Podcasts about minute talk tips

Memory is not as reliable as we like to think it is. And that's not a stroke thing. It's just the nature of memory. Of course a stroke can impact memory as well. It can hurt our short-term memory, like in Christine Lee's stroke ( http://Strokecast.com/Christine). It can impact whether or not we can "remember" vocabulary, like in the case of aphasia. We may find our memory stronger earlier in the day than later in the day. This week, I speak with the host of the Brain Science podcast and member of the Podcast Hall of Fame, Dr. Ginger Campbell about ow memory work in the non-damaged brain. We explore some of the misconceptions that govern memory , its accuracy, and even how it impacts the criminal justice system. If you don't see the audio player below, you can listen to the conversation at http://Strokecast.com/MSN/BrainScience   Click here for a machine-generated transcript Who is Dr. Ginger Campbell? Dr. Virginia “Ginger” Campbell is a physician, author, and science communicator. She is the author of “Are You Sure: The Unconscious Origins of Certainty”* and she is a member of the Podcast Hall of Fame (2022). Dr. Campbell began podcasting in 2006 when she launched two shows: Brain Science and Books and Ideas. Both feature interviews with scientists, but Books and Ideas includes more diverse guests including science fiction writers. In 2018 she launched Graying Rainbows, which took her interview skills to a more personal level. Brain Science is still going strong and is widely regarded as the best podcast about neuroscience. Dr. Campbell spent over 20 years as an emergency physician in rural Alabama. In 2014 she went back to the University of Alabama in Birmingham where she completed a Fellowship in Palliative Medicine. She now practices Palliative Medicine at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Birmingham, AL, where she enjoys both patient care and teaching residents, fellows, and medical students. Dr. Campbell enjoys sharing her passion for science and especially neuroscience. Her goal is to make these topics accessible to people from all backgrounds. Memory is not a Recording One theme that comes up frequently is that the brain is not a computer and memory is not a recording. The dynamic nature of memory means that our "mental records" of events cand and are supposed to change. Each time we recall an event, we rewrite it. Maybe we add new data or interpretations. Maybe we purge less relevant details. The whole evolutionary purpose of memory is to keep us alive so we can reproduce and propagate our genes. Of course that's the evolutionary purpose of every aspect of our biology. Our existential, theological, spiritual, philosophical, or metaphysical purpose is different, but that's a separate discussion. Memory is not intended to provide an accurate, societal record of all events. It's meant to help us survive. Criminal Justice Eyewitness testimony and stranger identification is the least reliable form of testimony in court. In addition to challenges like cross-race identification, even our most traumatic memories lack accuracy. Again, the memory is there to keep us alive, not to ensure the right person goes to jail. We often read about the flaws of eyewitness testimony. The fact is memory is often not accurate enough to convict someone beyond a reasonable doubt (the standard in the US). Fortunately, the proliferation of dash cams, cell, phone recordings, and police body cams provide an often more accurate supplement to memory. And the advances in DNA identification and analysis provide a further level of certainty. There are likely still hundreds or thousands of people in prison around the world solely because of someone's memory. Is everyone who claims to be innocent actually innocent? Of course not. Are some of them innocent? Surely. Any assessments and accusations, especially about strangers, need to be taken with a substantial grain of salt. Podcast Hall of Fame In Spring of 2022, Dr. Ginger Campbell was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame.  The honor recognizes her commitment as a science communicator/educator. Talking about science and making it accessible to everyday people and voters is essential to our future as a society. At one level, we have learned so much about how biology and climate work, it's astounding. At the same time we are still plagued by anti-vaxxers, flat earthers, and climate change deniers who deny science. They can win adherents due to lack of skill of many in the science community when it comes to communicating with the general public. In all fields, scientific and otherwise, the deeper the experts get, the more likely they are to be speaking a different language -- one of assumptions and vocabulary and lines of thought that are unique to the field.  What's often missing is an ability to translate that expert language from the field of experts to the general populace, who may have their own expertise in their own fields. That's why shows like the Brain Science podcast are so important. And it's why I hope I can make my own contribution to the space with this show. By the way, Ginger is not the only podcast hall of famer I've had the pleasure of interviewing. A few years back, I interviewed Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting on my 2-Minute Talk Tips podcast. You can listen to that episode here: Hack of the Week The simplest way to improve your memory is to pay attention to things you want to remember. That means repeating people's names when you meet them, or repeating appointment information as you make the commitment. The more you repeat it, the more brain resources you commit to remembering something. When it's important to remember, tell your brain that it's important to remember and why. Give yourself the context you need. If you hear something out loud, say it out loud. Then handwrite it. Engage more parts of your brain and body to secure important pieces of data in your memory. A bonus hack to keep your brain sharp? Engage socially with people because the brain craves variety and novelty. And few things are as random and unpredictable as people. Links Where do we go from here? Text BrainScience to 55444 to get 5 Things You Need to Know About Your Brain, and to subscribe to Ginger's newsletter. And be sure to check out her podcast Brain Science to learn more about the brain and neurology. Share this episode with someone you know by giving them the link http://Strokecast.com/BrainScience. Subscribe to the free Strokecast newsletter at http://Strokecast.com/News. Don't get best…get better.

  Click here for a machine-generated transcript.   At 30 years old, social worker Jeri Ward was incredibly busy. Perhaps too busy. Having a stroke was the not even on her radar. But then again, is it ever? Multiple hospital visits and a failed thrombectomy later, she found herself completely paralyzed and unable to speak for months in a hospital bed. Scared, bored, and frustrated she would go on to recover, win the title of Mrs. Ohio International, and partner with the American Heart Association to raise awareness of stroke in the general population. Jeri spoke to me for over an hour in the days leading up to the Mrs. International. About Jeri Ward Jeri Ward lives and works in Ohio. She built a busy career as a social worker, Autism specialist, and volunteer. Jeri was always on the go, with one project after another. In the midst of that hectic schedule she nourished her passion of pageant life and lived it for decades. In 2018, Jeri was crowned Mrs. Ohio America. Later that year, Jeri barely survived a massive ischemic stroke. She was locked inside her own body in an ICU bed for months. Gradually, she recovered her speech and movement. And she rededicated herself to the cause of stroke awareness and advocacy. In 2021, Jeri returned to pageant life, winning the title of Mrs. Ohio International with a new platform of raising stroke awareness and advocating for survivors both at home and around the world. She started the Lemonade Project to help folks learn and practice appropriate self-care. Jeri currently works at the American Heart Association as a Development Director. Mrs. International Pageant A  lot of folks have preconceived notions about pageant winners, and often those notions are not true. Jeri is the fourth pageant winner I've had the pleasure meeting. Marsha Scmid was a guest on the show a couple years back after winning the title of Ms. Wheelchair USA. It was a stroke caused by a chiropractor that her eligible for that pageant. Ina previous job, I had the pleasure of working with Hilary Billings, a former Miss Nevada. I interviewed Hilary for my other podcast, 2-Minute Talk Tips. You can hear that conversation here. And I went to college with a woman who would go on to become Miss Montana. They have all been some of the smartest, hardest working people I know. Really incredible individuals. The Mrs. International pageant, as Jeri describes it, puts a premium on contestants' platforms, a I don't mean their shoes. This was a great match for Jeri who has turned her stroke into a cause -- to take every opportunity she can to help with stroke education and advocate for survivors. Jeri did an amazing job at the finals, coming in in third place. She chronicled her journey on Instagram Ohio Legislation Jeri channeled her career experience, her stroke advocacy work, and the drive she uses in pageant life to help the Ohio State legislature pass SB21, which updates protocols for EMS. The short version is that this law will require ambulances to take stroke patients to an appropriate hospital, rather than the closest hospital. As we know, time lost is brain lost, and moving folks from hospital to hospital costs time, money, and long-term disability This legislation will help change that in Ohio. Hack of the week Explain things to people simply. Jeri talks about the headphones she wears due to her sensory processing challenges. She'll mention briefly why she wears them in meetings at work. Disclosing and talking about disabilities is a challenging subject. Outside of our doctors, no one is entitled to know our medical history. Even then, there are limits. There are lots of very good reasons for minimizing disclosure given how wide-spread ableism is in this world. At the same time, there's something to be said for acknowledging the elephant in the room. The elephant is metaphor in this case. Imagine you are having a conversation with a few people at somebody's home. You are not circus or zoo folks. Then an elephant walks into the room and just sits there. And no one says anything. How can anyone focus on the main thrust of the conversation? A fraking elephant just walked into the room! In order for conversation to continue, someone needs to say something about the elephant. Pretending it's not there isn't going to work. Once the owner/roommate of the elephant says, "Oh, that's just Bob. He's cool. So, anyway…" You may still have a lot of questions about Bob, but you can put those aside from now and get back to a productive conversation. When folks mention "the elephant in the room," they are talking about something that is big, unexpected, and that folks might want to ignore, but can't. Acknowledging the elephant lets us get back on track. Sometimes, all we need to do is acknowledge our elephants. When Jeri puts in her earphones in a business meeting, is that an elephant worth acknowledging? Often, yes. Should it be? Probably not. But someone who isn't familiar with sensory processing challenges may be speaking, see someone put on headphones and assume they are being blatantly rude and ignoring them in an aggressive manner. By telling people what you need, such as when Jeri mentions why she uses them without going into detail, it lets the meeting get back on track without someone taking offense. On another note, this is why it's important, if you're comfortable doing so, to share your story. To normalize disability and the tools we use to make our world more accessible. Canes and headphones and rollators and splints and service dogs may be elephants today, but they don't have to be in the future. Links Where do we go from here? Follow Jeri on Instagram at  MrsOhioIntl2021 Share this episode with someone you know by giving them the link http://Strokecast.com/Jeri Subscribe to the free, monthly Strokecast newsletter at http://Strokecast.com/News Don't get best…get better

Marcia Moran was a consultant who worded with entrepreneurs and helped the write business plans. Her pplan did not include a stroke in 2014, but no one’s does. Since then those skills have helped her advocate for herself and take the small steps she needed to in order to begin her recovery. Marcia shares her story in this episode, talks about how she’s doing it, and discusses the importance of having or being an advocate. Bio From Marcia’s website: After successfully building her business over the last twenty-plus years, Marcia  Moran thought she had life by the tail. Little did she know what was in store. Marcia Moran has written over fifty business plans, and helped entrepreneurs strategize over how to differentiate their companies in changing environments. Her experience led her to found her own firm, Performance Architect in 2012.  She also co-founded Positive Business DC, an organization designed to increase well-being in the workforce in 2012. After suffering a major stroke in 2014, Marcia applied her skills in planning and strategy as she strived to become whole. She never gave up. Over time she learned to walk again, but Marcia struggled with aphasia, a language disorder. She joined Toastmasters International hoping to regain her speaking abilities. It helped marginally, but in August 2017 she discovered a technological breakthrough that minimized her speaking disability. She then pushed beyond her comfort zone to become a Toastmasters International Club Officer in 2017, followed by Area Director in 2019.  Marcia created Stroke FORWARD because she felt there is a need to share hope to stroke survivors and their caretakers. Learning to become her own health advocate one step a time and exploring holistic methods for healing were keys to her recovery. Marcia speaks and shares her message of hope, inspiration, healing, and a way forward as she goes across the country. She welcomes new opportunities to help individuals affected by major health crises move forward. Marcia lives with her husband Jim, two very loud cats, and two birds near Washington, DC. Jim played a role of caretaker and advocate and contributed to Stroke FORWARD. His observations and experiences are captured in the book. On weekends, Marcia, Jim, and the cats go to Deep Creek, Maryland where Marcia paints watercolors. In the evening Marcia and Jim sit out on the deck and watch fireflies flit by. Marcia holds a B.S. in Political Science with a magna cum laude from the University of North Dakota and a Master’s in Business Administration, from Chapman University in California. She attended Skirinssal Folkehoyskole in Sandefjord, Norway and studied art. She also earned a certificate in Well-being Foundations of Personal Transformation from the Personal Transformation and Courage Institute in Virginia. She volunteers at Brain Injury Services, supporting their Speakers Bureau program. Small Steps Marcia talks about working towards her goals by breaking down the process into small steps, and then figuring out how to achieve each step. Sometimes she succeeded and sometimes she did not. That’s how most recovery goes. It’s about figuring out we want to walk. Then we look at what we need to do to get there. Maybe we need to be able to stand first. Before standing maybe we need to be able to sit up. The key is to break down the big goal into smaller goals we can work towards. This is how our rehab specialists work with us — piece by piece. It’s not something exclusive to rehab. This is how most productivity plans tell you how to a chieve a goal. It’s the basic model behind project management. It’s how everything from sheets of paper to baseball stadia get built. Celebrate the Small Victories In this conversation, you hear a lot of “Woo-hoo!” from Marcia as she celebrated accomplishments large and small along the path of her recovery. Those small victories matter. When you feel the slightest improvement, celebrate it. Recognize it for what it is — a piece of the puzzle. I was excited when I could feel my left index finger almost begin to move. Focus on those small movements, improvements in speech, a slight win in memory — whatever it is. Let your brain feed on the positivity of a win, however small so it can continue to give you more of them. Toastmasters Toastmasters is a group with more than a thousand chapters around the world that helps folks grow an improve their public speaking and leadership skills. Marcia found great value in the work and the community.  Many of the guest on my other show, 2-Minute Talk Tips have been involved with Toastmasters. You can hear some of them and learn more about the program at http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Toastmasters Hack of the Week Get a heating pad. A heating pad is great for sore and aching muscles. The pain in those muscles may be a direct result of stroke or an indirect result due to a wonky gait, new use after a period of activity, or over use. Many survivors often find their affected side may be cold due to the lack of muscle use and less intense circulation. A heating pad may relieve some pain without additional medication and make it more comfortable to sleep. And sleep is when the brain does a lot of its repair and rebuilding. Links Marcia’s Website https://www.strokeforward.com/ Marcia on Twitter https://twitter.com/Stroke_Forward Marcia on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/marciamoran/ Marcia on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/StrokeForward/ Marcia’s book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Stroke-Forward-Become-Healthcare-Advocate-ebook/dp/B07Z9LSB9S/ref=sr_1_1 Toastmasters on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Toastmasters Norman Doidge http://www.normandoidge.com/ Diane M. Needham (Book Shephard) http://dianamneedham.com COVID-19 and Stroke — New England Journal of Medicine https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2009787 Stroke and COVID-19 with Dr. Middleton http://strokecast.com/Covid-19 Where do we go from here? Check out Marcia’s book on Amazon here Visit Marcia’s website to learn more about her Stroke Forward initiatives Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://Strokecast.com/Marcia Don’t get best…get better

I’m typing this on January 1, but whenever you read this, it is the first day of the next year of your life, and that’s a great time to start sharing your story. As a stroke survivor, survivor of some other acute or chronic trauma, care giver, professional, or just someone who has lived some life, you have a story to tell. You have experiences to share. You’ve worked through some emotional stuff. Or you haven’ worked through it, but it’s sill there. And maybe you’ve thought about writing a memoir. Christine H. Lee joined us last year to talk about her memoir, Tell Me Everything You Don’t Remember. She is an author, teacher, and stroke survivor. Today, she’s back to help you start writing your own memoir. 7 Lessons in this Episode An autobiography is about a person. A memoir is about a person’s experience. Understand the roles of author, character, and narrator. There is universality in the particular. The Oxford Comma is awesome. Get a cohort. We are about more than stroke. Keep writing. Bio Christine H. Lee is the author of a memoir (TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU DON’T REMEMBER), which was featured in Self magazine, Time, The New York Times, and NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in ZYZZYVA, Guernica, The Rumpus, The New York Times, and BuzzFeed, among other publications. She also has an urban farm–you can read about her farm exploits at Backyard Politics. Her novel is forthcoming from Ecco / Harper Collins. Born in New York City, Christine earned her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and her MFA at Mills College. She has been awarded a residency at Hedgebrook, and her pieces have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and placed in competitions such as the Poets and Writers’ Magazine Writers Exchange Contest, Glimmer Train Fiction Open, and others. She is currently a Distinguished Visiting Writer at Saint Mary’s College of California’s MFA program and an Editor at The Rumpus. If you would like to order a signed copy of TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU DON’T REMEMBER, you may order it from East Bay Booksellers and specify in the notes section that you would like a signed copy (or two or three) and any customization (if it should be addressed to a particular person). They will then fulfill it with signature. And you would be supporting a local bookstore, which warms Christine’s heart. Trailer for Tell Me Everything You Don’t Remember Oxford Comma Consider these two sentences: At the support group, we learned about the main causes of stroke, kittens, and Barb’s muffins. At the support group, we learned about the main causes of stroke, kittens and Barb’s muffins. The first sentence says that we learned about 3 things: The main causes of stroke Kittens Barb’s muffins The second sentence says that we learned about the main causes of stroke. Those causes are: Kittens Barb’s muffins The words are the same. The difference is that comma after kittens. That comma is called the Oxford Comma, and it’s somewhat controversial. Many folks feel you should only use it if it clarifies the sentence. Otherwise you should leave it out. I’m of the school of thought that we should always use it when writing a sentence with three or more things in a list like that. There have even been lawsuits where the decision came down to whether the comma was in the written law or not. Here is the Wikipedia article with more information. Understanding the Memoir One of the big lessons for me was understanding just what a memoir is. It’s not an autobiography, which recounts the history of the person. As I think about writing my own book, I was getting hung up on this idea. Why is my life interesting enough that someone should read about it? What is the value for the reader? But that’s not what a memoir is. A memoir is about an aspect of the author’s life and the impact it had on the author’s life. It’s not about the author’s life itself. People read autobiographies to learn about the person, but that’s not why the read memoirs. As Christine said, “People read memoirs because of the subject, theme, or writing style.” In other words, it’s not about me. It’s funny because the obvious things sometimes elude me most strongly. On mt other show, 2-Minute Talk Tips, that’s one of the key lessons I teach about public speaking. If you’re afraid of public speaking, remember, IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU. It’s about your audience. It’s about your message. It’s about your goal or call to action. It’s about what you hope to achieve by delivering that talk. It’s not about you. The story you want to tell and the lessons you want to share — they’re about more than your ego. That makes it a lot easier. Author — Narrator — Character This is another structure that Christine shared that helps in writing. We got into it when I started talking about Pathos, Logos, and Ethos in public speaking. You can learn more about that concept here. In many books, these concepts are more distinct. In fiction, especially, a character is different from the author. In a memoir, it can get a bit squishy. A writer needs to understand what role the words on the page are serving. The author is writing and knows the whole story. The narrator can provide hindsight and wisdom the character hasn’t acquired yet. The character is going through it as the story progresses. Understanding those relationships helps you write a stronger book. That is some advanced stuff, and Christine does a much better job explaining it in the interview. For my part, this is a structure I’m going to need to explore and noodle on a bit more. A Cohort A stroke survivor benefits greatly from a support group. We need that connection to other people living through something similar. We can share our victories and losses. It can help us cut through the isolation and loneliness that many survivors experience. Writers need a group, too. Find your writing cohort. Maybe it’s a group you take a class with. Maybe it’s a writing group you form through school or that you find in your community. Find a group of people that you can share experiences with — where you can celebrate one another’s wins and support each other through your struggles. Writing can be an isolating experience. It’s just you and a blank piece of paper or a blinking cursor. That’s why it’s so important to find your cohort. Stroke is part of us, but it’s not us Christine and I, of course, talked about our strokes because they make us who we are today. At the same time though, the conversation itself isn’t about stroke. It’s about writing and what authors need to know. Christine’s advice isn’t specific to stroke survivors; it applies to anyone who has gone through a major event and wants to share it with the world. In a stroke focused podcast, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea of stroke. It’s why we are part of this community. It informs who we are, but it doesn’t define who we are. We are writers, speakers, teachers, trainers, Harry Potter fans, parents, kids, friends, co-workers, bus passengers, and so much more. Stroke and disability impact all those relationships and characteristics, but they don’t erase them. A conversation like we had today lets us share the expertise we do have beyond our stroke survivor status. Walk into any stroke support group meeting and listen to people’s stories. The things we have in common are healing and empowering. The things about us that are different are fascinating. The roads and lives that got us in that same room are different with their own flavor. We bring varied lives to this community and we live varied lives as part of the community. And that’s why despite all the survivor stories that have already been written, there’s still room for your personal, powerful, one-of-a-kind story. Hack of the Week The biggest tip to writing is just to keep writing. That’s it. You don’t have to get it right and perfect at the start. Just keep writing. Revisions and edits are what turn it into the final product. Walking into any book store or library, and do you know what you will not find on the shelves? First drafts! Just keep writing. If you get stuck, just write about being stuck. If you can’t think of anything “good” to write, try to write badly. Try writing the most cheesy, confusing, inappropriate, meandering, and cliched thing you can. But keep writing. Don’t worry about grammar and spelling. Just keep writing. Because wonderful things can happen when you keep writing. Links Christine H. Lee Website http://christinehlee.com Christine’s previous blog http://JadePark.Wordpress.com Christine on Twitter http://twitter.com/XtineHLee Christine on Instagram http://www.instagram.com/xtinehlee1 Christine’s Mailing List http://www.christinehlee.com/2016/07/14/mailing-list/ Christine’s Buzzfeed article that started it all https://www.buzzfeed.com/xtinehlee/i-had-a-stroke-at-33#2wt7yh4 Buy the book at East Bay Booksellers https://www.ebbooksellers.com/book/9780062422156 Buy the Book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Tell-Everything-You-Dont-Remember-ebook/dp/B01EFLYG UO/ref=sr_1_ Christine on Catapult https://catapult.co/xtinehlee Stroke Net https://www.nihstrokenet.org/ Oxford Comma on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_comma Oxford Comma Lawsuit https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2018/02/09/oxford-comma-lawsuit-settlement/ Pathos, Logos, and Ethos http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/11/07/episode-035-let-the-audience-react-and-ancient-rhetoric-today/ Where do we go from here? To learn more about Christine, find her book, or check out her classes, or learn about her chickens, visit the links above. Share this episode with your stroke support group, Instagram family,writing group, aspiring writers you know, English teachers, or anyone else who may have a story to tell. Give them the link http://Strokecast.com/writeyourstory Start working on your memoir, and let me know about it. Don’t get best…get better. Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.

