Alignment

Make the furniture work for you.  A lot of people take the arrangement of furniture in a conference room or auditorium space for granted, like it put itself there. Most likely, it was either left that way by the people in the room before you, or a team of people arranged it according to a … Read more

When I’m meeting with a coaching client, I usually use my own Zoom platform, and I have the waiting room function enabled.  When their name pops up at the top of the window, letting me know they’ve arrived, I smile. I smile as I click the button to let them in, before they can see … Read more

Have you ever been the in the audience when a speaker, after greeting the crowd and getting a tepid response, says: “Oh, I know you can do better than that. Good morning!”  I had never thought much about it, but the subject came up recently after a friend shared that it bugs her when speakers … Read more

Our faces are our billboards to the world. They are telling the people around us how we’re feeling, whether it’s okay to approach us, what kind of person we are, whether we’re paying attention, what we think about the person who’s talking right now. This is even more true in a virtual environment. Since all … Read more

“Introvert” and “extrovert” are words we love to throw around to describe ourselves and other people. But as with so many personality traits, using these terms as a general catch-all can do a real disservice to both types of folks and everyone in between. As I discuss in the video below, introversion and extroversion refer … Read more

If you knew you needed to improve your public speaking, how would you start? Lots of people answer: “I would go and get feedback from people who have seen me present.” Okay, great. But what kind of feedback are you going to ask for? Before you answer, let me beg you, don’t say this: “The next … Read more

A weak handshake “Um, so…” Slumped shoulders Confusing presentation structure A data dump of bullet points Rambling answers Text-heavy slides Or… A firm handshake Clear eye contact Posture that takes up space A clear message Energy that invites your audience in Stories that connect to the listener Images that convey ideas and emotions Which would … Read more

I have coached lots and lots of people who speak softly.  They all have insightful points to share, and thoughtful ideas to contribute. But every time they speak half of the group misses what they’re saying because they simply aren’t speaking loudly enough. I have written often in this space about how audiences need to … Read more

When you’re in a meeting or presenting in front of a group, how much space are you taking up? This may seem like a strange question, but here’s why I’m asking. Some people take up as little space as possible. They shrink into themselves, crossing or even twining their arms and legs to be smaller, … Read more

Recently I was driving on a very familiar road near my house. As I rounded a curve, I saw a sign indicating that traffic was going to go down to one lane. Okey doke. I’ve done this before; I know what to expect.  After another few hundred yards, I saw the telltale cones narrowing the … Read more