Was does African drumming, Mexican folk dancing, roller exercise, and chanting have in common?
Each of these were classes that I took at a beautiful health spa in Mexico.
Perhaps the most surprising class was the chanting class, which included a lot of time discussing breathing.
Recently, I received an email from one of my online public speaking workshop participants.
She wrote, “I am interviewing for a position and I am deeply pregnant. Should I somehow mention this just before my job talk? From one point of view, it sounds unprofessional. On the other hand, some people might focus more on the fact that I am pregnant than on my talk. Any advice?”
Here was my reply…
Why do we tell stories?
Every night, after tooth brushing, my pajama-clad identical twin daughters crawl into their beds and ask, “Who is reading the story tonight?” (When you imagine this, don’t forget to image hearing the words in stereo!)
Our nightly family tradition represents the larger tradition of storytelling in our society.
Here’s a new online tool (280 Slides) that you can use (very similar to Keynote) that allows you to create presentations and embed/post them to your own site. It tries to make it seem like you are using software, when you are in fact just using your browser.
I very quickly tested it out. I didn’t find it easy to navigate or to use–but I am not a keynote user. I’ll need to give it more time.
Recently, I went to NYC to take (yet another) public speaking training course! When the other training participants found out what I did for a living they asked me…”But why are you here? You could teach this course!”
Yes, I could have taught the course, however, as a participant I was dedicating two full days to improving my craft.
I can’t tell you how many times, someone will come up to me from behind and say “Are you Lisa B. Marshall? I thought I recognized your voice and wanted to see if it was really you.” I have always strongly believed that our voice is large part of our signature style and has a great impact on our listeners.
Tip: Always request to use a wireless microphone it helps you to focus and connect with your audience without worrying about being heard.
Recently, I was fast-forwarding through a video tape of a conference proceeding trying to find “my” speaker –the person who had scheduled a one-on-one private coaching session.
When I am making presentations about public speaking or delivering a podcast (yes, that really is me in the picture above), I often talk about the perceptions formed based on the rate of speech of the presenter.
As you many know, my training center is in center city Philadelphia, close to my favorite, and somewhat famous science museum, The Franklin Institute. I saw that they were looking “for individuals with a science, technology, or education background to volunteer as Science Presenters in our many exhibits. Science Presenters answer questions, explain science concepts, and do demonstrations.
Have you ever wondered how to handle the rambler? The guy that talks and talks, but you are not sure what the question was? Or the stage hog…the guy that comments on his own work or asks many questions all at once? Or that most difficult person…
