …

Can I ask a favor? (I need you!)

Can I ask a favor? About 30% of the people who subscribe to this blog read it on a regular basis. That’s great! That means that you’re probably one of those people. Even better! 🙂 Here comes the favor. Is there someone you know who would appreciate the techniques, thoughts, and tips that I share …

You’re already good at public speaking.

Everyone is a good communicator in most situations. When the stakes are low and you feel comfortable, you don’t even think about how you’re speaking. The words flow, and you connect. The trick to “public speaking” is to remember how you communicate naturally even when you’re in circumstances that don’t feel natural. For most people, …

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