In early 2019, a particular phenomenon took social media by storm…the 10-year Challenge! To participate, you had to post a photo of yourself from 2009, and another from 2019, to show how you had changed in 10 years. The photos had to be in a COLLAGE format, with your ‘before and after’ photos juxtaposed, and…
As I type this, I’m home in my workspace, having faced TWO program cancellations this week, no thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. This phenomenon has changed the world, and in these unprecedented times, it’s easy to feel like we are all drifting at sea, trying to navigate uncharted waters. None the less, we can find…
“You always say that my personal story is important, but I also hear that I need to make my message ‘audience-focused.’ That seems like a contradiction. How do I make that work?” That’s a valid question, and one that I’ve heard from experienced and emerging speakers alike. As I always say, “Your life tells a…
If we all decided to take stock of the time we invest in our relationships, compared with the time we invest in professional advancement, earning income, getting ahead, earning a recognizable name for ourselves, and achieving our ‘dreams’, what would we learn? I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s a seriously challenging question.…
Perhaps you’ve seen video clips. Maybe you were at a wedding or some other event and witnessed it, cringing. It’s possible that you have attended a meeting at work and squirmed in your chair as you watched someone struggle. Or maybe it’s happened to you. Your mouth is dry, tongue stuck to the roof of…
For more than 20 years, I’ve noticed that more and more, individuals have their heads buried in their mobile devices, even while in the company of others. On one occasion, I snapped a photo of the 9 other passengers who were with me on a rental car shuttle, and they were completely unaware…
Do You Dare to Delegate? During a webinar I conducted recently, several participants admitted that they are unwilling to delegate, for a number of reasons, including, “I don’t want to dump more work on other people” and “I don’t want anyone to think I can’t hold my own.” However, “Nobody can do it as…
WHAT’S IN A WORD? OK. I confess. I’m a ‘word-nerd’! When I was 13, I began to read the dictionary, thanks to the extensive vocabulary of English author Thomas Hardy, whose works were required reading in my Grade 9 English Literature class back in Jamaica. The experience was akin to a treasure hunt for me…
“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. I’ve read and heard that Jim Rohn quote countless times, and recently it led me to think…not so much about the people I spend time with, but about the people who ‘have my ear.’ It wouldn’t come as a surprise to…
Recently I read a book in which the author quoted a poem, and when I heard it I thought to myself, “Hmmm…that doesn’t sound quite right.” I decided to do some research. It turned out that the poem is called “An Autobiography in FIVE Short Chapters” by Portia Nelson. (My fellow Certified Speaking Professional…
When I was 14 years old, I began playing football (soccer) competitively in school, and was named captain of the Calabar High School Colts team. (That’s me in the back on the left, beside the coach, showing way too many teeth!) We represented our school at the junior level. To be honest, I can’t recall…
During a recent speech coaching session, one of my clients said, “I saw you speak in London a couple of years ago, and I was particularly impressed with your personal stories. They made me feel connected to you.” His words simply reinforced a principle that has come to mean a great deal to me; our…