Envisioning Possibilities
Health
Fear of giving a speech can affect your health.
Picture this: you’re standing in front of a sea of expectant faces, your palms sweating, knees knocking, and your mind going blank faster than a dropped call. Yes, it’s the dreaded speech-giving moment, where even the most eloquent among us can become a stumbling mess.
As a long-time toastmaster, I have found a few helpful hints to improve speaker health.
A grand opening line is a good start. The celebrated speaker, Patricia Fripp, suggests a few opening lines for your next business presentation.
The purpose of this meeting is to . . .
Thank you for the opportunity to . . .
You will remember at our last meeting . . .
Thank you for your support with . . .
We have an amazing opportunity to . . .
There will never be a more perfect time to . .
Congratulations . . .
Last but not least – I need to offer a plug for Toastmasters.
Sign on to Toastmasters.org and “find a club”. A few have remained online after COVID-19. Even though you don’t get that in-person experience, you will get a speaking experience.
My personal experience in Toastmasters launched a new career for me in 2000. After being a school teacher, a presenter for my company, and a business owner required to give presentations to get the work, I didn’t know what I was missing. I could have been so much more. In addition, I’ve won speech contests and gained new clients.
If you would like to join me at Lehigh Valley Toastmasters for a new experience, we meet on the 2nd and 4th Wed. from 7-9. www.LVToastmasters.org
.
From Fearful to Fearless:
Every confident speaker once shook in their shoes.
How to Answer “Tricky” Questions
When you stay calm, clarify with repetition, and bridge back to your core ideas, you guide the dialogue rather than chase it. The result? You come across as thoughtful, credible, and persuasive exactly the qualities clients and colleagues remember.
Choice
Every moment is a choice to begin again ….unknown. Sometimes we wallow in the moment, sometimes we stand back and not make a choice. It is much easier to stand back and not make a choice or not make a change. By not choosing we wallow, we indulge ourselves in the way...
Friend
“A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ― Elbert Hubbard There are a few people in our life who know everything. We are grateful for the few. We think of our foibles and of our faults as imperfections that chase people away. In some cases,...
Courage
Courage “Happiness is not found in things you possess, but in what you have the courage to release.” Nathaniel Hawthorne What needs to be released, the piano, the sewing machine or other “stuff”. Is it courage to release your fondest possessions? Courage today is to...
STARS
"Look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Try to make sense of what you see, and wonder about what makes the universe exist. Be curious." Stephen Hawking Jerry is so curious he took a second degree in Astro Physics at 54. He loves it! There is nothing quite...
Fear
Thinking will not overcome fear but action will. W. Clement Stone Fear has been the topic of conversation today – as I’ve discussed shared spaces with potential clients. Having a private office space to use for a month, a week or a day seems to rattle some small...
Not By Bread Alone
"Life is either a grand adventure or nothing at all." Helen Keller I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her to be blind and deaf. We saw a theatre production a few years back titled, “Not by Bread Alone”. It was written and directed by Adina Tal...