beckysue 
For the longest time, I thought the subject of body language was a bunch of BS. Then I talked to an expert and realized that it’s not body language that’s BS, but most people’s ideas about body language. That is, the science is valid, but the interpretation of it is a mess, she explained. If … Read more
In the hours after the September 11 attacks, I was furious. I wanted revenge — and if the pursuit of that resulted in some measure of justice, so be it. But justice was not the first thing on my mind. We still don’t know who was responsible for the attacks in Boston, but it strikes … Read more
I love public speaking. I spoke to a couple of groups of college students this week and it was a lot of fun. (And if it’s not fun, why do it?) Here are some quick tips that came to mind. 1. Write your own introduction Sometimes the person who introduces you will put something together … Read more
When you’re providing feedback on other people’s writing, do you ever get a nagging feeling that they’re angry or resentful? It may be because you’re being a jerk. You can’t help it. You weren’t trained to be an editor. People who hold that title in media companies and publishing houses toil for years to perfect … Read more
I wrote about this issue nearly a year ago. And still, it persists. To review: Everyday means ordinary or commonly occurring while every day means each and every single day. Sly Stone assures us that in spite of his fame and lifestyle, he is simply “everyday people.” Elvis Costello, unfortunately, gets it wrong when he … Read more
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoPu1UIBkBc&w=420&h=315] Whether you think Ronald Reagan was a great communicator or THE great communicator or simply a decent one, the man knew how to tell a story and land a joke. A great example is the now-legendary moment during a 1984 debate with Walter Mondale. For those who weren’t alive or sentient then, there … Read more
Business presenters often complain about the sight of audience members texting and tweeting away while they speak. I choose to see it as a challenge instead of an annoyance. First, let’s be clear: distracted audiences are nothing new. I remember a college professor kicking a student out of class for reading a newspaper as nonchalantly … Read more
Storytelling is both deceptively simple and deceptively complex. That is, people either underestimate or overestimate its difficulty. As a result, some people get intimidated and don’t believe they can tell a decent story. Others are undeterred, and go around claiming their anecdotes and accounts of their everyday travails are actual stories. So striking the right … Read more
Editing your own material is one of the hardest things for a writer to do. And it is a must-have skill in this attention span-challenged age. I was reminded of this as I prepare a couple of upcoming speeches. “Where can I possibly make cuts? It’s ALL gold!” Luckily, I wrote a whole book about … Read more
Wherever you go, you can hear them. Their voices blare over the background hum at coffees shops, in airports, on the bus. They sure talk like they have an answer for everything, but when you listen (which is all-too-hard not to do), they don’t seem to be saying much of anything. Now if I were … Read more