2-Minute Tip: Be Authentic and Tell Your Story   Across the different guests I talk with, the theme of authenticity keeps coming up in the tips. It’s similar in many of them which demonstrates just how important it is. Also interesting is how each of them brings their own angle to the concept.   When you tell your story and use it to connect with the message you want to convey, it’s much easier to have a memorable and authentic impact on your audience. And that’s ultimately what you want.   When you are talking about things that aren’t about you specifically, you can still let your authentic self come through. It’s in your enthusiasm or feeling about the topic your discussing. It’s in the analogies you use. It’s in how you dress and how you carry yourself. It’s in how you relate to the folks in your audience.   Sharing your story and being authentic doesn’t mean you have to share your detailed biography, especially when it’s not relevant to your topic. But you may have had an experience or anecdote that helps explain something. It doesn’t have to be a major thing in your life. It just needs to be something that will help make your point and help you achieve your goal.   Meet Kira Ming   Kira is a writer at heart. As she became more and more successful, she received more invitations to speak. And that helped her writing business. Which got her more speaking opportunities. Ultimately she learned that people want to hear from the person behind a brand.   The point is, she didn’t seek the stage.   And when she found herself on it, she had to learn fast. She had to learn to be bigger than herself — to push beyond her own limiting beliefs about what she was capable of to share her story with her audience and how her company could help them achieve their goals.   Bio   Kira Ming’s background in publishing spans over 15 years and involves the creation of her own successful publication. Over the past decade she’s had the pleasure of interviewing some of entertainment’s biggest names, and has been involved in many legendary events within entertainment both as a host and media sponsor.   She’s spent the past few years developing tools, resources, marketing material, and several types of content for businesses, editing numerous projects, and contributing articles to major platforms including Huffington Post. As a result of her success within publishing, content marketing, and business strategy, she felt it only necessary to write Small Business, Big Success – a straight to the point guide for small business owners. Kira Ming has served as keynote speaker, a panelist, and workshop conductor for numerous events, and she’s excited to continue giving value when it comes to her expertise.   3 Reasons Entrepreneurs Should Speak   It increases the audience for your product, service, or content Others want you to speak on their platform. And that will further expand your audience and potential customer base. It has a high conversion rate. People are more interested in buying from someone  they’ve personally seen and heard   Personal Branding   We talked about this topic a bit. A lot of people don’t like the idea because they feel, “I’m a human being — an individual. I’m not a brand.”   This is a short sighted approach. A brand is really  a mental shortcut that we all use that is a summary of our thoughts and feelings about a person, an organization, a topic, etc.   We all have a brand whether we want one or not. Personal branding is about taking an active role in influencing how people think about and see you.   It’s essential in the modern social media landscape we live in. And people will create it for you if you don’t protect it yourself.   It’s a modern way of caring about your reputation.   Links   Kira Ming’s Website https://www.therealkiraming.com/ Kira’s book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Small- Business-Big-Success-Straight/ dp/1546585060 Kira on Twitter https://twitter.com/therealkiraming Kira on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiraward/ Kira on Facebook https://www. facebook.com/therealkiraming/ Kira on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therealkiraming/ Kira’s articles on the Huffington Post https://www.huffpost.com/author/kira21234-933   Call To Action   To learn more about Kira or her book, Small Business, Big Success: A Straight To The Point Guide For Small Business Owners, check out the links above. Who else do you know that might enjoy this episode? Give them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/TheRealKiraMing Don’t get best…get better   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that helps you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Be Your True and Honest Self   We talk a lot about authenticity because it matters. And while it may seem daunting, it can actually make things easier. When you don’t try to fake it, you don’t waste brain cycles and energy trying to maintain a façade.   There are 3 questions to ask yourself when you prepare to talk to an audience:   Who are you really? What do you have to offer your audience? What do you have to gain from the experience?   Integrate this framework into your prep work to put yourself on the path to success.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Heather Vickery   “Man up,” is a phrase I don’t like. Most folks understand it to mean that it’s time to just do something that’s hard or that you’re afraid to do it.   But obviously, it’s sexist. It implies that being afraid to do things is womanly and doing the tough stuff despite fear is manly.   I prefer the exhortation to, “Fortify!” instead of “man up.” Sometimes you do need to muster all your energy and willpower to accomplish something tough. “Fortify” captures that spirit without insulting a significant portion of your audience.   I’m thinking about this today because today’s guest is host of The Brave Files podcast, personal coach, speaker, author, and musical theater enthusiast, Heather Vickery. Heather often finds herself telling clients, “So what? Do it scared.”   Bio   Heather Vickery is an award-winning entrepreneur, author, keynote speaker, business owner, and transformational coach. But Heather isn’t just a savvy businesswoman − she’s an inspiration.   The founder of Vickery and Co., Heather helps organizations build an environment of honoring “The Whole Employee” so that they have empowered team members, happier clients, higher retention and make more money!   Heather is a featured expert on achieving an authentic and meaningful life and designing your own roadmap for balance and success.   A mother of four, Heather’s world turned upside down after a major life transformation and divorce, suddenly, she had the freedom to be her most authentic self. She discovered that this same authenticity empowered her with the confidence she needed to repair, rebuild, and reach her life’s vision and goals. Today, Heather leverages her entrepreneurial skills and expertise to coach individuals towards greater personal and professional fulfillment. Through her story of personal bravery, perseverance, and resilience, Heather inspires audiences and empowers attendees with the tools they need to live bold and meaningful lives. A strong believer in strengthening her community, Heather also serves as vice president for The Children’s School and as a board member for the About Face Theatre, Chicago’s premiere LGBTQ theatre.   Heather is the executive producer and host of The Brave Files Podcast featuring real stories from people living courageously.   Heather is the author of “Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus.”   She works with people all around the globe to help them build Brave and empowered life’s.   Heather’s Speaker Demo     Books   It’s great that I get to share Heather’s conversation this week. As I write this we are just a few days away from the Thanksgiving Holiday in the United States.   Giving thanks and expressing gratitude is an important life skill, and on December 3, Heather can help with that.   Heather’s new book, Grow Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families will be released on December 3rd.   This book is designed to help you create intentional and impactful conversations with kids about gratitude. Doing so will lead to life-changing habits that increase their own happiness and wellbeing and give you delightful quality time together.   The second edition of Heather’s earlier book, Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus is also available.  This beautiful journal offers space to record gratitude, personal wins (high fives), and 180 unique prompts to help you connect with gratitude in unique and often surprising ways.   What I think is important about these books is that the focus isn’t just on being grateful because it’s the right moral, ethical, or spiritual thing to do. Heather talks about gratitude as something that is good for you. It raises your spirits and helps you feel better.   These can be great presents for various holiday events, or they can even help you kick start a gratitude practice for yourself or your kids as we approach the time for New Year’s resolutions.   Links   Heather’s Website https://vickeryandco.com/ Heather’s Podcast — The Brave Files https://vickeryandco.com/podcast/ Heather on Twitter https://twitter.com/vickeryandco Heather on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-vickery/ Heather on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/VickeryandCo/ Heather on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR_G121FlzXy90nVWuGwCuw Grow Grateful: A Gratitude Journal for Kids and Families http://brave.vickeryandco.com/growgrateful Gratitude Journal: Shift Your Focus https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1733618503/ref=as_li_tl   Call To Action   Don’t, “Man up.” Fortify instead. Check out Heather’s Brave Files podcast and books at the links above. Share this episode with one other pers0n by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Heather. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that helps you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip — Connect with Your Audience   Before speaking, meet your audience members. In a small meeting, maybe that means greeting them as they come in to the conference room. At a larger event, that may mean mingling with attendees in the venue.   By meeting with some of your attendees before you speak, you start to build a connection and a more personal relationship. It can make your audience instantly more friendly to you as a result.   It can also give you Valuable information about things that are on the audience’s minds that you may be able to incorporate into your talk. There are all sorts of valuable things that can come from those connections.   Additionally, it can help distract you from your own nerves in the lead up to your talk.   Maura Sweeney — The Ambassador of Happiness   Maura Sweeney is the world’s Ambassador of Happiness. She has built a career around speaking as part of traditional corporate roles she’s held and later as an entrepreneur.   The recurring theme in this episode is connection — how you connect with your audience on a personal level and the importance of connecting your message with your stories. Those connections all need to be internally consistent find success and happiness in public speaking.   Bio   Author, Podcaster, and International Speaker, Maura Sweeney has transformed her own mantra of “Living Happy – Inside Out” to become a global influencer.   A former corporate manager and home schooling mom transitioned again at age 50 to make her life long goal a reality. Today, she brings uplift and unity to an often disempowered and divided world.   A former HuffPost columnist who has traveled to 60 countries, Maura was first called the Ambassador of Happiness by the UNESCO Center for Peace when invited to speak at the inaugural Nelson Mandela Day celebration. Since then, she’s trademarked her title and become a popular media guest featured on hundreds of media outlets in the U.S., Europe, Africa and Australia.   Maura has lectured on Influence and Leadership at universities, leadership conferences, women’s organizations, Model UN’s and several American Embassy outposts. In 2018, she was named Women of the Decade at the Women Economic Forum held in The Hague. Maura Sweeney’s genuine and first-hand approach empowers others of every background to become their finest version of self and helps us see what’s best in us all.   Maura just released an ecourse for Personal Leadership, Happiness and Authenticity on the Ingomu Learning Platform.   Links   Maura’s Website http://Maura4U.com Maura on Twitter http://Twitter.com/Maura4U Maura on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/maura4u Maura on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maura4u/ Maura’s Books on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Maura-Sweeney/e/B00A07TYK0/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=tm0a4-20%20%20http://www.amazon.com/Maura-Sweeney/e/B00A07TYK0/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=tm0a4-20 Maura’s Podcast https://maura4u.com/podcast-2/ Maura on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcBD5N4o7uZ2-Pq1gYpbzAQ Maura’s Online Course https://www.ingomu.com/personal-leadership-happiness-and-authenticity/   Call To Action   So check out Maura’s books, podcast, and more. You can find all those links above Connect with someone in your life by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Maura Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that helps you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week. Related  

2-Minute Tip: Earn your Confidence   If you project confidence on stage your audience is more likely to believe you. If you are confident, you’ll feel less nervous getting up to speak.   Confidence doesn’t come for free, though. You have to earn it. And you earn it by doing to work — by planning, editing, revising, practicing and rehearsing. If you don’t do the work, you don’t deserve the confidence and probably should be nervous.   So if you find you lack confidence in your public speaking, ask yourself, “Did I do the work to deserve it?” If the answer is, “No,” okay. Now you know what you have to do in the future.   Building blocks with Cory Truax   Cory’s story is one of building. He didn’t become a speaker by jumping on the biggest stage he could. He assembled this life in pieces beginning in school. Then began volunteering to speak and chaining together event after event as people would see him speak and then invite him to speak.   That’s the journey we talk about today — about taking small steps forward that lead to bigger and bigger things — and doing a lot of work today.   Bio   Cory Truax’s day job is in Admissions at the University of South Carolina. He supplements that with secular and religious speaking gigs, and on air work at WLFJ radio in Greenville, SC.   Cory Truax fills a lot of roles – Host of the creatively-titled radio show & podcast, “The Cory Truax Show,” Teaching Pastor at Beechwood Church, uncle extraordinaire, and even has a day job.   Cory enjoys early-morning work-outs; all things football; basketball’s post-season; healthy political discussions; theology; learning new things; and discovering new voices. Cory is also an invited speaker at church, educational, and political events along with serving as the fill-in host for WLFJ Christian Talk 660’s morning show, “Christian Worldview Today.”   Leadership and Public Speaking   One of the key lessons in this conversation is the link between leadership roles and public speaking. If you become a leader in an organization, no matter how small, you have the opportunity to speak. The more people see you speaking, the more likely they are to think you are a leader. And the whole thing can loop from there.   For kids there are opportunities to lead and or speak in school projects, clubs, teams, and church. Pursuing those opportunities early open up future opportunities for success.   Adults aren’t shut out though. There’s a reason Toastmasters isn’t just about speaking, but also about leadership. There are opportunities in churches and PTAs. There are committees and cross-functional teams at work. There are condo and home owner associations.   To grow as a speaker, try being a leader. To grow as a leader, try being a speaker.   Question Your Assumptions   On a recent episode of the Real RX, a podcast hosted by doctors, they talked about aging in women. The official guidelines say that generally women do not need to get pap smears after age 65. The standard is in place because of two assumptions:   Women over 65 do not have sex. If they do have sex, it’s with a long-term partner.   The problem is that often, both those assumptions are false. Relying on those false assumptions can lead to higher risk of cancer.   You can listen to the whole episode here:     If you’d like to hear more from Dr. Kim Brown, I interviewed her last year on my other show.   Another example that I’ve shared before is this. When I taught people to sell laptops, I talked about how I liked selling laptops instead of desktops because I didn’t have to lift a heavy monitor with the sale.   In the late nineties, that got a laugh. By 2005, new audiences no longer laughed. Why?   Because light weight flat panel monitors had replaced heavy CRTs in the market. The joke no longer made sense.   We have to question our assumptions.   Links   Cory Truax on the Web http://CoryTruax.com Cory on Facebook http://facebook.com/CoryTruaxShow Cory on Twitter http://twitter.com/CoryTruax Instagram http://Instagram.com/CoryTruax The Cory Truax Show podcast http://CoryTruax.com/Podcasts The Real RX Podcast http://Facebook.com/TheRealRXMedia Dr. Kim Brown on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/Kim   Call To Action   To learn more aby or find his podcast, visit http://CoryTruax.com. Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/CoryTruax. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that helps you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Be Vulnerable   We often talk about the importance of authenticity as a speaker. Another way to think about it, though, is vulnerability.   The benefit of vulnerability as a speaker is that the audience can feel where you are coming from. It’s easier for them to connect with you.   And if they feel that stronger sense of connection, they are more likely to pursue the action you are calling them to pursue.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Charles White   When I put together an episode, I don’t always know what it’s about. I do my core edit of the conversation where I listen to the whole thing, cut some stuff , and clean up the audio Wile I take notes.   Then I look over my notes. Sometimes I sit with it for a day. It’s only then that I realize what my guest and I talked about. Then I can write up my intro and outro comments and start work on the show notes for an episode. That’s my process.   And that’s how I came to realize that this week’s episode is all about process. Charles focuses on process in his life.  Process can be quite freeing. Once you have a structure and a way of doing things, suddenly those tasks get a whole lot quicker.   Often when we talk about public speaking we don’t think about the process. We think about standing in front of the crowd with some slides.   But 90% of the success of a talk is determined before you ever open your mouth. It’s in your preparation and planning. And when your preparation becomes repeatable and duplicatable, you have a process.   It’s not as sexy as the roar of the crowd, but the right process can make your life so much easier.   Bio   Charles helps business owners who need their operations to run more efficiently. As businesses get more clients, more work orders, and hire more people the processes they built become stressed. Charles is there when you are looking to find that new tool, improve your old process, and increase your workforce’s output.   He provide a full service solution to improving your daily, weekly and monthly workload. Together he helps you identify areas of your business that can most benefit from immediate intervention. Then he provides a solution through new software implementation and personalized training documentation, videos and in person classes.   Charles’ TEDx Talk     Links   Charles White Website http://charleswhiteservices.com/ Charles on Twitter https://twitter.com/charlesoffwhite Charles on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/wcharlesjohn/ Charles’ TEDx Talk https://youtu.be/sPI-ODSXAPw Top Tech Tools Podcast http://charleswhiteservices.com/toptechtools 1 Million Cups https://www.1millioncups.com/ Global Entrepreneurs Network https://www.genglobal.org/startup-huddle Stacy Sacco, MBA https://www.mgt.unm.edu/faculty/facultyDetails.asp?id=10208 Stacy Sacco on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/stacysacco/   Call To Action   Visit the links above to learn more about and connect with Charles White. Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Charles Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that helps you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

