Monday, July 16, 2012

Afraid of Public Speaking?


by Linda Rosenblum

Public speaking scares me more than almost anything in this world.  Standing in front of a room filled with people staring at me with blank eyes while I stammer on about a random topic literally makes me want to crawl in a hole and never come out.  I fear their deadpan expressions; I fear their equivocal silence.  But most importantly, I fear their judgment.  My anxiety lies in a panic that my listeners are having negative thoughts about me.  However, I know that this fear is irrational and that public speaking is completely unavoidable.  Additionally, I realize that having good verbal communication skills is absolutely essential to succeeding in the professional world.  Therefore, I looked towards Robyn's teachings for advice in order to create a better presence for myself in front of an audience.  By implementing these simple techniques, I find it much easier to speak in public settings.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Playing in the Big League is Hard Work!


This has been a very exciting, challenging and anxiety producing Spring and Summer for my family. My son had an American Dream come true. He was drafted in the 11th round by the CincinnatiReds and became a professional baseball player.

But when dreams come true, you suddenly realize that that dream is not an end, but another beginning.

I hope you are all dreaming big and that you are at the same time preparing yourself to take on the new challenges that come when your big dream comes true.

I want to share two lessons I learned from my son’s experience. 

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Y Txtng is NOT Communicating!


Sending text messages and emails are extremely helpful if you are quickly arranging social plans or catching up with an old friend.  They are fast, simple, and to the point.  In turn, they allow you to convey a straightforward message without all the small talk that comes with a face-to-face conversation.  However, while replacing verbal communication with texting and emailing, we are losing so much in the process. 

Between 80 and 90% of our communication is supported by nonverbal cues. Meaning, when we have a verbal dialogue with someone, a large portion of the impression that we make is based on body language, facial expression, intonation, and rate of speech.  We decide whether the other person is being sarcastic or humorous by analyzing their pitch and speech pattern.  Furthermore, we use these factors to decide whether or not we will trust the person we are speaking to.  Where is the presence of these elements when we text message and email?