As of today, there are demonstrations in 400 cities across the US and dozens more across the world taking a stand against violence and for acknowledging systemic racism. We are all watching institutions being shaken, organizations re-think their policies, and companies making statements about...

READ MORE

Photo by Louis Hansel @shotsoflouis on Unsplash Our brains are under pressure Truth time: Over the past weeks as life has changed due to COVID-19, I have been taking way more afternoon naps than I ever have before. My dad used to call these “sinkers:” an inescapable slippery slope into...

READ MORE

Have you ever been caught in an auditorium where the 45 min Keynote speaker stood at the podium with their head buried in their notes reading word for word what they wrote? Never connecting with their audience once? Even if perhaps it was well written, a great story, or valuable information, it...

READ MORE

Are you as wary of the word "vulnerability" as I am? Yes, after reading, listening, and watching Brené Brown's material, I understand the importance of speaking the truth, even and especially when it is hard. But when does "vulnerability" cross the boundary into "oversharing?" "Vulnerability...

READ MORE

I recently was leading a corporate training. The company I worked with needed help producing video content to train its customers. Their content includes a lot of technical detail and they are quite informative with a combination of animation and “talking heads” to get their message...

READ MORE

You have a personal story to share, but how do you make it through without crying? Can you keep the raw impact of your story without sounding over-rehearsed? And can you be sure your story is not overshadowing the overall message of your talk? A well-organized story goes through the three...

READ MORE

MasterSpeaker Lab Conversations Margaret Watts Romney, experienced TEDx coach, curator, and organizing committee member for over a dozen TEDx events, recently shared with me in our conversation some helpful insights on what might prevent you from being selected as a speaker for one of the most...

READ MORE

Let’s do this. Let’s talk about the fear of public speaking. And how it is hurting speaking experiences for all of us. Not by those who are feeling fear (we all have large sensations before speaking), but by our collective perception that if we aren’t shaking in fear...we’re just fine. To...

READ MORE