Marsha Schmid is a stroke survivor and she's this year's Ms. Wheelchair USA. In other news, there's a growing Ms. Wheelchair USA pageant. Marsha's had quite a journey to get there. She excelled in school, became the top salesperson in her company and she was a nationally ranked body builder. All that was before the fateful day she went to her chiropractor. The chiropractor manipulated her neck, caused a vertebral artery dissection, and that led to her massive stroke. This week Marsha share her story of recovery, the pageant, and the future she now has. She lives theme of Never Give Up. Bio Marsha Schmid competed as Ms. Wheelchair Georgia USA and lives in Fayetteville, Georgia. She has a Bachelor’s in English with concentrations in Political Science and Japanese. She served as an intern to Congressman Bob Barr when he was in office, and hopes to become an international motivational speaker. At the time of her massive brainstem stroke in 2011, Marsha was on top of the world. She was the number 1 in medical salesperson for her company. She was also a nationally ranked fitness/figure competitor about to turn pro, newly wed to Georgia's Strongest Man( Masters Division), mom to a five year old son, and recently rebaptized. Marsha wasn't supposed to live through the night of her stroke. She did, and was paralyzed from the neck down, could not speak for a year, couldn't swallow, could not breathe on her own, and was unable to open her eyes. Marsha took my very first completely independent step a few weeks ago, 8 years after the stroke that changed her life. In September of 2019, Marsha became Ms. Wheelchair USA. She aspires to become a motivational speaker to continue spreading the message of, "Never Give Up.". What is a Vertebral Artery Dissection? There are four arteries that bring blood to the brain. Two are the carotid arteries and 2 are the vertebral arteries. The left and the right side of the body have one of each. The carotid arteries are towards the fronts of the neck. When you see someone check a pulse by putting 2 fingers on the neck, they are feeling for the pulse in the carotid artery. The vertebral arteries are towards the back. In fact, they travel through the bones of the spinal column to get to the brain. The go through the vertebrae, hence the name vertebral. Our arteries aren't a solid piece of artery tissue; they're made of layers of muscle, connective tissue, and other materials, kind of like the tire of a car that has hard outer rubber, and interior steel belt, and other materials holding it together so it works. In a vertebral artery dissection, the inner lining of an artery -- the part the blood actual touches, tears a bit. The artery itself holds together. And it can hold together for months or years. But now you have high pressure blood surging past that torn or disrupted surface. That area is no longer smooth. In that rough area, where blood flow is disrupted, bits and pieces can get stopped. When that happens, they can turn into clots. When that clot breaks free from the dissected area, it flows on into the brain until the blood vessels are too narrow for it to go any further and it stops. When it stops and blocks blood from getting past it, you have an ischemic stroke. It's not the clot itself that damages tissue in a stroke, it's that the clot blocks blood from getting past it and tissue downstream suffocates and dies. So how does the dissection happen? Often it's because of trauma. A sudden movement of the head beyond its normal range of motion puts stress on those arteries, and that stress can cause the internal surfaces to tear. This happens more often to the vertebral arteries than the carotids because the carotids go through soft tissue in the neck. There's more room for them to move and shift and dissipate stress. The vertebrals on the other hand are restricted by the bones they go through. The don't have as much flexibility to deal with stress and are more likely to tear. That trauma can be anything that injures the neck or head. It's certainly possible in a car accident. One survivor I talked to was boogie boarding and hit the beach hard in a way that injured his neck and caused his stroke. And I've talked with others, like Marsha, who received their vertebral artery dissection at the hands of a chiropractor doing a neck adjustment. So don't let folks snap, pop, or twist your neck. It's just not worth it. What is Ms. Wheelchair USA? From the organization's website: The Ms. Wheelchair USA program has been in existence for more than 22 years. It began as a state program, selecting winners in the state of Ohio to do a national service platform. As the program grew in popularity and was televised live, potential candidates began coming from all over the country asking to compete in the outstanding program. The program became a national competition 14 years ago and has been going and growing strong! Contestants in the Ms. Wheelchair USA program must be 18 years of age with no maximum age! Contestants must have a mobility issue, but may have use of their legs. Our program does not discourage ability, but instead celebrates the individuality of the women in the program. State and regional representatives are selected based on a judged, application process. The national titleholder is crowned following a week of activities, programs, learning sessions, press appearances, and three nights of live stage competitions. Contestants compete in private interview, round-robin interviews, evening wear, on-stage interview, platform presentation, and marketing statement competitions. The winners spend their year on a state, regional and national level representing The Dane Foundation, Ms. Wheelchair USA, and their own platform issue or activity. The Ms. Wheelchair USA organization promotes glamour, self-confidence, and community service; celebrating the accomplishments of women with disabilities! Hilary Billings on 2-Minute Talk Tips Interestingly enough, Marsha is not the first pageant winner I've interviewed. I talked with Miss Nevada, Hilary Billings on my other show, 2-Minute Talk Tips. Hilary entered her first pageant after a fireworks injury. You can hear that interview at http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/hilary. One of the things both Marsha and Hilary talked about is how the pageants are empowering and are about so much more than just beauty.   Heart and Stroke Walk I am Participating in Puget Sound Heart and Stroke Walk on October 12. If you'd like to support my efforts and donate to the American Heart Association, please do. This will help the American Heart Association continue its work to help reduce stroke through research and medical standards on the white coat side and through helping folks reduce their blood pressure on the general population side. If you'd like to contribute $10 or more, just visit http://Strokecast.com/Donate/AHA. That will take you right to the donation page on the AHA website. None of it goes to my pocket.   Hack of the Week You can put in contact lenses with one hand. Put the lens on your middle finger. Raise your eyelid with your index finger. Place the lens close to the corner of your eye to maximize the odds of it going in as it should. This may take a bit of practice, but it can be done. The first time you learned to put in contact lenses probably wasn't easy either. Good vision is important for more than watching Netflix. Depending on your stroke, sharp vision can impact sensory processing, balance, and safety. One contributing factor to delirium in the hospital is patients not having their glasses or contacts available. Of course, before returning to contacts, be sure to check with your optometrist, ophthalmologist, or neuro-ophthalmologist. What's that? You haven't heard of a neuro-ophthalmologist? You can learn more about the field in episode 85, where I spoke with Dr. Eugene May. Links Ms. Wheelchair USA https://www.mswheelchairusa.org/ The Dane Foundation http://www.thedanefoundation.org/ Enter the Pageant https://www.mswheelchairusa.org/page2.html Contact the Pageant info@MsWheelchairUSA.org Ms. Wheelchair USA on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mswheelchairusa Ms. Wheelchair USA on Twitter https://twitter.com/MsWheelchairUSA Ms. Wheelchair USA on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mswheelchairusa/# Ms. Wheelchair USA on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/MSWHEELCHAIRUSA Marsha on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mbschmid/ Marsha's Pre-Stroke  Body Building http://gallery.rxmuscle.com/index.php?bodybuilder=10991 Wes Varda and the Shephard Center https://news.shepherd.org/former-young-stroke-patient-wes-varda-shows-his-gratitude-to-shepherd-center-for-giving-him-back-his-life/ Hilary Billings on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Hilary Heart and Stroke Walk https://www2.heart.org/site/SPageServer/?pagename=HeartWalk_Landing_Page Donate to AHA http://Strokecast.com/Donate/AHA Dr. Eugene May on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/DrMay Where do we go from here? Check out Marsha's journey as Ms. Wheelchair USA by following her on social media or reaching out to the Ms. Wheelchair USA program. You can find all those links above. Share this episode with someone you know -- survivor, caregiver, or medical professional by giving them the link http://Strokecast.com/MsWheelchairUSA Support the Puget Sound AHA Heart and stroke walk by visiting the donation link at http://Strokecast.com/Donate/AHA Don't get best…get better

2-Minute Tip: Know 3 Stories   While it’s helpful to have lots of stories at your disposal, there are three types that will help you in speeches, job interviews and client interactions.  They are Underdog, Authority, and Fixer.   The Underdog story is the story of where you came from. It’s the obstacles life put in your path and how you got over, around, under, or through them to get where you are today.   The Authority is the story about your expertise. How do you know what you know? Why should people listen to you? What makes you different from other folks they could be listening to right now?   The Fixer story is about what you do to help others. How can you help this audience? What will you do or what will you enable them to do?   With those three stories in your pocket you can are better prepared for any audience.   When we talk about pathos, ethos, and logos as being crucial to persuasive success, these three stories support the often neglected ethos side of the pyramid.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Zack Hudson   I and my guests talk a lot about Storytelling in public speaking. And I talk about it more with Zack today. One thing that makes today’s conversation a little different is that we get a little bit deeper into the process of finding your stories. Because that is what Zack does with his clients — he helps them find and tell their stories.   The fact is everyone has stories to tell, even if we don’t realize it.   Bio   Today Zack not only speaks and consults with organizations. He also live the corporate executive life with more than 500 people in his organization across the southern US.   From Zack’s website:   I grew up in Louisiana and never saw a swamp until I was a teenager. I loved my town and the dream was to never leave and become mayor. That plan was dramatically altered when I met a certain redhead. She captured my heart and after getting married, we moved off to start our own adventure.   We relocated all over the South and started a family along the way. During the journey, I had a hunger to grow as a leader and discovered there were many others out there that had that same fire.   Since then, I’ve developed many leaders to become more than what they thought they could be. Many have gotten the job they’ve always wanted or ended up at their dream locations. One of my greatest joys is seeing others hit their personal goals.   Today, I lead about 500 employees across six states and spend much of my time developing them to be the leaders that they are called to be. I also help others across the globe reach their potential through the Passing the Baton Leadership Podcast and it’s resources.   What you may not know: I’ve made it to 38 of the 50 states so far. I minored in jazz bass in college. I’ve chest-bumped a whale shark. My daughter lived in 5 cities by the time she was 5. Sharon and I love Disney more than just about anything. I jumped out of a plane…with my mom. I served in the military. Pies are my weakness. I’ve survived running with the bulls and hang gliding. I’ve been in movies and TV shows.   5 Tips for Finding you Story   Do some free writing while you think about incidents from the past couple of weeks Use a text app or speak into a voice recorder if writing is not your thing Focus on authentic personal stories; don’t try to fake it. Prepare your story before you tell it. Practice it; don’t improvise it. Get feedback from friends and colleagues before delivering it in front of a “real” audience   Heart and Stroke Walk 2019   Regular listeners may know that I had a stroke on June 3, 2017. I looked for stroke related podcasts at the time to learn more. When I didn’t find enough existing shows, I started my own. You can learn more about that show at http://Strokecast.com   This year I am once again participating the Puget Sound Heart and Stroke Walk here in Seattle in October 2019. Please donate to the American Heart Association to help promote their work to reduce stroke through research and medical standards on the white coat side and through help folks reduce their blood pressure on the general population side.   If you’d like to contribute $10 or more, just visit http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/HeartWalk. That will take you right to the donation page on the AHA website. None of it goes to my pocket.   If you are interested in hiring me to speak at your event, we can have that conversation, too. Just reach out to me at bill@2minuteTalkTips.com     Links   Zack’s Website http://ZackHudson.com Zack on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/onlyzack Zack on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/zack-hudson/ Zack on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thedisneyrunner/ Passing the Baton Podcast https://www.passingthebatonpodcast.com/ Passing the Baton on Twitter https://twitter.com/PTBLeadership Pathos, Logos, and Ethos on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/11/07/episode-035-let-the-audience-react-and-ancient-rhetoric-today/ Support the AHA through Bill and the Puget Sound Heart and Stroke Walk http://2minuteTalkTips.com/HeartWalk   Call To Action   Check out Zack’s podcast and all his social accounts at the links above Pass the Baton yourself to a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/PassTheBaton. Then ask their thoughts on the episode. Consider donating to the American Heart association here: http://2minuteTalkTips.com/HeartWalk Don’t get best…get better.

