Blog

Are you the hero or the sidekick?   Do circumstances conspire against you, or are you clever and indefatigable?   What’s your happy ending?   What happens next?

When things aren’t going your way, what story do you tell yourself?   When you’re tired and grumpy, what dos the voice in your head say?   When you’ve made a mistake, how do you feel?   Think about whether these reactions working for you. Are they setting you up for success? Are they making …

You’ve probably read or heard this quote from Maya Angelou:   People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.   Of course, she is right. I would add, though, that we often feel a certain way because of something someone says …

I check the weather before I travel. I want to know what type of clothes to pack, whether I might need an umbrella, what shoes are going to work for what I’m planning to do, etc.   We can check the weather, so to speak, before high-stakes conversations, too. What is the environment like where …

I was talking to a client recently who bemoaned the fact that a presentation she had given ”felt like I regressed.” She was frustrated that she had rushed, not landed her thoughts, and generally not done as good a job as she thought she was capable of.   Think about cleaning out your attic or …

The first and most important rule of improvisation is “Yes, And.” This means that you accept whatever your scene partner has established, no matter how bizarre, and you build on it.   Example: “Isn’t this a beautiful day? I never dreamed we would make it to Saturn!” “Saturn really is gorgeous. Let’s get started building …

I write a lot here about intentional communication–the idea that the fundamental driver of communication is how you want to affect the person you’re talking to.   But what happens when we are stuck in a pattern with someone we speak with frequently? What happens when we recognize “When I say this, she may feel …

Your feet are your foundation. Your posture begins with the way your feet, the hardest-working appendages in show business, meet the floor.   Check out your feet. Is one doing most of the work of holding up your body while the other hangs out? Is one foot propped up on the other? Are your feet …

The other day as I was driving, I saw a man walking down the sidewalk in a suit that was far too big for him. The sleeves hung down over his palms, and the jacket swallowed his shoulders.   Speaking words that aren’t yours has the same effect as wearing a suit not meant for …

It’s more fun to already be good at it, whatever it is.   Riding a bike, playing the guitar, sound editing…we want to be able to do it like we’ve seen others do it, effortlessly, gracefully, efficiently.   But getting there is hard work, most of it behind the scenes. And that hard work isn’t …