Here we are at the end of the first month of 2018 already.  Doesn't time fly when we aren't looking?  Whether your New Year's Resolutions were a formal list of goals or just a couple of wishes tossed out over a convivial cocktail with friends, at the moment we made them, were sure we'd keep them. And some of them we actually do. But most of them, truth to tell, are probably left by the wayside or forgotten by the time February rolls around.

      Many folks came up to me last year who said they'd like to improve their speaking abilities, get over their fear, look for more opportunities to speak to groups, but... There's always a 'but'. What does that 'but' really mean?

READ MORE

       The holidays are here and that means holiday parties.  Great!  We've worked hard all year and we deserve to eat our favorite foods, drink a tad too much and maybe say or do a few things we'll regret next year.  Or not.  It's really easy to forget that the folks we're celebrating with over the buffet and bar are the ones we'll be back to work with come January 2nd.

      One great opportunity arises at this time of year:  A chance to make a short speech offering a few well-chosen words of peace on earth, goodwill toward men and women.  Business parties are a chance to get to know associates and colleagues on a whole 'nother level.  The trick is to say just enough to keep the holiday spirit going but not go on so long that folks start looking longingly at the drink table.

READ MORE

      In this world of advancing technology where texting, emailing and keeping up with social media are the communication methods of choice for practically all of us, you'd think the need to contact each other the  old fashioned way, face-to-face, would be rapidly becoming obsolete. What a surprise to find that when sharing information, people still want to look each other in the eye and hear a real human voice. That explains why many people are discovering they really need to know the art of public speaking.

      Even though a blast email and a slide program may be more efficient ways of sharing information with large numbers of people, the need to know how to stand in front of the room and speak to people in groups is exploding like a mushroom cloud. Why is this?

READ MORE