beckysue 
Last month, on the first anniversary of my father’s death, I wrote a post called How to Write a Eulogy. My main points then still apply: First and foremost, speak from the heart. If it’s meaningful to you, it will be meaningful to others. Ignore the “rules.” There is no one “right” way to write a … Read more
The Internet and mobile technology didn’t invent bad behavior, but they sure have exacerbated it. That’s been vividly illustrated in two stories that broke this week. Together they offer a cautionary tale about the limits of anonymity and privacy in the modern world. Anonymity Breeds Contempt Until he was fired last week, Jofi Joseph was … Read more
When I talk to audiences about presentation skills, the #1 question I get is how to handle stage fright. I’ve written about it before but it keeps coming up. And the more I read and listen, the more I learn. So here are my newly expanded Top 10 tips for handling the jitters, nerves, stage fright—whatever … Read more
I’m not a particularly difficult person to get along with, but there are certain practices in the marketing and PR field that give us all a bad name. They rise to the level of Stupid Marketing Tricks. So whether you’re marketing your business or just marketing yourself, here are my pet peeves, dealbreakers and don’t-go-theres. … Read more
Are you stuck in PowerPoint Hell? Or putting others through it? You’ll find absolution here. Check out this free webinar I did for Georgetown University: 11 Deadly Presentation Sins: A Path to Redemption for Public Speakers. It’s a simple YouTube video, but they don’t enable embedding, so just click here to watch. I first put … Read more
I keep hearing speakers talk dismissively about audience Q&A. They feel it’s a distraction from their message and they treat it as an afterthought. But I believe that whenever it’s technically feasible you should always take questions from your audience. Based on my own experience as a speechwriter and public speaker, here are five reasons … Read more
E-mail is a sinkhole where knowledge goes to die. People have been predicting the death of (and perhaps by) email for years, and the debate on the issue continues. I find email indispensable—at least in my professional life—and I was fascinated by this story on the clash between college students and professors. It’s rich with killer … Read more
I learned some valuable lessons about doctor-patient communication last week—and all I had to do was spend the night in the hospital. This is a tale of two healthcare professionals: one offered assurance, and the other almost gave me a heart attack. (Which would have been ironic, since I was in the hospital for a … Read more
How much communication is too much? That’s a question that inevitably arises whenever I do a presentation or interview. Specifically, people will ask: When expressing emotion, how much emoting is too much? When doing business, how much chit chat is too much? When presenting to an audience, how much eye contact is too much? A Matter … Read more
Sometimes the keys to workplace success can be found in the most unexpected places. Like on the stage. Back when I was an improv student, I came across this great blog post called The Perfect Actor. It was written by Mick Napier, who’s a legend on the Chicago comedy scene. He’s trained and directed thousands of comics, … Read more