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Home » Planet » Feed: Speak Schmeak is the blog of public speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite

Speak Schmeak is the blog of public speaking coach Lisa Braithwaite


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Friday Fun: Comedians

February 25, 2012

I am constantly fascinated by how much speakers can learn from comedians. They are masters of surprise, timing, storytelling, audience engagement, discipline, preparation, handling pressure, handling failure, taking risks, and many other techniques that speakers need to understand.

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Does your audience feel welcome?

February 22, 2012


On Friday I had an appointment with a new client. It was a long drive to get there, and a long drive to get back, especially on the Friday of a holiday weekend. I was probably in the car a total of seven hours. But I had such a great experience while I was there, I wasn't nearly as crabby as I could have been when I got home!

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Never can say goodbye

February 17, 2012


Do you ever go to a party or family gathering and find it hard to leave? You start saying goodbye to people, and it's inevitable that there's someone you didn't talk to enough. So now you're getting caught up, and the clock keeps ticking. You try to say goodbye to everyone you know, here you are, 30 minutes later, still trying to leave.

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What's the relationship between confidence and nervousness?

February 16, 2012

Last week, I gave a 10-minute presentation based on some of the challenges in my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 program. The topic was on building your confidence muscles, and the message was that these particular challenges can be done at any time -- no audience necessary -- to help build overall confidence, which leads to confidence as a speaker.

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Why your audience isn't participating

February 11, 2012


One of the quickest ways to lose your audience is to pretend to want participation, but not really invite it. How do you do this? Ask the wrong kinds of questions.

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Are you giving the audience tools they can use?

February 8, 2012


One of the things I find lacking in many presentations is the useful take-home tool. Sure, I hear lots of good ideas from speakers, but I don't often go home with action steps rather than concepts. I don't often go home with concrete things I can DO to improve my business, my presentations or my life.

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Don't say "you" when you mean "I"

February 4, 2012

In this interview with Ellen Degeneres, Seal talks about his separation from his wife, Heidi Klum. Notice his use of second person ("you") narrative in telling his story in this clip, rather than the more appropriate first person ("I").

Here are a couple of quotes:

"You go into these things with the greatest intentions."

"When you say 'I do,' when you say, 'Till death do us part,' those vows hold value, they're not just words."

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12for12 February Challenge: Be present

February 3, 2012


Have you joined my 12 Speaking Challenges for 2012 program yet? Build your "confidence muscles" with 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!

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Too hot, too cold, or just right?

February 1, 2012


I recently attended a conference with my husband, and in comparing notes afterward about the sessions we had attended, I realized we had a case of the Goldilocks. (If you don't know the story, here's a brief version similar to the one I grew up with.)

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How is a speaker like a cinnamon roll cake?

January 28, 2012


Kathy Shields' cinnamon roll cake at Savoy Cafe
Yesterday I met a friend for an afternoon treat at one of my favorite Santa Barbara eateries: Savoy Cafe and Deli. Hubby and I have known the owners, Paul and Kathy Shields, for many years, and we love to support our friends and local businesses.

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