The Great Communicator Blog
5 Steps to Eliminating Filler Words Forever
It’s no secret that the excessive use of filler words makes you seem less intelligent than you are. Filler words are meaningless words that show hesitation. To be taken more seriously & to get people to follow our lead, we need to eliminate filler words from our speech. Or at least significantly reduce them. Look at the various speaking situations in your
Your Presentation is Boring
An amazing client of mine sent me an e-mail the other day while she was at a conference. “Ugh! These speakers are so boring!” I hear this a whole lot. Speakers have a hard time maintaining the audience’s attention let alone getting them to follow their call to action. Did you ever go to a presentation so excited about the topic
4 Definitive Techniques to Making Small Talk
Ever since my late teens, I’ve enjoyed having complex, laugh-out-loud conversations with people, whether we’re in line at the deli, sitting together at the bar, or just standing at a “don’t walk” sign. Cab drivers, ticket vendors, airline agents were also not out of my cross-hairs. I love making small talk. Most of the time, I come away
3 Things That Make Chit-Chat Oh So Awkward
How many times have you met someone, had a bit of small talk for 2 awkward minutes & moved on never to speak with that person again? Every person you ever meet isn’t going to be your friend but we do need to actively build new relationships. We’re social animals and need to have relationships with people. We need to start conversations
American Accent–Pronouncing the Dreaded TH
Have you been struggling with how to pronounce the th sound? Ask any American how to pronounce the /th/ sounds (yes, there are 2 of them) and they’ll tell you to put your tongue between your upper & lower front teeth. Even speech professionals are out there telling you to do this. In the google results of “How to Pronounce the
American Accent–Are You Making These 3 Common Pronunciation Mistakes?
Some American-English sounds are challenging for speakers who don’t call English their first language. Do you want to know why? Did you ever wonder why it’s so hard to use an American accent when using English as a 2nd or 3rd language? Because each of English’s 26 letters doesn’t represent only 1 sound in Standard American English. Let me explain:
Persuasive Speaking: How to Nail it When You Need it Most
Can you speak persuasively when you need it most? So you’re awesome at telling your friends your great idea but when it comes to speaking persuasively to your team & your boss it doesn’t come out quite as mellifluously, does it? Not exactly the oration it sounded like in your head, is it? You’re great at telling your mom or your bestie
How to Be a Persuasive Speaker-Are You Failing When You Need it Most?
Did you ever notice it’s easier to talk to your friend at happy-hour after work than it is to talk to someone on a first date? You’ve got all kinds of stories to share with your friend but sitting across the table from your date your mind draws a blank. You know you need to learn how to be a
It’s Not About the Oxford Comma
When people first contact me they often say, “I’d like to learn how to improve diction.” They want to learn to pronounce their speech better. The answer isn’t in over-articulation. The first question I ask is, “Why?” They invariably tell me that they want people to listen to them, really hear them. The first part of this article addresses the