2-Minute Tip: Reframe your Anxiety   Anxiety and excitement are closely related so if you’re nervous before speaking, reframe it in your has as excitement. Tell yourself how excited you are at this opportunity. The physical symptoms — jitters, racing heart, etc. are very similar so give your brain a different interpretation of them   Post Tip Discussion: Core Confidence   Authenticity is something a lot of my guests talk about because it matters. You can take inspiration and learn best practices from other speakers, but don’t try to be other speakers. Be yourself. It’s a heck of a lot easier.   Today’s guest coaches folks to do just that through his Core Confidence and AMP programs, with a special emphasis on understanding masculinity in the modern era.   Bio   Dennis Sumlin is a certified life coach, speaking coach, speaker, podcaster, and Distinguished Toastmaster.   From Dennis’s website:   I have a long background in performing arts, speaking/broadcasting, talent recruitment, and other related promotional and administrative experience. I am both a certified communication and confidence coach as well as a Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM) from Toastmasters International.   The company that would become Core Confidence Life started out as a men’s development coaching service. Lack of confidence is far too common, and many people have a hard time both knowing and using all of their talents.   Along with promoting and developing artists with a pro-growth message, CCL, through the main podcast, helps you gain core self-confidence and a healthy self-esteem. Guests share their story and we give you actionable tips to support your development.   Core Confidence Life is not just a promotion company, we support your development as an artist and a person, and we work to both make you more confident in your message and craft, and to promote a healthy authentic soul centered lifestyle.   Gillette: The Best a Man Can Be     Links   Dennis Sumlin Website https://coreconfidencelife.com/ Dennis on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/dennis-r-sumlin-cpc-dtm-05262b31/ Dennis  on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dennisrsumlin/ Dennis on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6xbqQqKpwoLsyL-G2K-NlA Dennis on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CoreConfidenceLifePodcast/ Dennis on Twitter https://twitter.com/dennisrsumlin Core Confidence Podcast https://coreconfidencelife.com/listen/ Iron John by Robert Bly on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Iron-John-Book-About-Men/dp/0306813769   Call To Action   Check out Dennis’s website, podcast, and more by visiting http://Coreconfidencelife.com Share this episode with a friend colleague or relative by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/CoreConfidence Subscribe for free to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Don’t Apologize   Or more specifically, don’t start your talk by apologizing to the audience for the talk they are about to hear. It comes across as an appeal for pity. When you do that it means you are starting from a position of weakness rather than one of strength.   The opening few moments of your speech are where you can have a tremendous impact. Engage your audience with something compelling. Don’t waste it apologizing about how you were up late the night before and don’t feel prepared to deliver your material well. Don’t start by telling the audience they made a mistake coming out to see you.   Post Tip Discussion: Fire Stories with Jason Jordan   I often talk about the why of your talk. Why are you delivering it? WBTU — Why bring that up? Why should your audience care? If there’s no reason for something to be in your speech or on your slides, cut it out. It’s just wasting your time.   Jason Jordan thinks about Why a lot, too, but it’s on a bigger scale. He helps organizations and individuals craft their Fire Story — the story of what drives them. It can be a cause close to their hearts or based around a moment in time that irrevocably altered their future for better and worse all at once.   My Fire Story, of course centers around the morning of June 3, 2017 when I found myself whisked away to the hospital I would live in for the next month, and the changes that have happened in my life since then — the things I’ve learned and the passion I was able to focus on helping others share their stories.   This week, Jason shares his story and talks about shaping those Fire Stories we all have. He talks about his approach to crafting a speech that will utterly terrify novice speakers, about the impact of forensics on his life, and just why Fire Stories matter.   Bio   From Jason’s website:   I completed my MBA in 2004 at Texas A&M, with a focus in Entrepreneurship. I found competing in case competitions (before the rise of “Shark Tank”) to be especially exciting! I remember noticing, at the time, that the teams that usually won were expert storytellers, and always had a compelling narrative for the inspiration for their business idea. I would watch as their stories connected with the judges, and their faces would crack into beaming smiles. That was when I first realized how storytelling could impact business.   In 2009, I launched my dream career as a professional speaker and coach, primarily focused on the interaction of the Generations (Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials). I developed programs on Intergenerational Sales Tactics, Leadership Development, and Communications, which were delivered at corporations and events around the country. Giving people tools to help them connect with others outside their generation was immensely satisfying, but the more business leaders, entrepreneurs, and influencers I worked with, the more I pushed them toward sharing their story.   This inevitably led me to the stories that matter most: The FireStories!   I am committed, for the rest of my career, to helping people discover and share their FireStories. In a world that is overrun with information and people trying to be heard, what we truly need is UNDERSTANDING. We don’t need to know what you do or how you do it. We need to know your WHY. Your FireStory provides your WHY.   Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on finding your Why     Thoughts on Forensics   Now that the new school year has begun in the US, Speech and Debate is picking up again. It gave me my early training as a speaker. It helped Jason get started.   Many of our previous guests got their start competing in Forensics, including Spoken Word Artist Huwa from Nigeria, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Litigation at Walmart and Courtroom Graphics specialists Kerri Ruttenberg, and Dr. Denise Vaughan from the UW-Bothell Speech and Debate team.   If a student expresses interest in speech and debate, encourage them. It may be the most valuable educational experience of their life.   Links   Jason’s Website http://FireStory.com Jason on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-jordan-a86593/ Jason on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/yourfirestory/ Jason on Twitter https://twitter.com/YourFireStory Jason on Vimeo https://vimeo.com/user10537966 Generation Jones on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones#targetText=Generation%20Jones,first%20years%20of%20Generation%20X. Narrative Paradigm on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Jones#targetText=Generation%20Jones,first%20years%20of%20Generation%20X. Simon Sinek’s TED Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action Spoken Word artist Huwa on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Denise Kerri Ruttenberg on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalktips.com/court Dr. Denise Vaughan on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Denise   Call To Action   To learn more about Fire Stories, check out Jason’s website. Share this episode with 3 coworkers or relatives by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/FireStory Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Slow Down   Many speakers take the stage with their adrenaline pumping as the try to stifle their nerves or live in the exciting moment. Many times, they end up speaking to quickly. So try to slow down.   When we speak, we are often excited about, or at least familiar with, our topic. Our tendency is to go quickly over the basic stuff.   But the reason folks are in our audience is that they don’t know this stuff. They are likely hearing it for the first time. They are trying to digest and process this information as you speak. They are looking at your slides, too.   So slow down a bit. Give every word a chance to sink in. And use a varied pace to truly land your key points.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Morgan Lopes Morgan Lopes got his start in public speaking riding a horse and wearing a cape at dinner time.   He’s gone on to be CEO of one company and CTO of another — telling stories and working to change the world.   Some of the key things we talk about are managing his multiple roles, the importance of the niche, and the power of story.   Bio   As a software engineer and entrepreneur, Morgan Lopes pursues deliberate, consistent progress over time as life’s greatest growth strategy. Regardless of his job titles, leadership is a choice not a rank. Morgan strives to make that choice daily and challenges others to do the same.   Polar Notion. Cofounded in 2012   New Story (YS S15).   A human centered software from design to development and beyond.   Joined as Chief Technology Officer in 2016   Ending survival mode through home construction and global housing innovation.   3-Keys to Running Multiple Companies   Disciple — Morgan keeps a tight schedule, gets up early and goes to bed early. He respects the importance of sleep, and refuses to let email take control of his day. Communication — Frequent and deliberate communication with team members is essential to keeping everyone on the same page. Just as important is inviting and accepting feedback — even when it’s not positive. It’s especially important for a C-level executive to be open and welcoming of criticism from other members of the team. Grace — Things don’t always go perfectly, and Morgan is grateful for the grace his family and team members extend to him when things don’t go well.   New Story 3D Printed Homes   I’ll just leave this here.     Links   Morgan’s website http://www.morganjlopes.com/ Morgan on Twitter https://twitter.com/MorganJLopes Morgan on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/morganjlopes/ Polar Notion http://www.polarnotion.com/ New Story Charity https://newstorycharity.org/ New Story on Twitter https://twitter.com/newstorycharity New Story on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/new-story-charity/ New Story on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/newstorycharity/ New Story on Medium https://medium.com/@NewStoryCharity New Story on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwcfvCGwnBxzNMBo137Q4Ng   Call To Action   Check out the work Polar Notion is doing here. Learn more about New Story here. Share this episode with someone you know who might wonder how you go from Medieval Times to C-Level executive by giving them the link http://2-MinuteTalkTips.com/Morgan Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Record Yourself and Watch it 3 Times   Recording yourself on video used to be hard. But that’s not the case anymore. Nearly everyone has a powerful video camera in their pocket. There’s no reason not to use this tool to make yourself a better speaker. Record a rehearsal or presentation, and then watch it back 3 times in 3 different ways.   First, close your eyes and just listen. Focus on pace, rhythm, and filler words (uhms, ahs, likes, etc.).   Second, turn the sound off and just watch the silent video. Look for physical pacing, repetitive gestures, and awkward motions.   Third, watch it as an audience member might and ask yourself, “Did I actually land my point? Do I feel inspired to do what I want my audience to do?   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Denise An Galloni   One thing I’ve seen over the past episodes is how childhood is not destiny. Some speakers started in grade school and couldn’t get enough stage time. Others were horrified early on, but were able to ultimately get past it and even learn to enjoy speaking.   Your approach to speaking as a child is not your destiny in life. Public speaking is a skill that can be acquired later in life. If you want to acquire it.   That’s how it was for Denise Ann Galloni.   Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half John Wannamaker Bio   Voted the quietest girl in her senior class, Denise Galloni started to come out of her shell and find her voice as a young adult. Today her mission is to help others find their voices and become better communicators through her company, DG Training Solutions Inc., which was founded in 2014.   In fact, Denise has delivered more than 500 presentations across the United States and Internationally. She is a Toastmasters award winner. Denise was inspired by so many women who helped her make her business more successful in 2017, she expanded her reach to help women live their dreams by creating, producing and hosting an award-winning TV show called Empowering Women.    n 2018, she was a nominee for the Inspiring Lives Magazine International Empowerment Award.  Denise’s show Empowering Women was a 2018 nominee in the categories for Best Talk Show and Best Series for The Greater Pittsburgh Community Media Awards.   5-Tips for Better Training videos   Keep them short. Folks don’t want to watch a 40-minute video. You may feel you need that much time to cover all the material, but if folks don’t retain it, does it really matter if you covered it all? 4, 10-minute videos will always be better than 1, 40-minute video . Don’t talk to the whole audience. Your learner is probably watching it by themselves. Address them as an individual. Make sure your message is clear and concise. Plan that message before you start anything else. That simple message should be supported by the rest of your content. Edit tightly. If you have any question about whether something belong in the video, cut it. Keep the bottom line up front. Get to the point first. This way your learners have the full context for everything else they are about to hear. Plus, they can enjoy the instant gratification you are offering.   Links   Denise’s website https://www.dgtrainingsolutionsinc.com Denise on Twitter https://twitter.com/deniseanng Denise on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc/ Denise on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni/ Denise on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc7d1KUEIqZTUBlSzMSm9eA Empowering Women on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkS-fsSVzGlE5SI_yg3I8ZAGn3GB4DglO John Wannamaker on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wanamaker Toastmasters https://www.toastmasters.org/   Call To Action Check out http://DGTrainingSolutionsInc.com to learn more about Denise’s training programs and other resources. If you’ve thought about exploring Toastmasters, check out a local chapter. It’s made a big difference in Denise’s career. Share this episode with friend or coworker by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/DGTraining Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Don’t waste you first 10 seconds   When you go out on that stage you are a blank slate with the audience . They don’t know you. They’re not bored with you — yet. Now is when you have the best chance to grab their attention and interest.   So plan it out. Don’t leave your opening 10 seconds to chance or peter it away on, “How is everyone doing today?”   Tell a story. Tease the content. Surprise them. Comfort them. Or get right down to valuable business. But whatever you decide to do, make it deliberate and within your control.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Magician, Speaker, and Coach Matt Fore   Matt Fore’s career has really been full of adventure. From proudly showcasing magic in high school, to jumping on last minute cruises as a performer, to coaching entertainers hoping to grow their own businesses, he’s got stories to fill 10 episodes.   What jumped out about him in this conversation is the humbleness with which he presents himself. There’s no over-the-top bragging here. It’s just a lot of simple practical advice and moments that had me laughing throughout the episode.   Bio   Matt Fore is a Humorist, Writer, Speaker and Comedy Magician who routinely serves as the main stage performer for Corporate, Association and Faith based events around the country as he has for more than twenty-four years.    He has performed for Carnival Cruise Lines, The Magic Castle in Hollywood and has appeared on several national TV Shows including The Crook & Chase Show on TNN, Fox Sports and Swan’s Place on Odyssey. Matt is a contributor to Success.com, Entrepreneur.com and is the author of two books, “The Five Essential Elements – A Simplified Road to Success,” and his very popular comedy devotional “The Truth Shall Make You Laugh.” He is a lecturer among his peers in the areas of entertainment, sleight of hand magic and effective marketing.   He lives in Johnson City TN with his author wife Jo Ann. They have three or four kids. He is not sure because he spends much of his time on the road.    Minnie Pearl   Matt’s early efforts at speaking in grade school were centered around Minnie Pearl. But what if you don’t know who Minnie Pearl is? Well, that’s why God and Google gave us YouTube     Introverts vs Extroverts   Matt describes himself as an introvert. Many speakers do. Personally, I go back and forth between the two poles so I guess I’m more of an ambivert.   A lot of people assume introvert means shy so how can an introvert be comfortable on stage?   Because the concept of an introvert is more nuanced than that. Generally, introverts lose energy engaging with other individuals and recharge in more quiet, individualistic activities. Extroverts are just the opposite. They soak up energy from the people around them. They thrive on personal engagement with other people.   Public speaking at first glance seems optimized for extroverts since you’re in a room with dozens or hundreds or thousands of people.   In reality, though, you aren’t in a personal engagement with all those people. You are on stage doing your own thing. You’re working to engage all those people at once and, while it’s important to think about those people and the value you are there to deliver, it’s ultimately a solo activity. It’s you and the concept of the audience. It’s an individual approach. You can leave all your energy on stage to land your message and succeed.   It’s a heck of a lot easier than schmoozing at the networking party later.   Let People Help   After and before an event, people may want to help you out. If you’ve been doing this a while, you may not need that help. In fact it may slow you down and throw off your entire routine. Or you may want to not burden those folks. Let them help, anyway. Prepare ahead of time some tasks you can ask folks to do when the offer assistance.   You’re doing them a favor.   Them offering to help you is how they are trying to forge a connection or a relationship with you. Most of us aren’t “famous” in the traditional world, but in the context of a speaking event, the speaker is a star. For some people this will be their brush with fame for the day, and they’ll be thrilled to talk about the part they played in your day in the years to come.   Accepting help also validates that they have value. That they can contribute even in some small way.   And that’s a simple thing you can do to leave an even more positive feeling with your audience.   Links   Entertainment Marketing Academy https://www.entertainersmarketingacademy.com/ Matt Fore Entertainment https://www.mattfore.com/ Matt’s books on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Matt-Fore/e/B01F4LY17W Matt at Success.com https://www.success.com/author/matt-fore/ Matt at the Huffington Post https://www.huffpost.com/author/matt-fore Matt on Entrepreneur.com https://www.entrepreneur.com/author/matt-fore Victoria Mavis on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/magic   Call To Action   Visit MattFore.Com to learn more about Matt and his projects, or check out the Entertainer’s Marketing Academy to learn how you can book more gigs. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Don’t get best…get better.   Edit 2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Take Action   The most important thing you can do as a speaker is to speak. Get one or two takes ready to go and then just focus on filling your calendar. Do whatever you can to book yourself solid. Get that stage time so you can get better.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Candice Bakx-Friesen   Candice Bakx Friesen is essential the Nike of Canadian Real Estate. She embodies the idea of just do it. In today’s conversation, you’ll hear her advise several times to say yes and then figure it out when an opportunity presents itself.   While this may not be the best advice for neurosurgeons, it does work pretty well for speakers. Figure out your message, focus on that and deliver value to your audience.   I really like her approach to doing new things — just do it, and try not to get in your own way.   I also like that she emphasizes the importance of knowing your audience. In real estate of course we all know that the 3 most important things are location, location, and location   Before speaking to an audience Candice looks into the local real estate market. It’s not hard; there are plenty of resources available. Then she can deliver a custom talk that makes her local audience feel valued.   You can do that with most of your audiences, too. Do some research on what your audience is concerned about and mention their concerns. Talk to them about their problem specifically. They will feel that much more connected to you.   Bio   Candice is passionate about helping people reach their financial dreams. Candice has been a real estate investor since 2001. She is also the founder of Investor Smarts Global Network and Driven By Results, and a coaching partner within the Truly Invested Real Estate Club. Candice’s candid approach to business and affinity for getting past the fluff and getting to the root of each challenge for her clients so that they get a lot done, has led to her becoming a highly sought after coach within the finance and real estate industries.   Candice has had the opportunity to speak at many events, and enjoys sharing and teaching others.   Some events she has spoken at include: Toronto Real Estate Investors Forum (Toronto, ON), Truly Invested Real Estate Group (Winnipeg, MB), Group Facilitator at the Conversation Event (Texas, USA), Durham REI Club (Toronto, ON), RENTS Bootcamp Event (Kamloops, BC), Prairie RE Forum (Regina, SK), Judge for TEDx (Flowermound, Texas, USA), Shine Again Event (Steinbach, MB)   Coaching   There are many qualities and skills that go into being an excellent professional coach – integrity, in-depth knowledge, marketing savvy, effective negotiation skills and a high-quality professional network, all of which are hallmarks of how Candice works.   “Client first” philosophy has always been her approach and it requires Candice to continually improve her skills and ways of doing business. This means keeping herself accessible, being a good listener as well as a good communicator, and responding quickly to her client’s needs.   Links   Investor Smarts website link http://www.investorsmarts.ca/ Driven By Results https://www.drivenbyresults.ca/ Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/investor-smarts/id1443677340  Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=332473&refid=stpr YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5923OKL5DCgNLh9G8ycAgQ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-lS0UYG9P5mcFq4EAamWpA YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcmU3BvlLg_KJ4Wxtvsk7uA Facebook facebook.com/investorsmarts Facebook facebook.com/drivenbyresults Twitter twitter.com/drivenbyresults Twitter twitter.com/investorsmarts Instagram http://Instagram.com/drivenbyresults Instagram http://Instagram.com/investorsmarts   Call To Action So check out Candice’s Investor Smarts podcast or Driven By Results coaching program. Share this episode with 3 people you know by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Candice. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Greet Audience Members Early   As much as practical, if you have time before your speech, meet some members of your audience. Greet them as they come in and sit down. This accomplishes a couple things.   First, it’s the start of a relationship with a new person. For part of your audience, you will no longer be just that person on the stage. Instead you will be that person they were just chatting with who is now on the stage. As you build that relationship, you are building trust.   Second, it gives you some familiar faces you can look for when you are on the stage. This encourages you to engage in more eye contact, and it gives you some people you can specifically look for.   As a bonus, it can even help with speaker nerves by distracting in that period before your talk.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Joel Hawbaker   Joel Hawbaker has fully embraced the storytelling aspect of speaking. And why wouldn’t he? Telling stories is how civilizations have shared their histories, their lessons, and their faiths for millennia.   It’s how religions today share the lessons and directives of their prophets and marketing departments around the world grow their profits. And it’s how you can make history compelling and memorable for the toughest audience in existence — school kids.   Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less CS Lewis   I also like Joel’s thoughts on the importance of humility for not just a speaker and teacher, but for any expert. There’s an importance in going back to basics and working on fundamentals. Success requires a strong foundation, and not thinking you’re too good to work on the basics.   Even an experienced speaker needs to think through their content, do the prep work, and practice.   This focus on humility and going back to basics is an important that can help us connect with more audiences. They’re the best way to celebrate the hero of our talks — the message.   Bio   Joel W. Hawbaker is a professional speaker, an author, and a high school teacher and soccer coach in Alabama where he lives with his wife, his two daughters, and their two rescue dogs. Joel has a degree in History from Covenant College, and he also spent time studying Medieval Civilizations at New College, Oxford, in the UK. In his professional speaking, Joel focuses on the topics of blended family life, leadership, and education. His goal is to help people form better relationships through a combination of confidence and humility. In addition to his books on leadership, he is currently working on a book about blended family life.   Writing the Book   Joel talked about his approach to writing his book. He worked on his outlines in the evening, and he filled them out while driving to work. This can be a great approach, assuming you can do it safely. This is a great job for a dedicated digital recorder. For a task like this, the small, cheap ones are probably fine.   This is an approach that can work because editing is easier than creating. Once Joel had his recordings done, he could turn them into transcripts and then edit them into a book.  Even with that, it still took him a year to write, “Inverted Leadership.”   But he did it.   On Strokecast, I talked with true crime author Paul Sanders. He finished his latest book a week before he had his stroke. That stroke robbed him (at least for now) of his ability to write books.   So don’t wait. Get that book written now. Joel found a way to write it during his commute. How can you find a way to write yours?   Links   Joel’s Website https://reallifeleading.com/ Joel’s book on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Inverted-Leadership-Others-Forgetting-Yourself/dp/1983110167/ref=sr_1_1 Joel on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/joel.w.hawbaker Also Joel on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RealLifeLeading/ Joel on Twitter https://twitter.com/RealLifeLeading Joel on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/joel-hawbaker-9421a077/ John Acuff Newsletter https://acuff.me/newsletter/ Chandler Bolt’s Self-Publishing School https://self-publishingschool.com/ Rob Kosberg’s Best Seller Publishing http://bestsellerpublishing.org/ John Wooden on socks https://www.newsweek.com/john-wooden-first-how-put-your-socks-167942 Vince Lombardi on a football https://jamesclear.com/vince-lombardi-fundamentals Westbrook Christian Academy http://www.westbrookchristianschool.org/   Call To Action   Check out Joel’s book and web presence Share this episode with 3 colleagues by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Joel Don’t get best…get better   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Fuel your body properly   Our bodies react differently to different foods, and to maximize our performance, we need to consume the appropriate fuel for the results we want.   That means, first of all, hydrate. That was also the very first tip in the very first episode of 2-Minute Talk Tips. But it goes beyond that.   Avoid dairy before speaking. It drives mucous production which leads to throat clearing and generally results in less clear speech.   Managing blood sugar is also important to prevent energy crashes and to reduce the stress on our systems.   So what should you consume if you’re planning to speak? Focus on proteins and fats. Think savory instead of sweet. And drink more water than you think you need.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Nutrition Expert Mary Sheila Gonella   Mary Sheila Gonnela  is a speaker, teacher, and nutrition expert. And in this episode we cover all those different areas.   We don’t often think about the fuel we need before speaking when we hit the snack buffet at a meeting. But it does make a difference. It’s among the things we explore this week.   But that’s not the only thing about effectiveness that we explore. Working with an assistant and being transparent with your audience are all ways to be more effective while speaking.   Bio   Having served clients for over a decade as a Board Certified Holistic Nutrition Consultant and Ayurvedic Practitioner, Mary Sheila Gonnella teaches clients how to honor their unique physiology, move self-care to the front burner, and achieve and maintain radiant health.   Mary Sheila’s classes and public talks fill up with students who keep coming back for more .   “Your breadth of understanding and your enthusiasm to share this knowledge, is so palpable. I learn many things from you every time!”   Andrew Goldstein, MS   Mary Sheila’s students at Bauman College Holistic Nutrition and Culinary Arts, where she taught for 7 years, say she is “One of Bauman’s greatest assets. She is brilliant and communicates her brilliance well. I am in awe of her knowledge level. She was a Godsend and a wealth of knowledge.” Jill Brogan, NC   In addition Mary Sheila’s private practice, Occidental Nutrition, Mary Sheila consults and teaches classes through doctor referrals in a clinical medical setting, where her approach has helped people have complete health transformations.   “My husband has been able to cut out nearly all his medications, as well as his sleep apnea machine, and both of us have greatly improved our sleep, and collectively we have lost 250 pounds. We can’t thank Mary Sheila enough for her knowledge, energy, dedication and wonderful sense of humor.” Nancy Palandati, CA   Her online courses include Your Roadmap to Bone Health, Blood Sugar Reset, Adrenal Vitality Blueprint, Winter Vitality Cleanse, Deeper Than Weight Loss, and Food Mood & Fermentation.   One of Mary Sheila’s favorite ways to connect with her students is by rolling up her sleeves, putting on an apron, and teaching cooking classes, reconnecting people to their ability to create delicious healing food in their own kitchen. Her classes include Fermentation, Eating for Immunity, and Everyday Superfoods, to name a few. Mary Sheila’s wealth of knowledge has led her to be included as a featured speaker and teacher on various online summits and stages around the San Francisco Bay Area.   Stay connected by visiting www.occidentalnutrition.com and sign up to receive “The Breakfast Report” Mary Sheila’s free guide to determining the right breakfast for you, your hormonal balance and your blood sugar regulation.   Personal Stories   Mary Sheila talks about how she was able to connect with a group of young students by sharing the personal story of her mother’s cancer. As a result, she was able to engage the students.   It’s similar to the experience the Ari Gunzburg talked about a few weeks ago. In that episode he talked about throwing out the talk he planned to give to instead share his personal story with a group of students in juvenile detention. They really appreciated that and made his talk more effective.   One of the things that helps makes us more effective as speakers is when we can connect more deeply with our audience. That’s easier when we have more things in common with them. When we speak with other adults in our companies or industries we already have some key things in common — especially being adults.   Telling those personal stories helps the young audience see this “adult” is more like them than they might have expected.   Links   Mary Sheila’s Website https://occidentalnutrition.com/ Mary Sheila on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/occidentalnutrition/ Mary Sheila on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUBuM3eolTaJ60GVkvVUHog Ari Gunzburg on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTakTips.com/AriGunz Managing Handouts on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/03/28/episode-14-manage-your-handouts-and-12-webinar-tips/ Avoid Dairy on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/2018/03/07/episode-052-avoid-dairy-and-the-7-deadly-sins-of-powerpoint/ Hydrate on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/2016/12/   Call To Action   To learn more about Mary Sheila’s approach to nutrition, check out www.occidentalnutrition.com. What foods to find make you a more or less effective speaker? Let us know in the comments below. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Just put yourself out there   Getting past intense nerves can be challenging, but there comes a point where you just have to do it. Just acknowledge your nerves and stage fright and do it anyway. If things don’t go well, the world won’t end, and (for most of us) no one will die. So just get up on stage, nerves and all, and just do it.   How can you give yourself the best chance for success? It’s no secret — practice. Prepare and practice. The more you do that, the better you’ll be able to focus on what matters — the audience and the message.   Afterall, it’s not about you.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Okoyomoh Egbekhuwa — or simply Huwa   “You know what’s great about hitting rock bottom? There’s only one way to go, and that’s up!” — Buster Moon, Sing   Okoyomoh Egbekhuwa — or simply Huwa — is a Chemistry student, spoken word artist, and podcaster living in Nigeria. We live in an amazing time where technology let’s us have conversations like this across the world.   Spoken Word is a performance genre where poetry meets public speaking meets story telling. Rhythm and timing are critical to success. A lot of the lessons Huwa learned as she grew as a performer will likely resonate with other speakers today.   And I have to confess my own ignorance here, This is a genre I wasn’t really familiar with before this conversation. I love getting to learn stuff on the show.   Bio   Okoyomoh Egbekhuwa, or just Huwa is a performance poet and podcaster from Nigeria, West Africa. She’s been speaking since she was eleven years old at debates and in church. She started performing as a spoken word artiste three years ago and realized how underrated it is as an art so she started up a podcast, called The Spoken World, inviting performance poets, authors and enthusiasts from around the world to share their stories as expressed in literary arts.   Recently, she’s learnt that the podcast can be so much more as it involves stories that reveal the culture, traditions and politics of individuals across the globe.   Sing   Huwa quoted the movie Sing in our conversation. It’s an animated film about animals performing in a singing competition. A lot of the stories are about dealing with nerves, being true to yourself, and getting out there to share your art.   Here’s the trailer:     The Danger of the Single Story   The Danger of the Single Story is the risk we have of falling into ignorance. In the context of our discussion, we touched on how many folks in the US and elsewhere have a limited perception of life in Africa. One narrative about the continent often dominates our perception.   Storytelling is a great way to connect with an audience. As an audience member its also important to seek out more stories from speakers and artists who have a different background. It’s not about creating an artificial debate between 2 view points — 2 or more viewpoints and be different without being in opposition to one another.   Even with my relative ignorance I think it’s safe to say that life in Nigeria is very different from life in Egypt or life in Lesotho. And it’s fair to say that life in Lagos is probably very different from life in Yola (and yes, I did have to pull up a map).   And that’s the danger of the single story or narrative. It makes it way too easy to make assumptions about a wide swath of the Earth and its people.   It’s not just about geopolitics and cultural diversity, though. As speakers, how many of us have gone into a company, or even a department within our own company, with a narrative in mind about the people there? What do you think you know about the internal culture of Amazon or Microsoft or Starbucks? These are organizations with tens of thousands of employees and contractors. The single story in our minds about organizations will impact how we prepare and speak with them, even though that story may only apply to a part of the group.   And even if it applies to most of the organization, is your audience within that organization the group that story applies to? And do you think the same story you have about a company as a whole applies equally to the legal department, the marketing department, and the C-Suite? Probably not.   And let’s talk about individuals. What is the single story you have about someone who’s had a stroke? Is it the 86 year old retiree in the nursing home? Or is it someone like Luke Perry or Sharon Stone? Or do you think about the freelance blogger and podcaster helping folks become more effective speakers in as little as 2 minutes a week?   Stories help us understand the world. They help us connect with one another and pass along history, values, lessons, inspiration and community. There’s nothing wrong with stories.   The danger is in letting a single story about our audience or millions and billions of people become the sole way we see that aspect of the world.   So seek out and listen to more stories.   Names   When Huwa and I were setting up the interview, she also emailed me an MP3 of her pronouncing her full name ( Okoyomoh Egbekhuwa) for me. This was great because it gave me an opportunity to practice listen to the correct version again and again.   If you have a name that is difficult to pronounce — or than might be difficult for someone from a different culture to pronounce, consider send a recording of it in advance to whomever may be introducing you at an event.   And if you’re the person doing the introduction, make an effort to learn to pronounce what may be for you a challenging name. You want to get it right because names are so important and they tie into so much emotional stuff. Getting a person’s name right is a sign of respect. And so I hope I did well by Huwa’s name.   Links   The Spoken World Website https://thespokenworldpodcast-com.webnode.com/ The Spoken World on Twitter https://twitter.com/spokenpodcast Huwa on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thespokenworld/ Spoken Word on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoken_word Huwa’s Email Newsletter https://mailchi.mp/07f2853d15f1/thespokenworld Spoken World Podcast on RadioPublic https://play.radiopublic.com/the-spoken-world-podcast-WJ9QMB Spoken World Podcast on PocketCasts https://pca.st/59Ai Spoken World Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-spoken-world-podcast/id1416359054?mt=2 Spoken World Podcast on Google Podcasts https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy80Y2UzYjEwL3BvZGNhc3QvcnNz Spoken World Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/6lpOymOxMa7vZ59gpq08tx Spoken World Podcast on CastBox https://castbox.fm/channel/id1381569 Spoken World Podcast on Overcast https://overcast.fm/itunes1416359054/the-spoken-world-podcast Spoken World Podcast on Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/anchor-podcasts/the-spoken-world-podcast Spoken World Podcast on Breaker https://www.breaker.audio/the-spoken-world-podcast Spoken World Podcast on Podbean https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/95f92-7e247/The-Spoken-World-Podcast Kerri Ruttenberg on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/Court Denise Vaughan on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Denise Hilary Billings on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Hilary Tim Garber on 2-Minute Talk Tips (Part 1) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/02/28/episode-010-parallel-structure-and-tim-garber-part-1/ Tim Garber on 2-Minute Talk Tips (Part 2) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/03/07/episode-011-record-yourself-and-tim-garber-part-2/ Jon Clarke on 2-Minute Talk Tips (Running a Panel) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/04/18/episode-017-plan-to-punt-and-how-to-run-a-panel/ Jon Clarke on 2-Minute Talk Tips (Comedy, Advertising, and rock) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/01/10/episode-003-skip-the-opening-joke-and-meet-jon-clarke/   Call to Action   Check out the links to Huwa’s podcast and Instagram above. Subscribe to the Spoken World Podcast and 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Slides must help the audience, not the presenter   One reason folks audibly groan when they think about PowerPoint is that too many speakers use the slides to help them get through their presentation rather than to help the audience understand what’s happening.   We use them too often to:   Help us remember To keep our place To just generally put too much stuff on screen   Ultimately there are 3 purposes behind our visual aids   Help the audience understand Help the audience believe Help the audience remember   When it comes to improving our visuals, we need to eliminate any extraneous text, and limit ourselves to just one concept per slide.   When designing slides or other visuals ask yourself, “Who does this help more: the audience or the presenter?”   If it’s the presenter, cut it or change it.   Post Tip Discussion   Slides and visual aides are an important part of public presentations and not always in a good way. Slides dominate most stages these days, and reviewing a presentation for most folks means looking at the slides.   This trend isn’t limited to the conference room; it extends into the courtroom. PowerPoint slide decks, foam core boards, and animations now help juries make decisions in courts around the United States.   This week’s guest literally wrote the book on courtroom graphics. Kerri Ruttenburg, the Senior VP and General Counsel for Litigation at Walmart, is the author of Images with Impact: Design and Use of Winning Trial Visuals. She wrote the book to help lawyers and non-lawyers both make more effective use of visual aids in presentations.   Bio Kerri L. Ruttenberg is the Senior Vice President and General Counsel for Litigation at Walmart, trial lawyer, and previously a partner at the law firm Jones Day in Washington, D.C., where she served as the Head of Litigation for the firm’s D.C. office.  She has tried cases in state and federal courts around the country. Kerri recently authored a book published by the American Bar Association, Images with Impact: Design and Use of Winning Trial Visuals, which has been praised as “groundbreaking” and “a must for the trial lawyer’s library.” Based on nearly 20 years of trial experience, working with graphic designers and interviewing jurors, Kerri frequently conducts seminars for lawyers, judges, expert consultants and marketing executives on the effective design and use of visuals for trials and other professional presentations.     Kerri has been a successful public speaker for decades.  She paid for her college and law school education with competitive speaking scholarships, and her love of public speaking has continued through her career as she tries and wins cases, conducts seminars on presentation design and delivery, and even coaches others on how to improve their own effectiveness in public speaking.    Thoughts on Speech and Debate   While my career took me in the direction of marketing, and Kerri’s took her in the direction of Law (which are pretty much complete opposites in most corporate environments). Our origin stories have a common touchpoint — Speech & Debate or Forensics in high School and college. We both partially paid for college with scholarship earned in competitive speech.   As kids start heading back to school next month, encourage or support their interest in Speech and Debate. And encourage schools to develop vigorous programs. The lessons from Speech and Debate extend well beyond how to speak before a judge.   A year ago, in July 2018, I spoke with Denise Vaughan, one of my former team mates in Speech and Debate from the Carroll College Talking Saints, and now coach of the Speech and Debate team at UW-Bothell about competition and her path. You can here that conversation here: http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Denise   Preparation   The other important lesson is one I talk about a lot — the importance of preparation. Kerri emphasizes the importance of showing up early to make sure everything works and the venue is setup as expected.   Preparation is also key for courtroom visuals. Kerri talks about the importance of using graphic designers for most of her trial graphics. We also talked about the unique review process for courtroom visuals. The opposing counsel needs to review graphics as does the court in many cases to make sure they are in compliance with appropriate legal standards.   The point is none of these graphics are put together at the last minute. They’re not assembling slides 10 minutes before using them. The stakes are just too high.   Links   Kerri Ruttenberg on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerri-ruttenberg-251018126/ Kerri’s book on Amazon https://amzn.to/2CBYnDd Kerri’s book on America Bar Association website www.ambar.org/imageswithimpact Rule 403 https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode28a/usc_sec_28a_03000403—-000-. 2-Minute Talk Tips with Denise Vaughan http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Denise @-Minute Talk Tips Review of “Storytelling with Data” by Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/09/05/episode-026-bring-candy-and-read-storytelling-with-data/   Call To Action   So check out Kerri’s book on Amazon or the American Bar Association’s website. Kerri is also on LinkedIn, where you can see the path of her career. You can connect here. Share this episode with the attorney, graphic designer, or Law & Order fan in your life by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Court. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Be Vulnerable   When you open up and share your story with an audience, it gives them an opportunity to connect with you on a deeper, emotional level. When you establish that connection with them, they listen more closely, relate to you better, and are more likely to retain your message or execute your call to action.   It’s not something to fake though. Audience’s can generally sense when someone is being authentic, rather than being fake. And vice versa.   So on stage, you don’t need to pretend to be perfect. You can share failures and mistakes. You won’t chase away your audience. You’re more likely to inspire them to join you on the journey.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Ari Gunzburg   Ari is now a motivational speaker, a podcast host, and a wilderness liaison. Once his two podcasts are launched, and his workload calms down slightly, Ari plans to start writing a book, outlining specific programs and ideas to help people build a more meaningful life.   Ari learned about death early in life. He experienced a traumatic moment when only 10 years old, when his teacher passed away while on a hiking trip. This would affect his life deeply and change his perspective forever.   Following the death of this teacher, there was trouble afoot at school for all of the traumatized kids. This created a domino effect of changes and decisions that all culminated in Ari getting his “PhD” from the school of hard knocks, through multiple bad decisions and the outcomes of those decisions.   Having to live through these decisions and consequences has taught Ari many important life lessons; all of which he passes on to others.   “Regret not, but learn from your mistakes,” says Ari, reminiscing the wild cycles he experienced during his misspent youth. “Any lesson gained from real life experiences is one you no longer need to learn in a formal educational setting.”   Ari has had many life-changing experiences, each of which shaped him; from dropping out of high school, to going to jail, to experimenting with drugs, to wild partying and more.   After more than a decade working in marketing, branding, graphic design and websites, Ari realized that his experiences can help others. That his mistakes don’t have to be lived over and over again, if he can just tell over his story, and help people understand.   Ari is now focused on helping others, all while taking care of four fantastic children and the most amazing wife.   He is building programs and workshops to help others, using his ability to speak. Ari is producing podcasts to help others find their path to success and greatness. Ari helps others experience the wilderness, and the calm that comes from being immersed in nature. And Ari is helping kids and teenagers make better decisions.   Ari is now building lives of meaning.   Toastmasters   This week, we get to learn a lot more about the competitive aspect of Toastmasters. Toastmasters is a well-known international organization with thousands of chapters around the world. It’s a fantastic resource for folks who want to improve their public speaking skill, practice, and get feedback.   While we do talk about competition in Toastmasters this week, keep in mind that is only part of the program. If you don’t want to compete, that’s perfectly fine. Most Toastmaster folks don’t.   But for those who do want to explore competitive speaking, though, Toastmasters can be a great option.   Vulnerability and Rebranding Ari’s tip about vulnerability is important, and you hear it come out a few times, including the last segment where Ari talks through his rebranding, refocusing, and redesign of his website. His new website is  now live. If you’d like to see how it changed, you can check out the old version in the Internet Wayback Machine.   Links   Ari Gunzburg Website https://arigunzburg.com/ Ari’s old website on the Internet Wayback Machine https://web.archive.org/web/20190113064043/https://arigunzburg.com/ Ari on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/arigunz/ Ari on Twitter https://twitter.com/AriGunzburg The Happiness Advantage on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Advantage-Positive-Brain-Success/dp/0307591557/ref=sr_1_3 Les Brown website https://lesbrown.com/ Toastmaster Website https://www.toastmasters.org/   Call To Action Check out Ari’s new website at AriGunzburg.com, and Ari’s other inks above. If you want to try your hand, or mouth, at competitive speaking, or just want more experience while you improve your speaking, check out a local Toastmasters chapter. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Tell Your Personal Truth   To be effective as a speaker on the big stage, you have to be able to tell your truth. That means you have to know what it is. This may take some personal work to understand what you are passionate about — what you truly believe.   Where it really pays off is in the connection to your audience. They can sense the authenticity. More importantly, they can sense artifice.   Ultimately it goes back to the words of Maya Angelou:   “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Mel Andre   In the conversation I had with Mel, we covered the big picture stuff, but also some of the nitty gritty stuff about developing talk. There’s a nice mix of practical, individualistic, and conceptual material here.   And like any good motivational speaker, Mell brings some great enthusiasm to our talk.   Bio   Mel M. Andre is an Entrepreneur, Life Coach, Motivational Speaker, CEO of Skill and Will Fitness and former lead consultant at Andre Consultant. Mel’s passion in life is to help people realize their greatness and help people accomplish their goals.   Mel knows that in order to change your life, you must first change yourself and your mindset. Mel’s program focuses on helping you have a paradigm shift while also helping you make a plan to accomplish your dreams and goals.    Several years ago Mel hit rock bottom and lost everything she had worked so hard to obtain. Mel decided that she would no longer be the victim and decided to completely change her life around.    Through the power of motivations, dedication, discipline & positive affirmations Mel was able to turn her life around in a few months. During those few months, Mel decided to work on her business full time while also working on herself. She knew in order to become successful and stay successful she would have to make drastic lifestyle changes. These changes allowed her company, Skill and Will Fitness, to take off in ways she could only imagine.    While Mel’s success grew she started mentoring her friends and family. This led Mel to discover her new passion, which is motivating and inspiring people to accomplish their goals and dreams.   Keys to Success and Happiness Conference   On May 11, 2019, Mel, along with Barbara Pando-Benke and Melanee Williams spoke at the Keys to Success and Happiness conference. At that conference they not only discussed how to become successful, but also  how to find happiness during your journey and  stay happy during the ups and downs that come with chasing your dreams and accomplishing your goals.   You can watch the entire conference for free at http://KeysToSuccessAndHappiness.com. Five Mistakes Speakers Make Mel outlined 5 important mistakes new speakers make.   They don’t speak their truth. They rely too much on their notes and slide decks. They fail to Practice. They focus on landing big gigs at the expense of learning and growing at smaller ones. They turn down opportunities that they are afraid are too big.   To learn more about these mistakes, listen to the clip below, or just listen to the whole episode.     If you’d like to share this video, you can use  this link: http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/MelTalksMistakes   Links   Mel’s Website http://MelMAndre.com Mel on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mel_Andre911/ Hire Mel book@MelMAndre.com Mel on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Melmandre/ Mel on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-andre/ Mel on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVHWOus_DSf0bgzZmeM_mkQ Mel on Twitter https://twitter.com/Mel_Andre911 Keys to Success and Happiness Conference http://Keystosuccessandhappiness.com    Call To Action   You can find Mel on Instagram, where she is Mel_Andre911. Just search there or follow this link. Share this episode with 2 colleagues by using the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Mel Subscribe to 2-MinuteTalkTips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week. Related  

