In 1985 I was a college graduate, newly married, with a large amount of school loan debt.  My husband and I decided to enlist in the Army National Guard to pay off ourcollege loans. The requirement of one weekend a month and a few weeks of training seemed[…]

I learned my  first  lesson on the dangers of conformity  when I was in kindergarten. My best friend, kathy, asked me what my favorite color was. She responded before I could answer indicating her favorite color was blue. So, not wanting to disappoint her, I responded, “blue”. My favorite color then,[…]

Great public speakers are a breed apart. They are not perfect–in fact, some are deeply flawed human beings. But what follows is my opinionated attempt to capture the essential qualities of greatness in a speaker. What makes them more persuasive? How do they influence people to take action?[…]

Some people like to learn from mistakes. Others prefer to learn by finding out what to do instead of what not to do. Case in point: Last month, I shared 10 phrases great speakers never say. A number of people emailed saying, “Great, but what should I do?”[…]

Have you ever wondered what makes a “great” presenter stand out more than a “good” presenter? Many of us have probably sat through a presentation or two that was just horrible and made us wish we were somewhere else. What are those “little things” that the great presenters always[…]