Blog Articles

Damn Yankees was a hit 1950’s Broadway musical, later a movie, about a desperate fan who makes a bargain with the Devil, so that the Washington Senators baseball team can beat the Damn Yankees and win the pennant. (Hmmm, no comment here, please, about New England sports fans.) The show had fabulous singing and dancing. [Read More…]

There Really Is a Stage Door that leads backstage in every theatre. This separate entrance is reserved for the cast and crew, who make the magic happen. Without these pros doing their jobs backstage, the audience doesn’t get the experience they’re paying for out front. The Real Work Happens Behind the Scenes and as speakers, [Read More…]

This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine. Let it shine, Let it shine, Let it shine! Originally Penned for Sunday School Students in the 1920’s by Pastor and music teacher Harry Dixon [Read More…]

Full Disclosure I’m a city gal who has not spent a whole lot of time in forests, but the forest/trees analogy is a great way to think about structuring presentations. So just for fun, let’s reimagine the “forest for the trees” in a modern cityscape, as in this photo of a downtown intersection. What Should [Read More…]

Twenty Questions was a classic game show, first on radio and then TV, in which panelists had to guess an item by asking up to twenty questions. Developing really good questions, that helped define what you were trying to find out, was a winning strategy. Today’s Video: How to Use Questions (2:40) Create Your Own [Read More…]

You know that adrenalin-inducing, off-to-the-races feeling right after Labor Day, with the grown-ups back at work and the kids back at school? There’s Something About the beginning of September. As soon as the temperature abruptly changes overnight (New England!), all the action items I’ve put off come racing back into my brain cells. I Feel [Read More…]

In an era of how quickly you can do anything (“Now! 30 Minutes to Master fill-in-the-blank”), it’s helpful to step back and look at the Long View. We may live in an instantaneous culture, but real wisdom comes from experience. And lots of it. The Wisdom Years I spoke recently with Glenna Salsbury, a Grande Dame and [Read More…]

It’s Officially Summertime which means I went to Dance Camp last week. For several years, I have bracketed the summer season with a Dance Camp at the beginning of July (Beantown) and another Dance Camp at the end of August (Swing Out New Hampshire). Hoo-wee! I call this fun. Joy, actually. But It’s Also Hard [Read More…]

Sir Paul Presents:  Oh, What a Knight! Fenway Park just announced their lineup of musical acts for this summer’s outdoor concert series, including Jimmy Buffett, Pearl Jam, Billy Joel and other stellar acts. No Disrespect But a couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Sir Paul McCartney at Fenway. Summer breezes, a [Read More…]

Agghhh! I think it’s fair to say that none of us is at our best when we’re anxious, nervous or worried about outcomes. And yet, that is often the state we’re in prior to giving a presentation. The higher the stakes, the higher the anxiety quotient. Spinning Your Wheels You know that feeling when you’re [Read More…]