2-Minute Tip: Stay in Your Line   When on stage, there’s pressure to have all the answers — to be the expert. And when we’re talking about the area of our expertise.   What do we do we aren’t the expert though?   There’s a lot of power in saying, “I don’t know. I’ll get back to you.”   Know what you can speak about and know what you shouldn’t speak about. Focus on your lane and the audience will respect you more.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Chandler Walker   There’s a temptation when we speak to throw more and more information at an audience. We see this manifest in unreadable slides; long, boring talks; and few opportunities for Q&A or other audience interaction. And I get it.   In the corporate world, we are under pressure to cover all the material possible to maximize the value of the audience’s time. Or we may have multiple sponsors for our talk who want to make sure we include all of “their” material.   The problem is when we focus on everything, we focus on nothing. We disregard the fact that the audience needs to take away something. It doesn’t matter if we say all the stuff if it doesn’t inspire the audience to do something with it.   Bio   Candler Walker’s tip about staying in your lane is important. It’s not about “knowing your place.” It’s about being comfortable with where you can add value and where you can’t. As we go through today’s discussion, you’ll see that. You’ll also see how he questions his audience to continue understanding how he can add value.   Chandler Walker has built a personal brand that has catapulted him to the keynote stage, fireside chats and corporate speeches. He’s spoken in the US, Australia, The Netherlands, and Canada. He also hosts the Chan’s Logic Podcast.   Links   Chandler’s Website http://Chanslogic.com Chan’s Logic on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ChansLogic/ Chan’s Logic Podcast https://www.chanslogic.com/podcast Chandler on Twitter https://twitter.com/ChandlerSAF Chandler on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/chandlerwalkersaf Chandler on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/chandler_saf/   Call To Action:   Check out Chandler’s website, Facebook page, and other social media accounts in the links above. Subscribe to the Chan’s Logic Podcast and 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.  

