Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder. Did you know that most people don’t learn many new words, read many books or stop and think about why their Public Speaking Skills are important? This is interesting tome since those are the three things I think about all the time. As a speaker I am always interested in words, not only for the meaning, but also for the interpretation. How do others hear certain words and how do they react to the word? And What about those words that have no meaning to them? […]
Hopes and Dreams
The Value of Your Name
I’ll be speaking to a ladies’ Bible study group in a few weeks and, in thinking about what my topic would be, I decided to speak on a topic that has been rolling around in my head for a while now, and it is the value of your name and reputation. I liked that topic so much that is my theme for today. I want to talk about the value of your name and reputation. When people hear your name, what do they think? What comes to mind when someone says your name? Now, for some of you, don’t fall […]
Everyone has an invisible sign
Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘Make me feel important.’ Never forget this message when working with people. ~ Mary Kay Ash There is an age-old phenomenon that is back in full force today, partly due to social media and partly due to our busyness, when it comes to actually seeing those we say we care about. I hate to admit it, but I am guilty of what John Steinbeck said, “I wonder how many people I have looked at all my life and never seen.” It is not on purpose that I have seemingly overlooked […]
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do
You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do. I don’t know about you, but one thing in life that really chips me off is when people tell me they are going to do something and then never get around to it. Now I’m also preaching to myself today because a while back I made of list of things I had promised other people but never got around to. I had to go and make things right. Now some folks had moved on and when I didn’t keep my word they did other things, at that point I […]
Carpe Diem, My Friend
Carpe Diem. Seize the day… Make your lives extraordinary. Dead Poets Society It’s the fourth week on my topic and I am just as excited and motivated by my themes of Commitment, Excellence and Action as when I first introduced you to it in the beginning of February. When I started to write about these three themes that I know you hear about often, they just kept unveiling themselves as a much deeper theme than a one-and-done. Commitment, Excellence and Action seem so simple, yet so hard to master, if you don’t lay the groundwork to get it right the […]
Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire.
I had some interesting speaking engagements recently and it brought to mind this saying: Attract what you expect, reflect what you desire, become what you respect, and mirror what you admire. In Pennsylvania, I was speaking to those who are planning on running for public office. I teach Your Campaign Speech and how to engage your audience to listen to your message. And in Maryland, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak at the Spouse Program for members of Congress. I must say they were both wonderful groups to spend time with and my thought for today is a direct […]
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities…
Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. A few weeks ago my show was about if you can’t do great things, do small things in a great way, and, although I thought I was done with that thought, in my mind and in my quiet time I kept coming back to the BIG idea that anyone can take the steps in the right direction to do what they are called to do. What may seem impossible to others is not impossible for you. If you will, just put forth the effort to make it happen. […]
Suspend Your Disbelief
I love poetry, and recently I re-read the simple and yet profound poem by William Wordsworth ~ With an eye made quiet by the power of harmony, and the deep power of joy, we see into the life of things. Do you see into the life of things? Or do you allow your mind to stop any exploration into things you know little to nothing about? The reason I ask is because I am curious to know if you are stuck in the pluff mud of life or if you are open to simply suspending your disbelief about the way […]
Almost every successful person…
Almost every successful person begins with 2 beliefs: The future can be better than the present, and I have the power to make it so. For the last few weeks I have been speaking about the idea of Excellence, Commitment and Action. In fact, I decided to forgo having a guest on this particular show, because, as I progressed through the message, I needed more time to talk about how you can choose to make the changes that will change your life. The idea of excellence is rarely talked about because it is hard. It’s easy to be good enough, […]