Tell me what you say you want. Show me one week of your life and I will tell you if you will get it.  Every day is a good time to challenge everything you do, expand your thinking, refocus your efforts, and dedicate yourself to your future. If you haven’t done this already this year, […]

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When you deliver a presentation, have a conversation with senior management, or network in your professional community do you sound intelligent, powerful, polished, articulate, and confident? To sound more intelligent: Pace your words, speaking just a bit more slowly to allow yourself time to select the most appropriate vocabulary and to give the impression of […]

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Are you ready to take your presentations to the next level and captivate your audience from the very beginning? One surefire way to make a memorable impact is by incorporating interesting statistics and little-known facts into your opening. In this article, we will explore a brilliant example of how industry expert Lisa Poole used these […]

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My speech coaching clients frequently hear me say, “Are you going to do it, or kind of do it? Remember, you do not kind of or sort of do anything.” Even seasoned executives who should know better, use these weak words and phrases. Often, I believe they are attempting to sound humble. However, it only […]

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𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 said, “𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟.” Patricia Fripp (that’s me!) says, “Put your words under the magnifying glass.” 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 all of 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, just follow these simple steps. If you have a video of a presentation that you felt went really well, sit down and watch it. However, change your perspective. Imagine you […]

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The World is Full of Sloppy Speakers…You Do Not Want to Become One Many excellent presentations sound “conversational.”  However, be aware that there is a distinct difference between an ordinary conversation (with run-on sentences, unfinished thoughts, sloppy language) and a presentation delivered in a conversational style. The best way to improve formal presentations and reports is […]

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Have you noticed; some people are very uncomfortable talking about themselves even when they are very successful? This may be because when you were young, your parents told you to not “Show Off.” Or you are uncomfortable when someone else drones on about themselves and all their much-exaggerated accomplishments. I understand. However, from time to […]

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Tips on How to Give an Acceptance Speech Accepting an award is like walking a tightrope. You need to be gracious, grateful, and humble, yet not so humble or self-deprecating that the audience thinks you are trivializing the honor. In May of 2022, Dan Maddux, my best long-time client and Executive Director of the American […]

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