2-Minute Tip: Cross the Screw It Line   We can prepare and prepare all we want, but at a certain point before a talk, we’ve done all that we can do.   The anxiety we may feel in going out on stage is less helpful on stage.   There comes a point, where we just have to say to ourselves, “Screw it.” (Or a less family friendly version of that). At that point it’s time to go execute. You’ve done everything you could to be ready. Once you get to that line, you have to trust that you’ve done enough.   And if not? Well, screw it. You’ve got a job to do.   Post Tip discussion: Meet Phil Johnson   I like talking with comedians because they are not just interesting people to chat with. The one-on-one conversations may not be the laugh-fest you might think, especially considering how many are introverts.   But I really like talking with them because comedy is such a precise craft. It involves understanding language, timing, and storytelling at a deep level.   Most public speakers understand these topics at a basic level, but we can be successful by wielding them in broad strokes — almost clumsily. Sometimes we can land our points and message like we are using a paint roller.   Comedians however, can’t use a paint roller. They have to use a fine tip touch up brush because their success relies on precise timing, wording and even emphasizing the right syllable. So there’s a lot we can learn from them.   Bio   Phil Johnson is a man who gets mistaken for a woman, but only by those not paying attention. That revelation kicks off a battle for self-awareness where comedy and music are the weapons of choice. It’s a battle that has taken Phil to such esteemed festivals as the Edinburgh Fringe and Sundance Film Festivals and the Top 8 Finals of the World Series of Comedy. “I’ve always been the guy who isn’t quite what people expect,” says Phil. Using that experience, Phil pokes holes in the medical marijuana argument, discusses being a white guy at a hip hop show (and the innocent gestures that can get him in trouble), and reveals why Hawaii isn’t the paradise we think it is.   From Shakespearean bees to redneck vampires to anthropomorphic cell phones with weight issues, Phil Johnson fills the stage with quirky characters that combine social satire with absurdist flights of fancy. Then the guitar comes out and kicks the show into an even higher gear with songs about the bright future (and dark past) of babies and what he would do if he woke up one morning as an actual woman.   On stage, Phil’s playful humor and likeable, endearing manner allow him to shake things up without antagonizing the audience. In the end we can only be who we are, try to understand others, and hope they understand us.   RA Curtain CallRoadside Attraction comes from leader Phil Johnson’s twin careers in music and comedy. “The idea here is songs that are musically interesting and challenging, but also funny, and understandable by a casual music listener,” says Johnson. It’s more eclectic than Stephen Lynch, funnier than Prince, and more palatable than Frank Zappa, though influences of all three abound.   “Afrodizzyac” is their take on Blaxploitation film themes. This one is about an international super spy (Afrodizzyac) saving the women of the world from his archenemy, Left Nut. “Brown Ring Around The Collar” is a happy tirade about the stupid people we meet every day. And “Hella Good Day” is Phil Johnson’s own musing on what would make his perfect day. “I wrote it during a really bad day and it helped cheer me up. I don’t expect people to personally relate to each lyric. But I hope it will make them think about what would make them happier.”   Two of the greatest forms of release are live music and a hearty laugh. And Roadside Attraction delivers in spades as evidenced by the audience of young and old, and every ethnicity you’ll find in the audience. Roadside Attraction play by their own rules, and doing everything they can to help you loosen up.   Phil’s Upcoming Tour Dates   Here’s where you can see Phil in June 2019.     For more appearances, check out the list on his website here.   Phil in Action   These videos highlight Phil’s comedy. You might not want to play them loudly in your office.         Other Conversations with Comedians Way back in Episode 3, I talked with my good friend Jon Clarke about his experience as a musician, comedian and advertising creative.   You can find that here.   In Episode 62, I spoke with British comedian, host, and podcaster Iszi Lawrence about the power of storytelling.   You can find that episode here.   Trina Talks Podcast   I had the privilege of being the first man to appear on the Trina Talks podcast.   Trina Talks is a podcast with inspirational talk based on wisdom gained through Trina’s life experiences for women who want motivation and inspiration to go to the next level in their lives, whether personal or professional. Trina L. Martin is a motivational speaker, leader, and cyber tech expert.   I share my stroke story and journey as we talk about the challenges, signs and causes of stroke, and some of the specific challenges women face. You can listen below or subscribe to Trina Talks for free in your favorite podcast app.     Links   Phil’s website www.RoadsideAttraction.com Phil’s Tour Dates https://www.roadsideattraction.com/tour-dates/ Under the Crossbones — Phil’s Pirate Podcast https://www.underthecrossbones.com/ Phil Interviews Anne Chambers about Grace O’Malley https://www.underthecrossbones.com/anne-chambers-grace-omalley/ Phil Johnson on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/philjohnsoncomedy Phil Johnson on Twitter https://twitter.com/roadsidephil Phil Johnson on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/philjohnsoncomedy/ Phil Johnson on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/roadside2 Phil Johnson on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zWnuRQeVtq50JDArw5PtF Lynn Ruth Miller http://lynnruthmiller.net/ 2-Minute Talk Tips Episode 003 — Meet Jon Clarke http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/01/10/episode-003-skip-the-opening-joke-and-meet-jon-clarke/ 2-Minute Talk Tips Episode 062 — Tell A Story to Add Value and Meet Iszi Lawrence http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Iszi Call To Action   To learn more about Phil, his comedy, his Pirate podcast, and more, visit http://www.RoadsideAttraction.com or check out the links above. Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Phil Subscribe for free to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip — Remove Filler Words   Filler or crutch words are the bane of many a speaker’s existence. The ums, ahs, likes, verys, you knows, and more clutter up our talks and conversation so much we don’t even notice them. They waste time, annoy the audience and distract from your message. So get rid of them.   Easier said than done.   One technique is to have a friend or colleague listen to you practice your talk and ring a bell every time they hear a filler word. Once you actually know you are using them in real time, it becomes easier to eliminate them and relish the power of silence   Post Tip Discussion — Meet John Rohe   One of the terms you hear in the training field (and likely other education related fields as well) is the “sage on the stage.”   In describes the lecture format in many education contexts. The wise experts stands on the stage at the front of the room and imparts knowledge on to the lucky audience members. It’s one way communication, and it has its place, but can have a certain amount of arrogance associated with it.   Bio   John Rohe is a speaker who eschews the lectern and the stage. He a speaker and trainer in both the commercial and ecclesiastical fields, and one of themes that comes through in the episode is the importance of humility with your audience.   John’s experience ranges from start-ups to established multi-billion dollar enterprises. John launched the cardiac marker proBNP for Roche Diagnostics and the first personalized health (test and drug) for osteoarthritis for Roche Pharma, Roche Diagnostics and GSK.   ​ He also internationalized sales for RPS, revived sales of Procalcitonin for Thermo Fisher, grew Alere’s PT/INR home testing from $9 million to $25 million in 1 year and boosted equipment service contracts for BD.   ​ John has taken products from R&D through FDA clearance and achieved CMS and other third-party reimbursement. He has implemented user friendly CRMs and automated quoting systems, and he integrated marketing collateral with sales force access. He has also been responsible for developing and implementing automated quoting and contracting systems.     John’ Speaker Evaluation Checklist   Are they using filler words? Do they appear to be knowledgeable about the material? Are they speaking to the audience? Are they looking down at their notes? Are they reading slides to me? Are they moving around? Are they actively engaged with the audience?   Kirkpatrick Levels of Training Evaluation   How do the learners feel about their training experience? How effectively did the learners acquire new skills or knowledge? How effectively did the learners apply what they learned in training? How effectively did the training ultimately meet its goals for the organization?   You can read more about the Kirkpatrick framework here. It’s a fascinating mental exercise.   Links   Hycap Consulting http://hycapconsulting.org John’s Email John.rohe@hycap.org John on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrohe1/ John on Twitter https://twitter.com/johnrohe Kirkpatrick Model https://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/Our-Philosophy/The-Kirkpatrick-Model Servant  Leadership with Lyle Tard http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/ServantLeader Caring and Connection with Richard Kauffman http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/Richard   Call To Action Check out the work John is doing at Hycap.org Share this episode with another speaker or trainer by giving the link http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/JohnRohe Don’t get best…get better   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip — Tempo   When things are going well or smoothly we often talk about being in a state of flow. We feel it in music; we feel it when we’re writing code; we feel it when we’re doing needlepoint; and we feel it on stage when we speak.   Part of what drives that rhythm is finding the right tempo, or pace, for ourselves and hour talk.   Tempo goes beyond just finishing on time (though that’s important, too). It’s about honing in on the natural way that you talk. If you naturally talk fast, that may be fine. I you talk fast because you’re nervous, then that’s something to worry about.   The length of your sentences, the words you choose, your phrasing, etc., all impacts your tempo.   When you find yourself giving a talk that just “feels right,” ask yourself what you were doing in that talk. Ideally you recorded it so you can go back and listen to it again a figure out what made it smooth.   You probably found your tempo. And when that happens, don’t fight it — lean into it. Embrace your tempo.   Your speech can also have its own tempo, separate from the speaker. Different content will lend itself to different pacing. Talks may rise and fall emotionally depending on where you are in it. The energy level shouldn’t be the same throughout; let it fluctuate as the content dictates.   Ultimately you want the tempo of you as a speaker to be in line with the tempo of your talk. If you can’t get there, then rethink that talk.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Lyle Tard   Back in college on the debate team I found my performance in competition rose or fell to the level of my competitors. The value in competing against a really awesome team was that it would draw out the best in my performance.   That was my experience in today’s conversation with speaker, trainer, Podcaster, Servant Leader, and Airforce Technical Sergeant Lyle Tard. His enthusiasm and energy is contagious.   Bio Lyle Tard is the Founder and CEO of IMPACT Servant Leadership, started in 2018. He is currently entering his 19th year as a Technical Sergeant in the United States Air Force and serves his country while still on active duty at the 305 Maintenance Group at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst as the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of Training Management.   During his Air Force career, he has been all over the world, from Europe to the Pacific Islands and everywhere in between. Among his accomplishments are honors such as Non-Commissioned Officer of the Quarter and Lance P. Sijan Leadership Award – Non-Commissioned Officer Tier. He has guided the careers of more than 10,000 Airman from civilian to military life, leading them in cutting edge training of their newly developed skills. He previously managed the Community College of the Air Force program at the United States Expeditionary Center’s school, touching the lives of more than 43,000 military and civilian members annually just before his current posting.   As a communicator, Lyle has spoken worldwide inside and out of the military community. He has motivated young adults at institutions such as Atlanta Leadership College, American University and Harvard Business School. Just as in the Air Force, Lyle takes pride in leading the next generation of world changers. From universities to businesses to churches, Lyle’s passion is to influence the world to realize that “Leaders lead best when they serve.” IMPACT Servant Leadership aims to transition our most impactful areas of society to realize that achieving power with others is more beneficial socially and economically than asserting power over others. Lyle is also the primary moderator of the Service is Power podcast, spreading the message that “The Power to Serve, Serves us All.”   Along with his wife of 14 years, Sherrell and his two children, Alycea and Ethan, Lyle has served as the Youth Pastor at Gulf Coast City Church in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida, Missions Director at National Community Church, Washington D.C. and Lead Elder of Lighthouse International Ministries in Brunssum, Netherlands.   Gain From Our Perspective   Lyle found inspiration in the slogan of Franklin Templeton Investments. Here is one of their commercials.   Episode 13 of Service is Power   Lyle talked about how his guests surprised him in Episode 13 of the Service is Power podcast. Here is that episode   Training   I found Lyle’s description of training in the military particularly interesting. It’s a model based on simulating the experience as much as practical since in the real world lives, millions of dollars in equipment, and US foreign policy are all on the line and dependent on that training kicking in when it’s needed.   Obviously, most corporate trainers do not face the same stakes, but our work may take us closer than we think. The way our learners do their jobs can impact millions of dollars of business, the jobs of their coworkers, and the health or safety of colleagues and customers.   eLearning and stand-up lectures can be part of the training solution, but ultimately we need to get our learners as close to the actual real world work as much as possible.   Go Make a Thing   As you probably noticed in the conversation, I also like how Lyle started his podcast on Servant Leadership. He went looking for content for himself, found it didn’t exist, so he created it. It’s the origin behind my Strokecast, too.   If there’s a resource you are looking for that you can’t find, go ahead and create it. You will help others, and you’re likely to learn a lot in the process, too.   Links   Lyle’s Website https://www.impactservantleadership.com/ Lyle’s Podcast http://ServiceIsPower.org Lyle on Twitter http://twitter.com/ServingLeader Lyle on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lyletard/ Lyle’s Email Lyle@impactservantleadership.com Lyle’s Other Email hello@serviceispower.com Service is Power Podcast Episode 13Show Notes http://serviceispower.org/onebigparty/ Service is Power Podcast Episode 13 Audio https://soundcloud.com/service-is-power/ep13 The Speaker Lab Podcast (Grant Baldwin) http://TheSpeakerLab.com Franklin Templeton — Gain From Our Perspective https://youtu.be/HFHi3_WaTgc   Call To Action   Is there something you want to learn more about or that you are passionate about? Try creating content about it for other people. Explore the work Lyle is doing at http://ImpactServantLeadership.com Subscribe to the Servant Leader Podcast and 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app for free so you never miss an episode Don’t get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Caring is key   People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.   As with so many strategies for success in speaking, it often comes down to the audience. How well do you know them? How well do you connect with them?   Most importantly, do they trust you?   Try to connect with the audience and make them feel you care and are listening to them and their concerns. Once you have established that level of rapport, they are much more likely to believe you when you speak to them.   Post-Tip Discussion: Meet Richard Kauffman   I do have a content warning for this episode. We do talk about both suicide and addiction. It’s a big part of Richard’s history and the journey of recovery he’s on today.   Richard Kauffman is a member of an elite group. He joins Nursepreneur Catie Harris (Http://2minutetalktips.com/Catie and Http://Strokecast.com/Catie) as only the second guest to appear on both 2-Minute Talk Tips and Strokecast.   I originally spoke with Richard in August of 2018 in Episode 29 of Strokecast about his experience surviving an ocular stroke when he was wounded in combat. Over the past year his projects and initiatives have grown quite a bit. He’s doing more work to help people than ever before.   Compassion and Caring   The theme that runs through this episode is about compassion and connection. It’s about connecting with your audience, connecting with individuals, allowing folks to truly talk with you, and enhancing that connection through the power of touch.   Bio   Richard brands himself as #TheComebackCoach, helping people comeback from life challenges many thought they might not survive.   Richard Kaufman has had a fascinating life. At various points he has been…   An addict Homeless In the Army Wounded in a Humvee A retail salesperson A survivor of an ocular stroke A Podcaster A speaker And #TheComebackCoach   Richard’s book is available on Amazon. Just search for A Hero’s Journey.. From Darkness to light or click here.   Babe — Styx   Links   Richard’s Website https://thecomebackcoach.wordpress.com/ Richard on Twitter https://twitter.com/Rickkaufman07 Richard on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/richardkaufmanVeteran/ Richard on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/therichardkaufman/ Richard’s Podcast https://anchor.fm/richard-kaufman/ Richard’s Book https://www.amazon.com/Heros-Journey-Darkness-light-ebook/dp/B07MBV7CC3/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1 Richard on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/Richard Donnie Boivin on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/donnie Catie Harris on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/catie Catie Harris on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/Catie Babe, by Styx https://youtu.be/uBi61pgDUP8x   Call to Action   Whether you’re selling time shares, connecting with a support group, or presenting to a thousand people, compassion and connection are how you can be effective with your audience.   If you want to hear more from Richard, visit Strokecast.com/Richard to hear our previous conversation Check out the list above to see Richard’s links, podcast, website, and find his book on Amazon. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Don’t get best…get better.

