Blog Articles

Are You OK? Asking for a friend. I’ve been a mess since the American Presidential Election last week. This isn’t the place to discuss politics, but let me just say lots of us are not really OK. There’s terrible divisiveness in the land and lots of ill feeling. I Decided To Write About Kindness as [Read More…]

Onstage In Las Vegas a few weeks ago, senior executives of a software company were welcoming the audience to their annual user conference. Presenting on a big stage with a spotlight shining in your face is very different from sitting at your desk in front of your computer screen. Talking into a sea of invisible [Read More…]

Quantum Analysis? I was hired to deliver a coaching session to a skeptical older gentleman who had been a NASA physicist and was known as a quant*. At the end of our meeting, he gave me one of the most significant client comments I’ve ever received, “I’m pleasantly surprised you know as much as you [Read More…]

End-Of-Summer is such a wistful time. Let’s give ourselves some grace and step away from our screens. You really don’t need another email (including this one)! Rest Those Eyes If you’re not looking at your phone, laptop, computer or tablet, what do you want to be looking at? Even Though I’m A Fan of Big [Read More…]

Photo Credit: Bobby Bonsey Photography Summer Means Dance Camps I’ve just returned from an inspiring week at Beantown and will end the summer at Swing Out New Hampshire (where the photo above was taken a few years ago). These are both camps for grown-ups who love to dance. Specifically, Lindy Hop and Swing. Love them! [Read More…]

I Am Deeply Grateful to spend time in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, where I am writing this note to you today. And visiting family. And going to the beach. You Already Know how easy it is to feel stuck in our everyday routines, challenges, issues, responsibilities. That’s part of being a grown-up, I’m afraid. And [Read More…]

How Did “Moderate” become the designated word to describe managing a panel of speakers? It’s an intriguing concept, this idea of moderation. The phrase “everything in moderation” apparently started in ancient Greece in the 6th century BC! So how do we update this role for modern-day panels? As A Moderator, Your Job is to responsibly [Read More…]

A Number Of My Clients are speaking on panels these days. A panel is a great example of our efforts to be efficient with audience time. In an over-booked, time-starved culture, speakers need to prove their worth. And four panelists with different viewpoints are more interesting to listen to than one, right? Well, Not Necessarily [Read More…]

Heart Comes First When you’re planning a presentation, it’s helpful to ask yourself: What’s the heart of the matter here? What am I really trying to say? Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But it’s the hardest darn thing to actually do. Forget the Preamble Preamble is everything we say before we start to say what we [Read More…]

And So We Begin Again Welcome to January 2024. The New Year! Beginnings have boldness, power and freshness. They’re also hard. I Have a Regular Walking Route by the Charles River, not far from where I live. This morning it was 25 degrees out there, and this view mesmerized me. Officially it’s called the Moody [Read More…]