Where did the Thanksgiving Holiday come from? Yes, the pilgrim created the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth. And yes, President George Washington made the first Thanksgiving proclamation in 1789. But it was actually Abe Lincoln who created the national holiday. Ole’ Abe reinstituted the holiday that Washington created during his presidency. Below are the words of…
When folks ask me what I do for a living, I answer, “I help people eliminate public speaking fear.” It is always fun to watch the looks on their faces when they process what I said. Inevitably, I will typically get a response like, “You do what?” or “How do you do that?” The process…
I was shocked at the huge list of dumb exercises to improve presentation skills on the internet. When I say “dumb,” I mean don’t try those tips. They will not work. In fact, they will likely make you even more nervous. So in this episode, I’m going to dispel some of the worst exercises and…
Are you a nervous public speaker? A majority of the population has some type of fear of public speaking. Ironically, a great deal of this nervousness or anxiety comes from well-meaning friends or coworkers who are just trying to help. When we see a friend struggling, we naturally want to help. So, we might offer…
Face it. Most people hate meetings. They don’t want to sit through boring presentations, either. The best way to get your audience to listen and care about what you’re saying is to focus on them. You have to make your presentation “Audience Focused.” Focus on what the audience wants to hear, not what you want…
I recently interviewed Grant Baldwin of The Speakers Lab about how to find public speaking gigs and get paid to speak. The interview was fascinating. Grant gives five simple steps for booking public speaking gigs and getting paid to speak. He also talks a lot about how to build your platform, so you are seen…