When I had my stroke I was already a big fan of the podcast medium. I already had another show at that point. 2-Minute Talk Tips was up around episode 23 in June 2017. So as I began my journey to learn all about neurology by looking for Stroke related podcasts. I found only a couple of shows at first -- The Enable Me show from Australia and The Slow Road to Better from Vienna, Virginia (who ultimately appeared on this show, too). Eventually, I found a couple more and you can see a list at Strokecast.com/otherpodcasts. The lack of shows led me to start Strokecast to be the resource I wished I had 6 months earlier. It turns out Joe Borges was thinking something similar at roughly the same time. A couple weeks after Strokecast started, Joe and his cohost Lauren, launched Neuro Nerds, a podcast by a stroke survivor and a TBI survivor sharing their journey, the journeys of their brain buddies, and celebrations of all things nerdy -- stroke related or not. I originally found the Neuro Nerds through the Stromies, a group of stroke survivors in Nebraska who are three awesome women who appeared on this show in December at Strokecast.com/Stromies. And in the process, I've become a fan of Joe and Lauren. Bio Joe So Rocks. In case you didn’t know. He’s worn various hats from retail store owner to artist manager to business consultant, but after suffering a major hemorrhagic stroke in August 2016, he’s been on a journey of self-discovery and seeking out what truly gives him joy in life. Some new hats he’s trying on include writer, comedian, host, guy who now goes to the gym, world traveler and he’s always trying on more. He’s on a mission to create a life worthy of the gift he was given when he survived his stroke. For his opinions and views on life, stroke survival, mind/body transformation, nerd culture, films, pop culture and everything in between, check out his blog on a weekly basis for new stories and articles. Whether you read it or not, Joe’s still going to have a laugh because 90% of what he says is for his own entertainment. A note on Star Wars One more important note before we get started here: I screwed up the name of the new Star Wars movie. It's The Rise of Skywalker, not the Last Skywalker like I said. I hang my nerd head in shame. Can I just blame stroke related neurofatigue? Anyway, here's the trailer. Are you as excited as we are? [embed]https://youtu.be/adzYW5DZoWs[/embed]   Hack of the Week Headphones make a big difference. Many stroke survivors can suffer from sensory overload due to the stroke. Their brains may not have the resources to process all the sounds in the environment. It makes sense if you think about it. A lot of what the brain does all day is ignore sensory input. All the background noise of traffic, humming refrigerators, chatty conference halls, computer fans and more is always coming into our heads. The brain has to triage it all -- what's important and what can it throw out. And it's tiring. Especially after a stroke. Joe recommends headphones most of the time. You don't even need to be playing music or Neuro Nerds or Strokecast episodes through them. Just wear them to block out sounds you don't need to hear so your brain doesn't waste the energy it takes to ignore those sounds Special Thanks And special thanks to Felice LaZae, podcast engineer, caregiver and partner to Joe, and rock star who recorded Joe's side of the conversation for me. Seriously, it was of the highest quality pieces of audio anyone has sent me. Check out FeliceLaZae.con to learn more about her work and hear samples of her music. BE FAST Warning Signs Print, post, share, and learn:   Links Neuro Nerds Podcast http://neuronerds.com Joe So Rocks Website http://JoeSoRocks.com Joe on Twitter https://twitter.com/joesorocks NeuroNerds on Twitter https://twitter.com/neuronerds Neuro Nerds on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/theneuronerds/ You So Rock on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/380436982420541/ Neuro Nerds on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKpsEptqCVc1ZCPPZOHlFrQ/ Neuro Nerds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/TheNeuroNerds/ Neuro Nerds on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/theneuronerds Warped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe (Walter Koenig) https://www.amazon.com/Warped-Factors-Neurotics-Guide-Universe/dp/0878339914/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=walter+koenig&qid=1556870056&s=gateway&sr=8-4 #AbledsAreWeird https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23abledsareweird #DisabledSnark https://twitter.com/search?q=%23disabledsnark&src=tyah The Hero's Journey https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey The Stromies https://www.stromies.com/ The Stromies on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/stromies Maggie Whittum's Film https://www.thegreatnowwhat.com/ Maggie Whittum on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/Maggie Unmasking Brain Injury http://unmaskingbraininjury.org/ Felice LaZae on the web http://FeliceLaZae.con Enable Me Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/enableme-podcast/id1094115765?mt=2 The Slow Road to Better https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slow-road-to-better/id1208357373?mt=2 The Slow Road to Better on Strokecast http://Strokecast.com/SlowRoad Where do we go from here? Explore more from Joe and the community at the various links above Subscribe to NeuroNerds and Strokecast for free in your favorite podcast app. Are there any other Stroke podcasts you listen to? Let us know about it in them in the comments below. Don't get best…get better.

2-Minute Tip: Identify Your Biggest Take Away   To deliver an effective presentation, first identify the biggest take away for the audience. If they remember only one thing, this is the thing it should be.   To figure that out, start by doing a brain dump on a piece of paper or whiteboard. Then go through all theses random ideas that are in someway related to your topic. What stands out? Which ideas are most important? What themes keep popping up?   As you do this, you'll likely discover the big idea for your talk. Once you have that, you can begin building everything else.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Julia Wojnar   In the theater you have to know your part and how your role fits into the rest of the show. You have to know your lines and be rehearsed.   Speaking is similar. You have to know your purpose. Why are you speaking? What is your role in this meeting? What is the purpose of your talk in the larger event or conference? What are you meant to accomplish.   You have to be prepared and rehearsed to be effective. Unlike theater, you don't need to have your talk memorized word for word, but you do need to know your content.   That's what the prep work is all about.   Today's guest, Julia Wojnar comes from a theater background which helps her be an effective Public speaking trainer through her company, Unleash Your Presence.   In this conversation we talk about theater, working through nerves, identifying your purpose and speaking in different cultures.   Crazy 8s   One reason we get anxious before speaking is that our bodies don't really know how to deal with it. Evolutionarily, we are not optimized for standing in front of a group of other human animals and having the focus on us. Our fight or flight instinct kicks in. Adrenaline pumps. Muscles tense. Secondary biological processes may shut down. Muscles tense to spring into action and survive.   But it's all unnecessary. There is no threat to our lives. We're not about to be kicked out of the tribe. We need to rechannel that energy and deal with it.   Pradeepa Narayanaswamy recommended changing your language. Don't tell yourself you're anxious or nervous; tell yourself -- and others -- you're excited. And it's great insight because excitement and anxiety often feature similar physiological symptoms.   Julia offers another great way to deal with the anxiety -- the Crazy 8s (though it could use a less ableist name).   This is exercise comes from Julia's theater background where it can be a valuable warmup exercise for actors as they burn off their excess energy and get ready to wow the audience.   Take a look at the video below to learn more.   [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NANGMbz5-Gk[/embed]   Billy Mays   I mentioned Billy Mays in this episode. If you're not familiar with him, Billy Mays was the quintessential TV pitchman of the 90s and 2000s. He's the reason so many people buy OxyClean, KaBoom, and other products.   Here is one of his videos:   [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PU8ZxQj7eE[/embed]   Bio   Julia Wojnar is the Founder of Unleash Your Presence where she develops professionals’ resilience, speaking, and communication skills to tackle tough decisions and express their ideas clearly and confidently.   She has honed her own speaking skills with over fifteen years of experience on stage speaking and performing, in addition to her formal training in Communications from Ithaca College.   She has been featured on The Huffington Post, Thrive Global, Hello Fearless, Grant Cardone’s Whatever It Takes Network, Savvy Central Radio (a syndicate of iHeartRadio), and The Wealth Standard Podcast, among others.   Nowadays, she speaks and delivers live and virtual trainings to help her clients bridge the gap between their brilliant idea and their ability to communicate it powerfully.   Promotions   Julia is making her Corporate Communications Check list available to listeners of 2-Minute Talk Tips. You can get that at by clicking here: http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/UYPTopTips   Julia also has a special deal for corporate managers right now.   If You're A Corporate Manager whose ready to "Set the Stage" to Lead Your Team with Clarity and Conviction…" then Julia has an online course which may be just what you need. And, she'll make Module 1 of this 8-Module series available - For FREE to the first 5 companies that qualify.   For more information and to see if you qualify, send us an email over at www.unleashyourpresence.com Links   Julia's Website http://UnleashYourPresence.com Julia's Corporate Communications Checklist http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/UYPTopTips Julia on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliawojnar/ Julia on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/UnleashYourPresence/ Julia on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9NDo2ZNU4n6BonuuJkR4pA Crazy 8s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NANGMbz5-Gk Billy Mays for OxiClean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PU8ZxQj7eE Amy Lyle on 2-MinuteTalk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/Amy Pradeepa Narayanaswamy on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/Pradeepa   Call To Action:   Check out Julia's Corporate Communications Checklist at http://2MinuteTalkTips.com/UYPTopTips  Check out the other resources Julia has over at http://UnleashYourPresence.com Subscribe to 2-MinuteTalkTips in your favorite podcast app for free so you never miss an episode Don't get best…get better.

2-Minute Tip: Build a Team   Sometimes to get better, you may need help, and that's okay. Hire a coach. Join Toastmasters. Ask a friend or colleague. Take an online course. Take a traditional course. Read a book. Subscribe to a podcast about public speaking   Or do all of the above. Or some combination of them.   The point is you can build expertise, or at the very least, competence in a skill by assembling your own team of experts. They can be in person or virtual. It can be a dialog or a 1-way process.   But you don't have to do it all alone. There's a community there you can build or be a part of.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Sandy Weiner   I think the best way to sum up Sandy Weiner's approach to speaking (and probably a lot of other things) is "Just jump in and do it -- but don't do it alone."   Sandy's first major talk was her TedX talk, which you can see here:   [embed]https://youtu.be/yvzUMIcrBYU[/embed]     While she may go straight for the deep end, she's successful because she prepares -- she works with coaches when she has a weakness and does the work she needs to do to be successful.   I talk a lot about how 90% of the success of a talk is determined before you ever get on stage -- it's in the  message, in the prep, and in the rehearsal. And that's how Sandy has succeeded as a speaker.   Bio   Sandy Weiner, founder of Last First Date, is devoted to helping women over 40 achieve healthy, toe-curling love. An internationally known TEDx speaker, dating coach, author, and podcast host, Sandy specializes in helping women communicate effectively, set clear boundaries in relationships, and know their true worth. She believes a woman of value attracts her best partner.     Sandy’s work has been published in Mind Body Green, The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and The Good Men Project.   She's also the host of Last First Date Radio, an acclaimed show about attracting and sustaining healthy relationships in midlife. Sandy wants you to go on YOUR LAST FIRST DATE!   Superman Pose   Sandy mentioned the Superman pose in our conversation, and we talked a little about Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk about power poses.  Here's the video of that talk.   [embed]https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en[/embed]   Links   Sandy's Website http://LastFirstDate.com Women of Value http://TheWomanOfValue.com Sandy's Tedx Talk https://youtu.be/yvzUMIcrBYU Sandy on Twitter https://twitter.com/lastfirstdate1 Sandy on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/lastfirstdate Sandy on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/LastFirstDate Sandy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/lastfirstdate/ Toastmasters https://www.toastmasters.org/ Sandy's Podcast https://lastfirstdate.com/lastfirstdate-radio/ Story Brand Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/building-storybrand-donald-miller-clarify-your-message/id1092751338 Amy Cuddy's Ted Talk https://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are?language=en   Call to Action   Be sure to check Sandy's websites, podcast, and social media profiles. You can find all those links above. Subscribe for free to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode, and then subscribe to Last First Date Radio in the same place. Don't get best…get better.

2-Minute Tip: Challenge the Audience to Discover Truth   Immediately challenge the audience to discover a truth about themselves that proves the premise of your talk. If the group knows that you have an appreciation or understanding of their personal (or business) situation, they will engage. As a bonus, make them laugh within the first 30 seconds.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Amy Lyle   I always enjoy to talking to folks who follow a path similar to mine -- sales, training, speaking. The way our careers end up different despite a similar progression is fascinating and demonstrates the possibilities available to all of us. There is not one path to your destination and not one destination for a path.   Amy Lyle is one of those guests who followed a path similar to mine and has built the latest iteration of her career out of failure. Or rather, talking about failure -- her own and giving people an opportunity to share theirs. And she's funny! And compelling.   I really enjoyed hearing about the training sessions she ran for recruiters. The programs may have been tough for new folks, but helping them find out early the role is not for them is valuable.   We also have a great conversation about sales and storytelling. Amy even references Iszi Lawrence's appearance from last year.   When it seems like the interview is over, keep listening because we kept talking. And enjoy talking about sweet, sweet failure. And an alpaca.   Bio   Most people avoid talking about their most cringe-worthy moments but not our next guest, Amy Lyle.  She has turned her own disasters into The Book of Failures and her newest release, We're All A Mess, It's OK is a collection of funny essays and one-liners about the struggles of everyday life.   Amy believes that the filtered world is making us all feel less than and tearing us apart- but being authentic and sharing your faux pas with others brings people together. She’s a frequent guest on WXIA’s  Atlanta and Company's, author, actor and public speaker.         Links   Amy's Website https://www.amylyle.me/ We're All a Mess, and It's Okay http://ow.ly/h4ck30mABNK The Amy Binegar-Kimmes-Lyle Book of Failures http://ow.ly/cTXW30mL8gZ Amy on Twitter https://twitter.com/amylyle Amy on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authoramylyle/ Amy on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/amylyle.me/ Iszi Lawrence on 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com/iszi Random ramblings with Rob on Twitter https://twitter.com/3rshow   Call To action   Have you read either of Amy's books? Let us know over in the comments below Visit Amy's site to sign up for her newsletter she rarely sends out or follow her on social media to see the alpaca. All those links are available above Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://2minutetalktips.com/AmyLyle Don't get best…get better

    2-Minute Tip: You Know Your Stuff   Experienced speakers still feel anxiety and nerves before getting on stage, but there are a couple thing you can remind yourself of before you start speaking.   First, you know your stuff. The reason you earned that stage is that you are a subject matter expert (SME). You're likely speaking about your work or your passion. Or you're presenting material you've studied. Sure, there might be a question, you can't answer, but that's okay. You don't have to have all the answers at the tip of your tongue. Do your prep work. Rehearse your talk. And know your stuff.   The second thing to keep in mind is that people -- including your audience -- think about themselves 95% of the time. If you make a mistake, they likely won't even notice.   Remember, it's not about you. It's about your message and your audience.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet David Erickson   A lot of the speaking many mid-career professionals do is in the conference room or other small space. It might be pitching a potential client, reporting on an initiative, or briefing their own team. The core of it all is still the same, though. Know what you want to accomplish. Prepare. And establish a connection with the folks in your audience.   One of the valuable lessons to come out of today's episode is the importance of establishing that in-person connection -- that analog relationship with your audience, especially when you are selling modern products like digital marketing services to businesses.   I talked a few months back about the importance of balancing logos, pathos, and ethos back in episode 035. To put it much more simply, today's guest, David Erickson, reminds us that people like to do business with people they know, like, and trust. Establishing credibility and building a relationship with your audience is just as important as making logical points.   Machine Transcription   David and I recorded our conversation in January. One of the things he predicted at that time was how Google would probably start searching and transcribing audio content in the near future.   It turns out, he was right.   Within the past couple of weeks, news has come out about how Google is making transcribing some podcasts, presumably to make them searchable. You can read more about these early efforts here: https://9to5google.com/2019/03/27/google-podcasts-transcribing-episodes/   It's also helpful to note that YouTube (a Google property) has been converting audio to text for years as they do automatic closed captioning for videos. The main reason I also publish this podcast to YouTube is to take advantage of this feature so folks with hearing challenges can still follow along with the content. It's not good enough yet, but it will get there. You can take a look here: http://2minutetalktips.com/YouTube   And, of course, Microsoft is doing some pretty impressive work with audio-text conversion. Speakers ought to familiarize themselves with the free PowerPoint add-in Presentation Translator. I talked about this in Episode 65 -- http://2minutetalktips.com/2018/06/05/episode-065-close-to-open-and-presentation-translator/. I'll likely revisit this in a couple months since almost a year has passed.   On a related note, Microsoft has also started offering automatic closed captioning in Skype. You can enable it in the settings. It even support live translation into dozens of language. This opens tremendous opportunities for greater communication across ability, cultural, and language barriers.   My experience is that the English captions for English speech work well, but it adds a little bit of latency to the conversation so it's not something I use by default. But the fact that it works at all is amazing. And the fact that I can now have Skype phone conversations with folks that don't speak English is a huge benefit to our world.   Bio   David Erickson is a digital marketing veteran, principal of e-Strategy Media and producer and co-host of the Beyond Social Media Show. He is a frequent expert source for media coverage of digital marketing topics, having appeared on MSNBC and CBS and cited in such publications as USA Today, US News & World Report, Slate & Search Engine Watch.       Links   David's website http://e-strategymedia.com Beyond Social Media Podcast https://beyondsocialmediashow.com/ David on Twitter https://twitter.com/derickson 2-Minute Talk Tips on Logos, Pathos, and Ethos http://2minutetalktips.com/episode35 2-Minute Talk Tips on Presentation Translator http://2minutetalktips.com/2018/06/05/episode-065-close-to-open-and-presentation-translator/ 2-Minute Talk Tips on YouTube http://2minutetalktips.com/YouTube   Call To Action   What are your thoughts on this week's episode? Let us know in the comments below. Learn more about David's business or find the Beyond Social Media Podcast by checking out the links above. Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by giving them the link http://2minutetalktips.com/david Don't get best…get better.     2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Create a Presence    Live everyday to create a presence that has presence when you're not present.   As a speaker, in order for your message to have impact, it has to be something that sticks with your audience when you are not there. You can do that by being a powerful, memorable speaker.    But that's not the only way.   Give clear guidance. Develop a simple, compelling message. Make sure your audience knows what you want them to do. Tell great stories.    All these techniques that we regularly talk about help you maintain that presence with the audience even when you're on your way to your next meeting.    Post Tip Discussion   As I recorded this conversation with Richard, a few things really jumped out at me.   Richard has an eye for the picture in life -- for prioritizing what will really make a difference for people. He also has a tremendous talent for putting structure to his thoughts. He makes a lot of points by breaking them out into simple lists that get to the core of the matter. I counted at least 5 of those lists in this episode.    From a technical standpoint, these are not just lists. They are excellent examples of parallel structure -- using similar words and phrases almost rhythmically to land a point.    I talked about this technique way back in episode 10. A few weeks ago, you heard from Joe Apfelbaum in episode 103. He also excels at using parallel structure.   Bio   Richard Flint, CSP is Chairman and CEO of Flint, incorporated, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals, companies and associations. He has had the opportunity to address people in talks and seminars throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain and Spain. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 200,000 people each year.   Richard speaks to corporate and public audiences on the subjects of Personal and Professional Development, including the executives and staff of many of America's largest corporations. His humorous and poignant talks and seminars on Leadership, Sales, Self-Esteem, Goals, Strategy, Creativity and Success bring about immediate changes and long-term results.   He has written 15 books and produced more than 100+ audio and video learning programs, including being a finalist for The Top Self-Help book of 2005.   Prior to founding his company in 1987, Richard put his four degrees to good use as a Professor of Philosophy at Ohio University and Wayne State University, where he also served as the Baptist Campus Minister. Following that, Richard was the Director of Counseling at the First Baptist Church in both Tampa and West Palm Beach in Florida.   These days he travels the world on his crusade to help others move past their Circle of Sameness and achieve a positive life.   Richard's Lists   Three keys to success: I've got to believe in myself I've got to trust in myself I've got to have faith in myself   Three questions when preparing a seminar: Why is this issue there? What's created the issue? Why does this issue create so much confusion for people Is there a process that will help people resolve -- not eliminate -- this issue   4 Keys to a successful year: What do you really want to achieve this year? Why do you really want to achieve that? What price are you willing to pay to have it? What behaviors do you have to improve to get there?   Three Ds: I have a desire to improve to help other people I have the determination that there is more for me to write, discover, and learn I have the discipline to do it   Six Fears: Fear of the unknown Fear of abandonment -- being left alone Fear of failure Fear of rejection Fear of loss Fear of success     Links   Richard's Website http://richardflint.com Richard on Twitter https://twitter.com/RichardFlintInt Richard on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RichardFlintFan Richard on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-flint/ Richard on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/RichardFlintTV Richard on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/richardflintofficial/ 2-Minute Talk Tips on Parallel Structure http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/02/28/episode-010-parallel-structure-and-tim-garber-part-1/ 2-Minute Talk Tips with Joe Apfelbaum http://2minutetalktips.com/joe   Call To Action   Check out Richard's links above to learn more about his mission and passion. Who do you know that would most benefit from hearing Richard's message and story? Give them the link 2minutetalktips.com/richardflint and ask them what they thought of the conversation. Don't get best…get better     2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

