Speaking Tips

 

Birdsong

Born on a Minnesota farm in the early 1900’s, the DeZurik Sisters shared uncanny powers of observation. Their skill was remarkable. Imitating the birds on their farm in perfect harmony, Mary Jane and Carolyn produced sounds of whistles and trills. They incorporated these birdsongs into...

Originals

Adam Grant, an Organizational Psychologist and Professor at the Wharton School delivered a TED talk in 2016. It’s particularly relevant now as many professionals feel they’ve lost precious time in their careers and wish to regain their momentum. Grant’s talk, “The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers” reveals...

Grocery List

The recently aired Golden Globes had the smallest audience since 1996. Success was difficult because the two hosts, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler were on different coasts and there were no celebrities in the live audience. But we believe the real reason for the declining...

Breath of Life

An exciting new program has been introduced to speed the recovery of ‘long-haul’ coronavirus victims. A London hospital has partnered with the English National Opera. The program’s content might surprise you. Clinically proven recovery exercises were reworked by the opera tutors for COVID sufferers. ENO...

Improvisation

We recently watched the Ken Burns series, Jazz. In the second episode called ‘The Gift’ Burns explores the seminal point when jazz took a giant leap forward. A young Louis Armstrong joined Paul Whiteman’s band and Armstrong’s improvisational brilliance changed their playing from symphonic jazz...

Polymath

Cody Simpson isn't a household name in the U.S., but soon will be. In his brief twenty-four years, Simpson has been a pop star, contestant on Dancing with the Stars, television and stage actor, and advocate for environmental campaigns. Yet this multi-talented young man trained as...

Change Talk

We all know how difficult it is to change someone’s thinking. Yet we are often dedicated to convincing others to wear masks, get vaccinated, or that Jewish space lasers are responsible for California wildfires.What doesn’t work is the Preach and Prosecute method cited by Adam...

Gut Punch

During the AFC Division Playoff game last week between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns, one particular play stood out. Just before halftime, the Browns' Rashard Higgins dove for a touchdown, but at the last second was hit by the Chief's Daniel Sorensen. The...

Hunters and Gatherers

How many pitch teams have been frustrated by a member making claims they can't deliver-- or grandiose statements unsupported by fact? This is a hot-button issue, especially when sales agrees to the client's demands, in order to seal the deal and then work out the details. On the...