The Great Big Voice Blog
Reflections on finding your voice, strengthening your presence,
and communicating what matters most, on stage and beyond.
speech coaching
How To Handle Those Pesky Q & A’s
Navigating the Q&A section after a presentation can be a nerve-wracking experience for many professionals. The uncertainty of not knowing how to respond to questions can lead to anxiety and insecurity. But fear not, as I share with you some […]
To Increase Executive Presence, Sharpen Your Word Pronunciation
I once had the CEO of a company reach out to me to ask if I would coach a member of his leadership team in sharpening his verbal skills so he could increase his executive presence. “The problem,” he explained,” […]
Dance With What You’re Given: A Lesson In Grace From Miley Cyrus
It was New Year’s Eve, 2021, and superstar performer, Miley Cyrus, took the stage in her live TV special, singing and dancing while rockin’ a fabulous teeny tiny silver skirt and matching teeny tiny halter top. All was well. Until […]
Assertive or Aggressive? What’s the Difference
Years ago, while I was living and working in New York City as a professional actor, I had a passing acquaintance with another performer I’ll call Paula. With a soaring, powerful voice reminiscent of Barbra Streisand, Paula was one of […]
Public Speaking Success: Making The Most Of A Wrong Note
What You Do Next Matters I was leafing through a catalogue of novelty items, when a quote by jazz great Miles Davis printed on a tee shirt caught my eye. “When you hit a wrong note,” it said, “it’s the […]
Executive Presence: Switch On Your Video and Unmute Yourself
When it comes to Executive Presence, I like to say that “presence = being present”. And being present means being willing to truly be in each moment as it unspools. It means allowing yourself to see and be seen, hear […]
When You Get Your Cue, Don’t Think, Just Do.
The following is an excerpt from Chapter 7, Take Your Cue, from my book, Claim the Stage: A Woman’s Guide to Speaking Up, Standing Out, and Taking Leadership, which is THIS far from being published. Stay tuned for more about my book launch […]
Three Ways to be Confident on Camera
When the 2020 Pandemic hit, every aspect of my work that I typically did in a room within literal reach of an audience of one many– from executive presence leadership coaching, to group presentation skills training, to giving keynote presentations— […]
3 Ways to Rock Your Short Talk
Sammy, a young inventor, and the winner of a prestigious 30 under 30 award from Forbes, Inc was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: To give a short talk about his groundbreaking invention at the prestigious annual Forbes summit. When he called […]
How to Write a Keynote Speech: A Beginner’s Guide
How do you write a keynote speech? You’ve just been asked to deliver a keynote speech at an upcoming event. You’re honored—and maybe a little nervous. You might be wondering: If those questions are bouncing around in your brain, you’re […]
5 Ways to Beat Zoom Performance Anxiety (ZPA)
As a presentation skills coach and trainer, I’ve spent almost twenty years helping clients manage presentation performance anxiety. But it’s only been since Covid-19 reared it’s extremely ugly head that I’ve needed to help my clients manage what I’m calling […]
Paint Your Speaker Vision in Living Color
Imagine going to an archery range that had no targets. You’d be standing around with your bow and arrow, scratching your head and wondering “Uh, where do I point this thing?” Or you might be firing off arrows willy-nilly in […]
To Boost Public Speaking Confidence, Take Time to Take a Bow
Claudia had spent weeks working with me to prepare a high-level presentation for a prestigious conference that would showcase her considerable expertise. The effort she’d put into developing and internalizing the presentation was almost as mighty as the effort she’d […]
Presentation Skills Tip: To Keep Your Audiences Engaged, “You-nify” Your Presentations
As a presentation skills coach and trainer, one of the most common questions I get asked is “How do I keep my audience engaged?” There are, of course, multiple answers to that question (which I’ve written about here and here […]
To be a Better Speaker, Honor the Sacred Stage
(Or Lessons in Peak Performance from an Italian Waiter) While dining in a rooftop restaurant in Venice, Italy, I was struck by our waiter’s commitment to providing us with a memorable, meaningful dining experience. “Giacomo” made sure to provide every […]
Public Speaking Training Tip: Three Ways to Slow Down When You’re a Fast Talker
