I have a new puppy named Little Bear. He has shy moments that make my wife and I want to pick him up and cuddle him. I also have clients who are shy when they stand up to speak. I don’t want to… Read More »Speaking Anxiety: Teaching the Shy to Present
Cicero, the great Roman statesman and orator, said that he preferred tongue-tied intelligence to ignorant loquacity. That’s a convenient polarity, and one we’re familiar with. We see the former occasionally when college professors make an appearance on national TV. They… Read More »Effective Presentation Skills: Substance with Style
A friend of mine, who is a very successful consultant, told me that she has lost her confidence as a speaker. For twenty years she has been speaking to large groups of clients and potential clients with success. Now she feels very unsure of… Read More »Speaking Anxiety: A Loss of Confidence
Trying to master a mental task? Acting it out can help. In a study reported in Cognition, when kids were told to use gestures as they learned to do a type of math problem, the lesson stuck. Embodiment gives you–literally–another… Read More »Speaking Anxiety: Gestures Help You Think
They are mostly women. I have now spent 20 years in the speech trade, and most of the people I run into who speak too fast are women. I have no idea why. I can only speculate. they are more… Read More »Speech Training: Speaking Above the Speed Limit
One of my consulting firm clients came to me with a problem that surprised me. Although they hire the most accomplished students from the most competitive colleges and B-schools, the firm is concerned about their unwillingness to speak up at… Read More »Speaking Anxiety: The Conference Room Comment