Recently, I was fascinated by an NBC Dateline documentary spotlighting the singing star, Taylor Swift.  What compelled me to pay attention and watch the whole hour twice was the authenticity from which this dynamo of a performer and businesswoman lives her life and runs her productions.   At 19 years of age, she […]

I heard this on the radio today, “Great Leadership begins with the ability to level with people.” That’s another way of saying we must be transparent to be effective as leaders. I just heard Obama criticized for going to Cairo to “apologize” for American behavior. It might just be that he was being transparent – […]

There is something about public speaking, expressing oneself in groups, presenting or performing that triggers many people’s desire to look perfect.  It seems we just can’t give ourselves permission to be imperfect and…. well, human.  When we don’t feel safe to be genuinely who we are in front of others, we tense up the body […]

Imagine my thrill as I read respected author Seth Godin declare that any great presenter must have two qualities – respect from the audience and love for the audience!  Take a look at his post at http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/the-two-elements-of-a-great-presenter.html.. Then read my post at http://self-expression.com/speaking-freely/don%e2%80%99t-talk-to-strangers-how-caring-for-your-audience-helps-stage-fright-and-fear-of-public-speaking/ Love is a vibrational frequency that attracts.  Love is not only the answer […]

Speaking to groups of people, sharing your ideas, insights and expertise can be a peak experience if you open to be yourself fully in front of others. I found myself humming the song “I Enjoy Being a Girl” yesterday.  Who knows why that song was in my head?  As I hummed, I began to think about […]

Lots of people have gifts and talents that are excellent but they don’t shine.    They are so full of self-judgment and self-criticism that they can’t experience their brilliance. They don’t shine because they don’t accept their gifts. Instead they place unrealistic expectations of perfection upon themselves. For instance, a technical professional shares her ideas with […]

Ever feel stuck?  Like you can’t move forward in your life and don’t know why? Fear of feeling is the block that prevents one from going forward in life.  A human being is meant to experience life, digest the experience, take the lesson and meaning from the experience and release the negative emotion from each […]

In my Telling Stories & Sharing Wisdom speaking class last week, one participant wowed us with a fully fleshed-out talk about what is wrong in America today.  He was able to put together ideas and pieces of content that included a story about being with his daughter in a New York restaurant at a table […]

 The key question to ask yourself when you are frozen in fear or gripped in anxiety is “How do I say something real right now?  What is the most authentic thing I can say now?  What is true for me at this moment?” Stage fright, fear of public speaking and performance anxiety are caused by the […]

My public speaking students ask, “What if I speak to an audience that is hostile? How do I deal with that?” This question usually comes up after they have transformed a great deal of stage fright and are feeling very comfortable at the center of attention in their class group. The implication of the question […]