What to do when you go [BLANK] on stage

July 20th, 2018

A few weeks ago I wrote about different ways to use a pause when speaking. One of the best pauses to get friendly with is the “I’ve gone totally blank and can’t remember what the heck I was gonna say next” pause. In Tuesday’s Speaker’s Playground, that got us talking about that exact moment… The “I can’t remember what…

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What should I do with my freakin hands?!?!

July 5th, 2018

what should I do with my hands?

When I got rolling on my newsletter habit this spring, I made a list of questions people often ask me. One question on the list was “What should I do with my hands?” So I sat down to write the newsletter and wrote this whole intro about how people ask me that question all the…

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Pause… and let everyone know you’re in charge

June 22nd, 2018

A couple of weeks ago I talked about how to lose the dreaded (or beloved, as the case may be) filler words. (Um, and, so, uh, y’know, really…etc).  Here’s that post if you missed it.   One of the key ways to get rid of filler words is to PAUSE, so that’s what I’m gonna talk about today……

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How to stop saying UM once and for all!

June 21st, 2018

stop saying um

Are you an ummer? Or is “ah” and “uh” more your style? How bout “so” and “and?” Do you want to stop saying “um” once and for all?  First, a quick story. When I was in middle school, I was at a church youth group meeting listening to one of the older girls gave a…

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Your story matters!

June 14th, 2018

I know, I know, it’s been a while. Which reminds me of a story. Which I’m gonna tell you…   If you’ve been around these parts for a while, you probably know I was a quiet kid. It wasn’t like I had stuff to say that I was keeping to myself–I was mostly just in a state…

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Let’s talk about breath, baby!

February 5th, 2018

I want to talk about breath. Breath is what it’s all about. Breath is the foundation. Breath is where it all begins and where it all ends.  If you’re out there speaking, or even if you’re in here speaking, you’re not going to get very far without breath.  If you’re telling a hilarious story, you…

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Public speaking lessons from a 6-year-old

November 5th, 2017

public speaking lessons

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve had the privilege of supporting my 6-year-old friend Raya in LEARNING HOW TO RIDE A BIKE!  We’ve been pals for a while, so we trust each other. When we hang out, we laugh a lot and we have fun. We teach each other new things all the time.  Raya’s been…

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Prepare for a speech (so it rolls off your tongue like butter)

March 30th, 2017

prepare for a speech

Ever wonder how to prepare for a speech? Get three tips for practicing so you connect with your audience and have more fun speaking every time.

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How to be a You-Tube Sensation (or not)

December 17th, 2016

I’m not gonna try to lure you into watching this video. I’m not gonna dangle a little carrot so you’re tempted to see what’s inside. I’m not gonna tease and tempt you. I’m not gonna make you hyper aware of your pain so you grovel to the play button in hopes of having your problem…

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How Crying will make you a more powerful public speaker

December 10th, 2016

powerful public speaker

If that picture is throwing you off a bit, stay tuned. She’s on the road to becoming a more powerful public speaker, as are you. Have you been lying awake nights thinking “Just Say Something episode 2 is coming up soon!! I wonder what Johanna’s gonna say?!?!?!?!” It’s OK if you haven’t, but if you…

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