We were watching the 2022 Netflix series The Resident. The third episode in Season #1 really grabbed us. It featured a cold open, and jump-started the narrative with no preamble, wind up or voice-over exposition. A cold open can be dramatic, humorous, or mysterious. It...
Situational awareness or SA is a necessary skill in law enforcement, ship navigation, emergency response, and other potentially dangerous lines of work. However, if you’re presenting an important talk or pitch, leveraging these skills will also serve you.The definition of SA is “Perception of the...
Last weekend was Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. It was also Deborah’s birthday, so we celebrated both. Our gardens are blooming, which is a reminder to introduce something new into our regimen and rid ourselves of what doesn’t serve us. With gardens,...
If you want to sway opinion or enlist others in a cause, any dime-store chatbot will advocate talk that foments paranoia, fear, and hatred. But we’re humans and not ruled by unfeeling machines. And is that really the way you want to live your life?Ragespeak...
Never is there a more opportune time for speaking at weddings, graduations, birthdays and events that bring people together. Not only can you praise and inspire others, but you can be seen as the go-to person when genuine and compelling words are required. If done...
Recently, we cited author Percival Everett, author of James, who spoke at the Santa Fe Int’l Literary Festival. One visual simile he used stuck with us. Everett said that writing about a new subject is like exploring a cave, which is also true for speaking....
Read the tip title aloud, exaggerating your enunciation. This is a standard vocal warmup used by theatre professionals. We’re sure you have your own rituals before you work or compete, but you may not have an efficient way to warm up your voice. Beyond the...
We were fortunate to attend the fourth year of Santa Fe’s International Literary Festival. It’s thrilling to be in the same room with authors who peer deeply into the human condition and deliver insights via storytelling. Many authors in attendance also teach, including Heather Cox Richardson,...
Remember Elizabeth Holmes, notorious for raising over 700 million dollars for a blood-testing box that didn’t work? Now, her new life partner Billy Evans is raising millions for his Haemanthus device, which he touts as “The Future of Diagnostics.” The invention is eerily similar to...
Ralph Fiennes’ character in the film Conclave had an eye-opening statement. “There is one sin which I have come to fear above all others---certainty. If there was only certainty and no doubt, there would be no mystery, and therefore no need for faith.”We’ve always recommended...