Worst compliment ever? When I first heard this worst compliment ever at one of my high school reunions, it struck me hard. “You haven’t changed a bit.” I’m sure it was meant as a compliment. I wish they were applying it to my weight, physique, innocence, or maybe even...
The word community has a new meaning in my life. I was in the audience of a presentation where the word community (for reasons of space on a PowerPoint slide) was hyphenated and split across lines, like this: comm- unity I made a mental note that the presenter had...
It’s starting to be a common call here at MillsWyck Communications. “How can I become a professional speaker?” or maybe the more tentative, “Do you think anyone would pay me to speak?” Usually it’s a person with an amazing story that’s been told repeatedly they...
Tips for Reducing Anxiety When Speaking Fear is real and it’s the main reason for most of the calls we get here at MillsWyck Communications. The callers are from all walks of life, all levels of experience, different cultures, have ranged from age 7 to over 70,...
The one thing a speaker should never mention A speaker should never mention TIME when giving a presentation. I was coaching a group presentation the other day and (predictably) one of the presenters ran over their allotted time. While we know a presenter should NEVER...
For an audience to remember a speaker for the wrong reasons is a failure on the speaker’s part. It can go one of two ways. One great; one… not-so-great. It begins with someone who appears to be a total stranger approaching you and opening conversation with, “I...
