December 12for12 Challenge: Put it all together

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

November 12for12 Challenge: Pump up your opening and closing

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

October 12for12 Challenge: Increase audience engagement

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

September 12for12 Challenge: Make your ideas sticky

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

August 12for12 Challenge: Get it on your calendar

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

July 12for12 Challenge: Get Creative With Your Voice

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

June 12for12 Challenge: Prepare Your Mind

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

Transform your fear

Listening to Marcia Meiers' keynote at UCSB's Professional Woman's Association conference last week, this slide show quote struck me:

"We cannot escape fear. We can only transform it into a companion that accompanies us on all our exciting adventures... Take a risk a day -- one small or bold stroke that will make you feel great once you have done it." ~ Susan Jeffers

If only I were so eloquent when explaining to my clients how fear works and why it's futile to try to completely eradicate it. The adrenaline rush that makes your stomach flutter, your face turn red and your hands clammy is not typically a welcome companion, but one that's ridiculously hard to shun.

Her understanding, first, that fear is a part of our lives, just like sadness, anger, joy and love, is profound. No matter how much we would like never to be afraid again, we know it's impossible. The fear of fear, and the fear of a negative reaction to fear is what makes people like me suffer from anxiety and the occasional panic attack. Wouldn't it be great if we could accept the inevitability of fear?

In terms of speaking, I do talk about the exciting adventure of it. I like to compare speaking to a roller coaster ride or some other risk-taking adventure that one enjoys (climbing, skiing, racing, tight-rope walking, diving -- whatever gets your blood pumping). You can find it scary and fun all at the same time -- at least I do. And I do get those butterflies and sweaty palms, but it doesn't mean that I can't still get on the stage and enjoy myself. That fluttery, jittery physical sensation is what I channel, direct and focus into a powerful energy that I give my audience and they, in return, give back.

As for taking a risk a day, well, this is what my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 program is all about! How can we grow and learn if we never experience risk? If we stay comfortable and safe all the time, if we don't try new things and challenge ourselves, we stagnate. How timely was her quote? I came home from the conference and shot a video, because I don't like making videos and hence, knew I had to do one, and knew I had to model my own challenges for the members of my 12for12 program. And you know what? I did feel great once I had done it, just like Susan Jeffers said I would!

Thank you to Marcia Meier, for not only sharing this quote in her presentation, but for pulling the page out of her printed PowerPoint so I could bring it home! She has an amazing life story, full of pain and struggle, incredible challenges and triumphs. How could I not be inspired to come home and push myself just a little further?

What risks are you afraid to take? What challenges are you avoiding? Join my 12 Speaking Challenges program and make it a group effort!

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

Getting out of MY comfort zone

My program, 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012, is all about challenging yourself to get out of your comfort zone so that you build confidence muscles for those times when you're actually in front of an audience. The challenges can be done any time and most don't require an audience.

I can't very well tell my clients to challenge themselves if I'm not doing it myself, right? So here's a video for you, unscripted and unrehearsed, that I forced myself to make in response to my own challenges!

I am so resistant to video; I hate to put on the makeup and change clothes; I stress about the lighting and positioning, and I can never think of a good location to shoot from. Well, screw you, video! I'm taking you on! Watch below as I talk about getting out of my own comfort zone.



Click here to view on YouTube

Watch Ruth Sherman's videos on YouTube if, like me, you are resistant to shooting video, but know you have to do more. She's got tons of advice, most notably: "Just do it!" Her videos are short, sweet and approachable, and you'll start wanting to make video everywhere you go after watching! I particularly like this one she shot while on vacation in Florida:



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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

May 12for12 Challenge: Be Prepared

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

12for12 April Challenge: Review Your Image

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

New training and coaching opportunities for you!

Happy Monday! I want to update you on some of the new opportunities I'm offering for coaching and training. Travel to Las Vegas, visit a Facebook group, or just send me an e-mail... there are several options for improving your public speaking between now and the end of the year. What are you waiting for?

On May 15 and 16 I'll be in Las Vegas, offering my Dynamic Presentations workshop. This will be two days of solid public speaking training, with a good chunk of our time devoted to creating and delivering better PowerPoint presentations. If you've been looking for a comprehensive training that covers both principles of effective speaking and also PowerPoint design, this is the training for you! See you in Las Vegas!