As a public speaking training coach, I am constantly saying some version of “Whoaaaaa, Nellie!” to my fast-talking clients. By fast-talking, I mean folks whose natural inclination is to talk (and, often, to think) a mile-a-minute, often verbally galloping way […]
4 Ways to Honor Intellectual Property (and Your Fellow Speakers)
I have always been an extremely ethical person—even, some might say, to a fault. When I raise my hand to swear an oath, I mean it. When I’m asked to respect rules and regulations, I do (just ask my schoolmates […]
Presentation Skills Training: Beige Doesn’t Read from the Stage
If you’ve ever participated in one of my presentation skills training classes, you’ve heard me say the following words: BAN WISHY WASHY! I even reinforce this point by brandishing a sign on which the words WISHY WASHY are slashed through […]
Presentation Skills Training: Five Benefits of Group Learning
I just finished facilitating a full-day Presentation Skills Training session—this one for a team of medical sales people at a bio-tech company—and am feeling exhausted but exhilarated. Exhausted, because, as usual, I gave it my all for seven hours, modeling […]
How to Overcome Fear of Public Speaking – 6 Tips to Tame the Speech Anxiety Monster
Are you an executive, author, salesperson, entrepreneur, or professional with aspirations of success? Think you can avoid public speaking and achieve those aspirations? Alas, you cannot. Studies show that fear of public speaking and the inability to communicate effectively can […]
Want to be a Better Public Speaker? Don’t Shirk the Work
In the space of one week, three of my presentation skills training clients gave critical, public, high-stakes presentations. After they delivered those presentations, they emailed, called or texted me, triumphant. “I killed it!” was the basic theme of each of […]
Four Ways to Be a Better Listener
As I was prepping the stuffing for my Thanksgiving turkey, I happened to catch Joshua Johnson’s great interview show, 1 A on NPR. The topic of the program —How Not to Fight with Your Family on Thanksgiving—seemed quite fitting for […]
A Lesson in Pitching and Presentation Skills from Mr. Rogers
As a presentations skills trainer and coach, I often work with entrepreneurs who pitch their products and services to audiences of investors. They are often so heavily focused on putting together the perfect slide presentation– chock full of numbers, graphs […]
Get Out of the Basement and Dare to Be of Influence
I’ve recently enjoyed reading Austin Kleon’s two, wonderful books Steal Like an Artist, and Show Your Work. The latter reinforces something I’ve always believed: When it comes to creating something—like writing a book, crafting a presentation; developing a new idea […]
Embrace a Growth Mindset
In the first quarter of my freshman year at Brown University, I decided to take Psychology 101. When the first exam rolled around, I was pretty sure I knew the material well and that I would, as usual, get a […]
“Help! I’ve Lost My Voice!”: When a Speaker Gets Laryngitis
Recently, my biggest nightmare as a speaker, coach and trainer came to pass: I lost my voice. I mean, entirely. I couldn’t even muster up a pathetic, hoarse little whisper. It was utterly terrifying. And, of course, it couldn’t have […]
To Be a More Compelling Speaker, Heighten Your Concentration
As a young actor, I spent many happy hours watching plays so I could learn acting techniques from my talented colleagues. One night, I went to see a performance of a big, splashy new musical. The stage was filled with […]
To Speak at Your Peak, Steer Clear of the Comparison Trap!
At six feet tall, with a long, loping stride, I was a very good high-school runner. Which is why I felt pretty darn cocky as I strode up to the starting line on track and field day to compete in […]
Public Speaking Tip: Don’t Speak to a Demographic, Speak to a Person
In preparation for writing a book about the art and craft of public speaking, I’ve been reading some great books on the subject. It’s always interesting to see where and how I differ or concur with my colleagues when it […]
5 ways to Rock the Podium During Conference Season
5 Ways to Rock the Podium. During Conference Season When Spring comes rolling around, I always expect a rash of calls from folks who are slated to deliver presentations at the regional and national conferences that proliferate at this time […]
Make the Most of Your Microphone
The first time I stepped up to a microphone, I was eleven years old. I had bravely signed up to sing a song called Froggy Went a Courtin’ all by myself in the talent show at summer camp. The microphone […]