Olivia Vella took the internet by storm at 13 with her poetry slam “Why Am I Not Good Enough?” The poem digs deep into the same insecurities we all carried at that age — and still, carry. Fitting in, being liked, reaching a bar set by an unseen force and…

Choosing the right speaking style can be critical. I learned this lesson the hard way. I was giving a workshop with a colleague, and I’d been warned in advance it was a tough crowd — half the room dropped out at the last second, and the other half was not…

Life-changing conversations don’t always happen after a presentation — they happen in elevators, hallways, and break rooms. Your greatest opportunity may not come when you have the room’s undivided attention. It may come in the form of passing a CEO in a hallway or approaching the new team manager while…

Do you struggle to sleep when traveling? I fly overseas almost every week, including recent trips to South Korea, Tokyo, San Francisco, and New York City. …

I once attended a talk given by an aspiring public speaker, to a group of no more than fifteen people. She strolled in front of the room, while we were all in mid-conversation over a morning cup of tea, and began giving her speech. …

Can you remember how awkward you sometimes felt in high school? You may have been picked on for all sorts of reasons — looking different, working hard, expressing yourself. …

I always felt uneasy about going to traditional networking events like breakfast meetings or after-work drinks. To me, they were often painful and seemed ingenuine, with lots of people approaching me with their card and a pitch about why I should buy from them or tell my clients about them…

Everyone remembers the nervous uncertainty of waiting to be picked for a team at school. Standing against a wall, hoping you won’t be the last kid chosen, with the refrain “pick me, pick me” running through your head. Then, finally, you’re chosen. But, after a brief sigh of relief, you…

The internet has truly changed the game when it comes to public speaking. This new medium — full of TED talks, snappy messages and viral videos — has fundamentally shifted the style of speech that engages us most. One person who encapsulates this new style right now is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. …