In 2008, I was asked by Andrew Dlugan to write an article for his 6 Minutes Public Speaking blog about steps to help conquer nerves for interviews. Now in 2020 with so many people being laid off due to the COVID19 pandemic, I am revising that article and posting it here. Being interviewed for a […]

Learning to embody the physical, vocal, psychological and spiritual qualities of gravitas can help you build leadership presence and power. I coach leaders to build leadership presence and power through developing the characteristics of gravitas. Gravitas is a mix of several complex skills and behaviors – being comfortable in your physical body, thinking deeply, acting […]

Story Telling is a powerful way to open up presentations, leadership messages and meetings of all kinds.  Telling the right story produces astonishing results for you as a speaker and leader. If you’re not sure what a story is, it’s just what happened. That means it involves human beings doing or experiencing something. In case you don’t […]

Here’s a valuable tip for finding stories from your life that you can use to make talks and presentations more engaging and compelling.  Both professional and personal stories can be used to illustrate ideas, make points and sell your services. If you read my last post on 6 Reasons to Tell Stories in Presentations, Leadership […]

When asked to think on your feet, many people say there is nothing in their heads to talk about. They  think they are frozen. They say they are “blank.”  Worse, they judge themselves negatively, and think having a blank mind is wrong. It is not wrong to be blank. I believe it is the right place […]

I made a decision this morning to listen only to people who speak with gravitas. The last couple days I have been watching the news on CBS This Morning.   Yesterday Samantha Powers sat with the CBS This Morning hosts, Charlie Rose, Nora O’Donnell and Gayle King.  Ms. Powers is the outgoing US Ambassador to […]

Meryl Streep just modeled how to use a speech platform as a bully pulpit. Watch her use her acceptance speech for a life time achievement award to speak truth to power.  What a beautiful way to lead her community and us as a nation to unity. She embodies gravitas.

(Graphic by Vector Graphics) Public speaking and presentation clients sometimes ask me how to handle hostile audiences. Frankly, I think people project more negativity onto audiences than is really there. Never the less, it is important to learn to stand openly before a group that includes people who may be judging, disagreeing or criticizing. I have […]

Gravitas is a power that comes from inner authority to express your wisest thoughts for the good of the whole group. Gravitas commands attention, respect and admiration, not because it is flashy, but because it is wise and thoughtful. Introducing a Cultivate Gravitas for Leadership Presence Course who want to learn to exude more gravitas in […]

A commonly held misconception about executive presence is that it is all about dressing for the part. While appearances are important, your presence is more comprehensive than merely the clothes that you wear. Most people won’t be convinced about your leadership until you demonstrate the ability to communicate in a sophisticated and distinguished manner. Executive […]