Let it go and focus on the next hand
Today is my mum’s birthday and I’m reminded of how she used to quash my inner Perfectionist; persuade me to let it go. My mum loved playing bridge and was a very good player. Sometimes she would invite me to…
Coronavirus lessons for public speakers
Covid 19 is driving all of us to online meetings, seminars, conferences and many other opportunities to keep in touch with our friends, family and colleagues. However, I’ve been struck by the coronavirus lessons for public speakers based on some of…
Perfectionism – the curse of speakers
Perfectionism is the curse of speakers and presenters and a challenge for managers. Worse, it’s on the rise. What kind of perfectionism plagues you? What kind of perfectionism gets in your way? Excellence-seeking perfectionism that makes you fixate on, and…
Speak and claim your voice
Women are half the world’s population, but they are not half the world’s public voice. For myriad complex reasons from being too busy with other responsibilities to oppressing perfectionism, women are not taking up opportunities to speak in public, they…
Deadly sin stumbles or spectacular speaking successes?
Are you a deadly sinner? One deadly sin of public speaking can wreck your best efforts to give a successful speech, never mind seven deadly sins: Do you ever feel as if your nerves might get the better of you?…
I’m so nervous – the first deadly sin is Lust
The deadly sins of public speaking can completely wreck your best efforts to give a good speech. It's important to be aware of them so that we can eradicate them from our speaking. What are your public speaking deadly sins? Do…
Even the best can be better
‘Twas the night before conference when all you could hear Was the sound of hearts pounding with nerves and great fear. The deadline was looming, the paper not writ, Nor even the hint of a relevant script. The content a…
Speaking fear is your friend, embrace it!
When you stand up to speak, you want to share something you care about with your audience. At the same time, you want them to enjoy the ride and leave with something they value. Flip that around and sit yourself…
‘Twas the night before conference
‘Twas the night before conference when all you could hear Was the sound of hearts pounding with nerves and great fear. The deadline was looming, the paper not writ, Nor even the hint of a relevant script. The content a…
The first time
This wasn’t the first photo I ever took, but it was the first photo I took after completing my first photography course. Those frozen water droplets were deliberate. I was so thrilled and excited, I even had the photo printed…
