Bad advice.
People give a ton of bad public speaking advice. Here is some of it: Practice in a mirror Clasp your hands behind your back When you walk around it keeps the audience interested Look over their heads if you’re too nervous to make eye contact Be confident/Don’t be nervous The advice-givers mean …
Rock climbing and metaphors
One of the things we like to say in my family is “Everything is a metaphor for everything else.” We started saying this a couple of summers ago, when we were getting ready for a big backpacking trip to Yosemite. My husband is an avid hiker and camper, and we had planned this trip to …
There are little stories everywhere
I’ve been traveling a lot recently—a family wedding, then a couple of business trips. This has given me a lot of time in the airport, one of my favorite places to be. That may sound strange, or like I’m being sarcastic, but I mean it. On a regular day, when I’m at the airport on …
Butterflies, the nervous kind, and what to do about them
Intention is the secret sauce. Really. I’m like most other people—I get at least a little nervous when I’m speaking or presenting, especially when the situation feels like a high-stakes one. Fortunately for me, I coach people in public speaking and mindful communication for a living, so I know lots of tools to use when …
What’s communication for?
When I facilitate workshops, I sometimes kick off a session by asking this question. What is communication for? Why do we need it? Usually this question is met with total silence. I can practically hear them thinking: Is she for real? What kind of question is that? Partly I’m asking to start a conversation, and …
Freedom
Today’s the day folks in the U.S. celebrate our freedom from the tyranny of English rule. July 4, the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I think a lot of us are uneasy with freedoms; we like to be told what to do, how and when to do it. We want to fit in, so …
There’s No Such Thing as “Tips” for Better Public Speaking
There’s a real problem with the articles and tweets that advertise “Ten Tips to Being a Great Public Speaker” and similar titles. The promise is that, if you just read and understand these quick suggestions, your progress to being a “great speaker” will be well on its way. Believe me, I understand the appeal. A …
Actors Make Great Coaches
Actors As Coaches?! Um, really, Angie? Actors? Actors are egomaniacs! They are total narcissists! Coaches have to be able to listen, to support someone else. How could an actor make a great coach? Listen, I’ve worked in professional theater for my whole adult life, and I know every stereotype about actors that’s out there. I …
New Name, New Website!
Welcome to Ignite CSP! When our company was born in 2007, we had to come up with a name pretty quickly. We knew we’d be working with corporate executives, and we’re all theatre people, so we combined “executive” and the word for a roster of plays (or in this case, skills): “repertory.” This name served …
Seven “I Hate Public Speaking” New Year’s Resolutions
Resolve to avoid all public speaking. Realize this is not a sustainable resolution; resolve to mostly avoid public speaking. Do great at Resolution #2 until someone at work tells you that you have to present at a meeting in two weeks. Resolve to ignore this for at least one week. The meeting is tomorrow. You …
