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Speakers and presenters sometimes get feedback from an audience that they seemed “rehearsed.” If you said this to an orchestra or a corps of dancers, it would be a compliment—of course they rehearsed. It would be a very weird experience to watch musicians or dancers who were unrehearsed. But when people say it to speakers, ... Continue Reading
This post originally came out in August of 2020. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of “good enough,” and you’ll see more about that in this space soon. (Thanks, KH!) We can’t be great at everything. It is reasonable, and smart, to decide to focus our skill and resources on getting really ... Continue Reading
“The last thing in the world that I want when I’m onstage is to be boring.” A client said this to me recently during a conversation we were having about the challenge she’s facing as she tries to shift the presentation culture of her nonprofit. “When we talk about this, they say all the right ... Continue Reading
I got to tour Emily Dickinson’s house recently. It’s a museum now, in Amherst, Massachusetts. Our tour guide had worked at the museum for seven years, and let me tell you, she LOVES what she does. I had the idea for this blog post about 20 minutes into the tour, when we were in the ... Continue Reading
This week’s posts may seem familiar! I am working on some new ones, but a huge amount of travel has meant they’re not quite ready so I have pulled a few from the archives.Thanks for your patience! We have rules, each of us, that govern our behavior. I’m not talking about laws, or policies, or ... Continue Reading
This week’s posts may seem familiar! I am working on some new ones, but a huge amount of travel has meant they’re not quite ready so I have pulled a few from the archives.Thanks for your patience! I was just part of a meeting when someone unloaded a short, angry-sounding rant that made the room ... Continue Reading
This week’s posts may seem familiar! I am working on some new ones, but a huge amount of travel has meant they’re not quite ready so I have pulled a few from the archives. Thanks for your patience! I have mentioned my patient husband Charlie in these posts before. He is thoughtful, methodical, and detail-oriented. ... Continue Reading
I’ve noticed an interesting tendency among many of the high-achieving, smart people I coach. When they’re telling me what they would like to get out of our coaching relationship, they drop their volume, avert their eyes, and confess, “Sometimes I get really nervous when I have to speak in public. I know it’s stupid, but—“ ... Continue Reading
Imagine a giant convention center ballroom. This ballroom is ready for a conference keynote. At the front of the ballroom is a stage, with a huge screen. There are cameras, and teleprompters, and row after row after row of seats, just waiting for the audience to fill them. Backstage there are dozens of people running ... Continue Reading
I recently saw a short video featuring the actor, director, and writer Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live, Barry). In it, he is talking about the process of writing, and how to make what you write better. But what he says has application to many areas where we receive feedback. Here’s what he says: “When people ... Continue Reading
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