Recently, we were hiking at Bandelier, where Ancestral Pueblo peoples lived in cliff dwellings from approximately 1150 to 1550 CE. Corns, bean and squash, referred to as the Three Sisters comprised most of their diet, along with native plants and animal meat. The indigenous people...
Aristotle developed rhetoric 2,500 years ago and instructed speakers to include three things to be influential: Ethos = character, Logos = logic, and Pathos = emotion. Most agree that character (Ethos) must be displayed when speaking, but whether to feature Logos or Pathos has been...
We’re always searching for new ways to be memorable when delivering presentations. We came across an article by Annie Murphy Paul in the NY Times called “How to Think Outside Your Brain.” Paul says that every brain has a finite capacity to absorb information. Accepting...
Recently, Holly Burns wrote a witty article in the NY Times titled “How to Talk to People Again.” It was about the social anxiety individuals are feeling now that we are again conversing in the same space, and how awkward those conversations can be.Consider that when we...
We don’t use many Latin words anymore, but it’s instructive to look at ancient languages to see how words began and what they mean. For instance, exordium is defined as the beginning of an oration or treatise. In fact, it literally means the beginning of anything. If...
In the 2000 Ridley Scott film Gladiator*, Maximus, (Russell Crowe) is the most famous gladiator in the Roman Empire. With a victory against impossible odds, he wins the crowd and his life, only to be murdered by Emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) with a concealed, poison...
At the U.S. Classic competition, gymnast Simone Biles wore a leotard with a rhinestone goat on it. Was it bragging? Hardly. Biles landed a Yurchenko double pike vault, something no female gymnast has ever attempted, much less accomplished in competition. The Olympic and world champion...
Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made the first ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953. Hillary took Norgay’s photo for the history books, but refused to have his taken. Over his lifetime, Hillary achieved many ascents and medals of distinction, but reluctantly accepted fame. He...
In Northern New Mexico, spring has finally hit its stride. Pink, white, purple and yellow blossoms festoon the high desert. Birds careen from building nests and breeding to constant feeding. The new moon appeared Tuesday, signaling time to plant. It’s an opportune moment to tap...
There is a great divide over whether or not to incorporate humor into presentations. This is especially true of serious talks, pitches or even eulogies. The physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson discusses public speaking and the use of humor in his Master Class online program. Tyson...