Twice last week I encountered speakers with a high number of UPMs: Uhms Per Minute. I was willing to forgive one of them. His UPMs were around 16. I wasn’t so easy on the other guy. His UPMs were around… Read More »UPMs: The Filler Word Debate
I had an interesting session with a new client. Let’s call her Fiona. She came in from the field to take a position in marketing with a major pharma, and has discovered that, at her company, your career depends largely… Read More »Presentation Skills: Your Passport to Promotion: “1, 2, 3…Poof!”
I attended a family wedding last weekend, and the sister of the bride gave a great toast. I heard her round up her brothers as the cake was being served, saying, “Now is the time. Somebody has to say something.”… Read More »Public Speaking: Toasting the Bride
Um and His Cousin Er I hate speech coaches who don’t let you say “Um!” I listen to a lot of speakers, and a few “Uhms” don’t bother me. They make the speaker seem normal and conversational. On the other… Read More »Speech Training: Speech Disfluencies
Many of us are familiar with the work of Dr. Albert Mehrabian of Stanford University, who demonstrated in his research that 85% of emotion is communicated through voice tone and body language. Many of us have read Blink, by Malcolm… Read More »Voice Projection: The Power of Voice Tone