Speaking to Win: The Blog

Archive for May, 2009

Managing Stress: Joe Piscatella’s Advice For Us Poor Perfectionists

This morning I went to the Northwest Kidney Center’s fund raising breakfast, “Breakfast Of Hope” and there was a wonderful speaker there: Best-selling author Joe Piscatella. When I took his short test before the breakfast began to determine who was a “Type A” personality and got an A+, I knew I better listen to what

The Pros and Cons Of Perfectionism

Ok. I admit it. I’m a perfectionist. Here are the three basic tenets of “The Perfectionist Creed:”  Thou Shalt Not Make a Mistake. Ever.  Maintain Control. At All Times. In All Situations. With All People. Do Not Fail. Ever. Ever. Ever. This perfectionist creed serves me well when, as a professional speaking coach, I am

9 Helpful Hints For Perfectionists

So what’s a confirmed perfectionist to do? Here are 9 helpful hints for all you Perfectionists out there: 1. Get Off Your Case     Being a perfectionist is impossible, so cut yourself some *#^@*%# slack! 2.  Making A Mistake Is Not The End Of The World     Try to consider the fact that making a

Video: “Stand By Me” from Playing For Change: Peace Through Music

This video truly blew me away and is an amazing accomplishment on so many levels.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM&feature=player_embedded It’s from the award-winning documentary, “Playing For Change: Peace Through Music,” and is the first of many “songs around the world” being released independently and by the “Playing For Change” group. This amazing version of “Stand by Me” sure brought

2009 Winners Of The NY Post Neologism Contest

Honestly, some of these made me laugh so hard, I cried. So, since I love language so much, I thought you all would enjoy this: Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly neologism contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. The winners are: 1.

How To Become A Master Speaker

WHAT DEFINES A MASTER?4 PRINCIPLES TO KEEP IN MIND When I asked Dr. Sun, my Quigong (Martial Arts) teacher, what his definition of “A Master” was, he offered the following: The proper amount of energy At the proper time In the proper proportion So that you do no harm How does this relate to becoming

Speaking Tip Of The Day: What Your Posture Says About You

YOUR CREDIBILITY DEPENDS ON IT How you look when you speak determines to a large degree whether or not your audience believes and trusts you. A stooped, slumped posture will affect everything about your presentation: your energy, the opening of your windpipe and vocal chords, your ability to breathe, your level of tension and stress–even

11 Sure Signs You Need A Professional Speaking Coach

So when do you know the time has come to finally hire a professional speaking coach? Here are 11 sure signs that you need help: You drew the short straw for your team to give that big presentation to the company and you can’t put it off any longer. You are a person who really

The Top Ten Daily Hit List of 84,000 Buddhist Vows To Choose From

As promised in my former blog, Thou Shalt Not Lie…..Truthfully, here are the top ten out of 84,000 possible Buddhist Vows. And this blog post is about what they mean to both me and also according to Geshe Roach, Founder of Management By Design, formally The Enlightened Business Institute, and author of “The Diamond Cutter,

Thou Shalt Not Lie…Truthfully

COMMUNICATION SKILLLS FROM THE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE Recent research shows that the average American lies on average 30 times a day. I thought this statistic was rather amazing and somewhat shocking. You may not think this statistic applies to you, but really think about it for a moment. Aside from the outright bald faced lies we