I've added a super-efficient new program to my coaching repertoire: E-coaching! If you don't have time for hour-long coaching sessions by phone or in person, or if you want to run your ideas by me and get quick feedback, or if you know what you're doing and just want to work on refinements, e-coaching is for you! Simply send me one question a day by noon PT (excluding weekends, holidays or days I'm traveling or training), and I will respond the same day. Learn more and sign up here!

Have you checked out my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 program yet? Even though it started in January, you can jump in at any time. Do all the challenges, or just focus on the ones that are most meaningful for you. Let me ask you this: Wouldn't you love to radiate confidence as a speaker? These challenges, one per month, will help you build your confidence muscles, and you don't have to have an audience to participate! Join my Facebook group only, or go more in depth with a private 12for12 site with additional resources, a monthly call and supportive e-mails. Read about it here.

And the oldies but goodies: individual coaching in person or by phone or Skype, group coaching in Santa Barbara, PowerPoint design, and speaking/training for organizations are all going strong. If you have questions about any of my offerings, please get in touch.

And if you're tired of the dread you feel every time you put a speaking engagement on your calendar, knowing you could be better prepared, more confident and more memorable, e-mail me to find out what I can do for you!

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

Speaking up about silencing women

Don't miss these excellent posts by fellow coaches Denise Graveline and Marion Chapsal about the long and insidious history of attempting to silence women who speak out (or just speak) by calling them whores and sluts.

Denise's post "How Rush Limbaugh is helping me celebrate Women's History Month" delivers a thorough overview of this tradition, and Marion's post, A Public Man? A Powerful Guy! A Public Woman? A Prostitute! briefly touches on the recent instances of whore-labeling of Sandra Fluke and Elizabeth Warren because of their activism.

A snippet from Denise's post:

"In our world and heritage, it's assumed that women can be silenced, because that has been more the norm than the exception in our history. Sometimes, I think that even women forget that the women who led the effort to secure votes for women in the United States did so after they were forbidden to speak at an international anti-slavery conference to which they were delegates. To them, it was the right to speak that was worth fighting for; the vote was a way to ensure it. To women around the world in oppressive regimes, the idea of public speaking may not even be a dream, let alone a reality, and yet it's a power any woman has in her own throat."

This topic ties in nicely and in an unfortunate way with my 12for12 challenge this month: Speak Up. There are a lot of reasons we don't speak up when we should. Luckily, most of us will not be called a slut or a whore by our coworkers for speaking our opinion in a meeting. But for a lot of women (and men) there is still a fear of getting shut down, having your ideas stolen, or not being taken seriously. Join my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 program and build your confidence muscles by taking on monthly challenges like Speak Up.

Final excerpt from Denise: "Every time you hear someone say that women speak more than men do, you are hearing a well-worn echo of the 'too much' that led to persecuting women for speaking in days of yore. It's a tamer, toned-down way to shame you into being silent. Remind yourself that you're entitled to speaking your own views, thoughts, opinions and dreams. Keep on speaking, and reinforce other women who speak, or want to do so. Perhaps then the most consistent part of the history of women and public speaking won't be the use of the word 'whore.'"

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

12for12 March Challenge: Speak up

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

12for12 February Challenge: Be present

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 - have you joined?

Have you joined my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 yet? Build your "confidence muscles" with 12 monthly challenges designed to help you get out of your comfort zone and build confidence in a variety of settings that will prepare you for your upcoming speaking engagements!

Click here for the first challenge, Make Eye Contact, and then join the discussion on my Facebook group (you have make a request to join, but it's an open group and everyone is welcome).

If you want to participate in my monthly discussion calls and receive additional resources, handouts and support e-mails, consider joining the Full program. For the month of January, the Full program is only $1!

We've just gotten started and you can join any time throughout the year, but you'll get the most out of the program if you start at the beginning! See you soon!

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!

12for12 January Challenge: Make eye contact

All 12for12 posts have been removed, as they are now part of my "SpeakUP! 8 Daily Challenges to Build Your Confidence Muscles at Work, at Home, and in Front of an Audience" online program, which will be launching mid-January 2013..

For more information on "SpeakUP," click here.

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On The Everything Page you'll find everything you need to build visibility, credibility and influence through engaging presentations that move your participants into action: freebies, low-cost products and courses, and 1:1 coaching!