  Some months back, on my other show, 2-Minute Talk Tips, I interviewed speaker and coach Pat Roque about speaking and her fascinating journey. I'd encourage you to check that out over at 2minutetalktips.com/rockon. After that conversation, Pat and I continued talking and she told me I needed to talk with Gianna Rojas about the work we were each doing. Gianna Rojas is the One Handed Lady Golfer. Gianna was born with no fingers on her left hand, which makes golf challenging. Still, as an adult, she wanted to learn so she did. Now, Gianna runs AdaptiveGolfers.org where she and her team help stroke survivors and other folks with disabilities get back on the course, doing the thing they love -- playing golf. Gianna runs clinics in NJ and travels the country promoting Adaptive Golf. Key Facts about Gianna   ADAPTIVE ATHLETE - *USA Disabled Golf Team - Global Tour *Division winner of the 2017/2018 Para Long Drive Cup – Legends, Myrtle Beach SC, Par Tee - Columbia, SC *Division winner of the 2018 Adaptive Long Drive – Barefoot Resort and Golf, No. Myrtle Beach SC   ADAPTIVE AMBASSADOR *2018/2019 LPGA Woman's Network - Charity Partner *2019 PGA Magazine Woman's Leadership Platform *20172018/2019 Director of Global Brand Awareness United States Adaptive Golf Alliance *Advisory Board and Speakers Bureau for the National Alliance of Accessible Golf *Volunteer for the United States Disable Golf Association   SPEAKER/PRESENTER/EXHIBITOR *2018/2019 PGA Merchandise Show - Initiator ADAPTIVE GOLF CENTER, Speaker, and Adaptive Player Development Educational Track *2017/2018 World Amateur Championships Exhibitor *2017/2018/2019 ABILITIES Expo Speaker, Presenter and Exhibitor PUBLIC FIGURE/SEASONED MEDIA PERSONALITIY *2018 LPGA Top 22 Women “Disruptors” in the Golf Industry https://lpgawomensnetwork.com/meet-the-disruptors-the-women-who-are-spearheading-a-revolution-in-golf/ Thoughts on Golf As I've mentioned before, I'm not exactly athletic. Most of my golf experience involves neon balls and tiny windmills. But it is a part of many survivors lives. A stroke doesn't have to mean our involvement with sports is over. A few months ago, I talked with US Air Force Academy Tennis Coach Dan Oosterhous about his life and he continues coaching tennis. You can find that episode at http://strokecast.com/dan. This week, we hear from Gianna. And next week in episode 058, We'll hear from Carol-Ann Nelson about Adventure Rehab Vacations. In short, there are lots of reasons and ways for stroke survivors to get out of the house and in to outdoor activities this Spring and Summer More than the athletic aspect of golf, though, is the strong social aspect of the game of golf. It's a sport that's built around chatting with your opponents. It also a sports that has strong cultural and business ties, at least in the US. Folks who don't golf can find themselves shut out of many business socializing and deal making opportunities. That's why getting back out on the course can be so important for a golf-loving stroke survivor. Or even for the survivor just looking for a new hobby. It's got physical, cognitive, social, cultural, and economic advantages. And the work Gianna is doing to get folks access to those advantages is fantastic. Hack of the Week Getting dressed with disabilities can take way too much time. Fortunately, Adaptive Clothing is a thing now. Most folks are already familiar with Velcro shoes. All the shoes I use theses days feature Velcro. You can even find sneakers with faux lace closures now that are powered by Velcro. It goes beyond that, though. A search for adaptive clothing will turn up a significant variety of clothes designed to accommodate a wide assortment of functionality. You don't have to settle for tradition clothing. Links Adaptive Golfers http://adaptivegolfers.org Gianna's email Gianna@AdaptiveGolfers.org Gianna on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gianna.s.rojas Gianna on Twitter https://twitter.com/Adaptivegolfers Gianna on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/onehandedladygolfer/ One Handed Lady Golfer on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pg/onehandedladygolfer Gianna on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannarojas/ One Handed Lady Golfer on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwL4-46d8iDNaRTl_sYMA6g Quantum Grip http://www.quantumgrip.com/ PGA Superstore https://www.pgatoursuperstore.com/stores/paramus-new-jersey/0901.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw7MzkBRAGEiwAkOXexBgKEX3VeUV01z4IHHdIywqxKOeUrqZQhW3Rl1xrkikg8MVqtP4B_RoC0HkQAvD_BwE USGA http://www.usga.org/ The R & A https://www.randa.org/ PGA https://www.pga.com/home/ LPGA http://www.lpga.com/ Bill interviews Pat Roque http://2minutetalktips.com/rockon Bill Interviews Dan Oosterhous http://strokecast.com/dan USGA/R&A announce participation in world ranking for disabled golfers https://www.golfdigest.com/story/usgaranda-announced-participation-in-global-ranking-for-disabled-golfers   Where do we go from here? Encourage the PGA and LPGA to make Adaptive Golf part of their continuing education requirements. Check out Gianna's links and resources by visiting the section above. Share this episode with the golf fan in your life by giving them the link Strokecast.com/golf Don't get best…get better   Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.

    2-Minute Tip: Use Click Bait-ey Titles   When you need a title for your talk, take a lesson from all those click-bait titles you see on Facebook and other social platforms. Make it short, compelling, and maybe a little edgy.   When you promise a talk with the "5 Secrets to Successful Penguin Petting," you also have a built-in structure for your talk that will keep you on the right path.   If you take this approach, though, make sure you deliver. You'll only get one shot.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Catherine Auman   Some of us become speakers because we just love it. We love the stage, the crowd, the power of sharing a message -- It's intoxicating.   Other folks build a speaking career as a tool to share their message and drive other parts of their business. That's what Catherine Auman has done -- used speaking to drive interests in her books and other resources around tantric dating.   What I really like about this conversation, besides the fact that tantric dating is now part of my vocabulary, is how Catherine lives the idea of "build your own stage." This is something I've talked a lot about over the previous few months. She has done it in both the virtual and the real world.   Catherine Auman LMFT (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) is a psychotherapist in private practice in Los Angeles. She is the author of three books with two more being released in 2019. Ms. Auman speaks twice monthly to live audiences and was previously a frequent guest on the national TV show "Extra." Visit her online at http://www.catherineauman.com, or on her YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/c/CatherineAuman   Links   Website https://catherineauman.com Catherine's book: Shortcuts to Mindfulness https://www.amazon.com/Shortcuts-Mindfulness-Personal-Spiritual-Growth/dp/0989830535/ Catherine's other book: Tantric Dating https://www.amazon.com/dp/B072SVB6ZF/ref=sr_1_1? Catherine on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/catherineaumanlmft Catherine on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineauman/ Catherine on Twitter https://twitter.com/CatherineAuman Catherine on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/catherineauman   Call To Action   Learn more about Catherine Auman at the links above. Share your thoughts on this episode in the comments below. Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative by telling them to visit http://2minutetalktips.com/catherine Don't get best…get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Scientist-Philosopher-Author   To grow as a speaker, develop your path along 3 aspects. This is a framework you can use immediately to become more effective quickly.   You have to be a scientist, a philosopher, and an author.   Be a scientist and conduct experiments in your preparation and on stage. Figure out what works for you. What is the right level of energy? What gestures feel most natural? How do you relate most effectively with slides? You have to experiment to uncover what is most natural and effective for you on stage.   Be a philosopher and ask why. "Why?" is the most powerful question you can ask as you build a talk. Why are you speaking? Why you in particular? Why should your audience care? Why bring that up? If you can't answer those and similar questions well, then you have more work to do.   Finally, be an author, and chart the course of your life. We tell stories in our talks because it helps us connect with our audience. It can be bigger than that, though. You need to develop the story of your own life. Where have you been? How did you get where you are today? Where do you go from here. Craft that story to become a more effective speaker.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Tim Pahuta   One of the great things about speaking is that it's a skill that you can apply to a wide array of fields. It's a skill you can develop early in life or later in life. Skills and experiences from different areas of life can inform your public speaking, as well.   That's one of the things that comes clear in this conversation  with retired pro athlete Tim Pahuta.   I especially like Tim's approach to defining the direction his life.   Bio   Tim Pahuta spent 7 years as a professional baseball player before transitioning into a career in sales. As Tim navigated this journey of self-discovery. What h ultimately realized is that it’s not about figuring out who he is; it’s about creating who he wants to be.   Then he found Life Mapping.   Life Mapping and the coaching program that accompanies the map are tools used to create a new story- about the person he's becoming, the life he wants to live, the challenges he faces and reasons why it is important to overcome them.   Tim's have been creating this story using his Life Map for over a year now and helping other people use these same tools to develop their own stories for the past six months.   He makes his living as a speaker, author and coach- focusing much of his efforts on training other coaches to use Life Mapping within their own practices.   The Inspire Café   I had the honor of appearing on Kathy De La Torre's The Inspire Café podcast. She started the podcast to understand what makes a person resilient. She explains her motivation like this:   I am fascinated with the stories of human resiliency…. What makes these people tick?  What became their turnaround, ah-hah moment or the trigger that caused them to pivot, shift their thinking and turn away from their dark moment and face the light?  The idea of people actually putting into practice of making lemonade out of their lemons, turning a negative into a positive, is remarkable.   Regular listeners know that I am a stroke survivor.   Last week, I talked with Kathy in detail about my stroke, stroke in general, and why I started the Strokecast podcast. It's the latest version of my origin story.   I'm truly humbled to be on Kathy's show, especially when I look at the other folks she's interviewed.       Links   Tim Pahuta website http://timpahuta.me Life Mapping http://lifemapping.me Tim on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-pahuta-a5743b87/ Tim's Baseball stats http://www.milb.com/player/index.jsp?sid=milb&player_id=446110#/career/R/hitting/2012/ALL Tim on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tim.pahuta Tim on Twitter https://twitter.com/Pahooter44 Tim on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/pahooter44/ Benai Brown on The Power of Vulnerability https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4Qm9cGRub0 Bill on The Inspire Café https://www.theinspirecafe.com/069-bill-monroe/   Call to Action   What do you think of Tim's story? Let us know in he comments below. Check out Tim's Life Mapping tool by visiting his site. You can find that link above. Be sure to subscribe for free to 2-Minute Talk Tips so you never miss an episode. And of course, as always…don't get best…get better.

I talk a lot about public speaking. Long time listeners to this show know that I also host a podcast about that topic where I help folks become more effective public speakers in as little as 2 minutes a week. Visit 2minutetalktips.com for more details. I was listening to Grant Baldwin's show "The Speaker Lab" one day when he was interviewing a guest who's focus was on how you can build a life in such a way to have an impact on the world. The guest came to have this perspective sitting on the kitchen floor having just suffered a stroke. Of course, my ears instantly perked up, and I knew I wanted to have Pete Smith on Strokecast to share his journey. There are a number of valuable insights in this discussion. We talk about the importance of language. We get to define our own context and choose how we see the world.  Are you a stroke victim or a stroke survivor? Is this the end of life or the beginning of a new type of life? Am I an unemployed middle-aged brain damaged cripple or a young, entrepreneurial survivor sharing a story of adversity and helping others along their own journey?  The words we choose to define our context can expand or limit our future. It's up to us. Another thing that's important is the significance of sharing our stories to connect with one another. Pete shares his initial surprise about how when he started talking about his stroke, he got more audience engagement. Folks would come up to him after the talk to share their own stroke or stroke adjacent stories. That's one of the reasons I started this show to begin with -- I want to help connect folks through the power of storytelling and sharing one another's stories.  I firmly believe that the growth of social media and the importance of representation in traditional media is rooted in a fundamental human need to be heard. To be seen. To have an impact on the world outside of ourselves. Bio Pete is an international speaker and coach in the fields of leadership, management, personal growth and development. His energetic, edgy, and interactive style is complimented by his ability to provide practical takeaways that actually work, while having a little fun in the process. He is the author of Dare to Matter, which hit the best seller list in the Business Motivation and Self-Improvement category in 2017. Having a stroke at the age of 35, Pete has since used that experience to inspire, educate, and entertain audiences throughout the world on the importance of pursuing significance in their personal and professional lives. As he says, “If you relentlessly pursue success and happiness in your life, you are settling for far less than what you were created for.” Married to an incredible wife, proud dad of two amazing boys, and part-time chew toy for an Irish Setter, Pete resides in Arlington, VA. Hack of the Week Managing life, relationships, appointments, accessibility needs, etc. can be a challenge. The way we approach those challenges is up to us. Reframe the context in which you find yourself. Change the language in your internal monologue, and you can change the thing that you accomplish. You can change what comes from treatment, and you can change the things you encounter in the rest of your life. Links Pete's Website http://smithimpact.com Dare to Matter: Choosing an Unstuck and Unapologetic Life of Significance https://www.amazon.com/Dare-Matter-Choosing-Unapologetic-Significance-ebook/dp/B01MZ80XBC Pete on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/petesmithsmithimpact/ Pete on Twitter https://twitter.com/SmithImpact SmithImpact on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SmithImpact/ The Speaker Lab Podcast https://thespeakerlab.com/podcast/ Pete on The Speaker Lab https://thespeakerlab.com/pete-smith/ 2-Minute Talk Tips http://2minutetalktips.com Where do we go from here? Check out Pete's website and book by visiting his links above. Make an impact on folks around you by sharing this episode. Use the link http://strokecast.com/impact. Choose the mindset that will help you extract value from this experience. Don't get best…get better Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.

2-Minute Tip: Evaluate and Connect   Create a scoring sheet for your audience members, and ask them to complete in at the end of the talk. In the Learning and Development field, we call these smile sheets, and they are the first step in figuring out if training is effective.   In a speaking context, they can be a little different. One approach is to build the form in three sections.   Section 1 is a 5 category scoring rubric, and they audience members give you points in each 5 of those categories. Sure, this can be scary at first, but you won't know if you are successfully unless you ask. By using the same evaluation over time, you can eventually monitor trends in your scores. Are you getting better or worse? Did you make a change that impacted your score? This can be helpful to know.   Section 2 is a few open ended questions. This gives the audience a chance to say great things about you or offer testimonials. You can also find out what they think you did well or not well, and you can ask about what they wanted to see more of.   Section 3 is how you extend your relationship with them. Here is where you ask them to sign up for your newsletter, join a private Facebook group, call for a private appointment, hire you to speak at another event, etc. You give them the chance to ask for more of your content and to start a long-term relationship with you.   Post Tip Discussion -- Rock On with Pat Roque   Pat Roque rocks!   In fact, that idea is what her whole philosophy and work to empower folks focuses on. In this episode, she talks about how she uses a box of rocks to build custom talks and extend the talk months and years after she leaves the stage.   Managing your life and growth can be a complex undertaking so Pat breaks it down into 5 areas: Family Fun Fitness Finances Fabulous career   That certainly makes personal growth look a little a bit easier, and the alliteration with the letter "F" is a classic an effective speaking tool.   Bio   Although she founded her company in 1988, a midlife meltdown sparked her own pivot and her mess became her message. Pat and her box of 50 ROCKS have transformed lives and careers through her proprietary Rock On Success Coaching System and Mastermind. It sparked global keynote talks, coaching and she's now authored two books as an expert in helping folks figure out why they rock...and how they can tell their story to can serve the world in a bigger way.   Whether she helps 1:1, in group coaching or from the stage, Pat's clients gain confidence, leadership effectiveness, career fulfillment and a rock-solid future. Pat is a fierce advocate for strength-based culture, virtual teams, women’s leadership, diversity and inclusion at organizations including Novartis, KPMG, Konica Minolta and Bank of America. Her message impacts worldwide audiences as a top LinkedIn Career Coach and SHRM Preferred Provider. A passion is driving business through golf: Pat serves as a global brand ambassador for the LPGA #Inviteher initiative, and as a board member of several golf and health charities.   Pat juggles life in the "sandwich generation," quarterbacking work, marriage, aging parents, 2 college students and a rescue puppy, Bella. She lives a laptop lifestyle, working remotely from NJ and Myrtle Beach, SC.   Pat says, "Not only is my glass half full, but I'm grateful for the glass every day. Have fun and embrace these secrets that for sure can change the rest of your life!"   100 Episodes   I want to take a moment and acknowledge a milestone. This is episode 100 of the podcast. It's a big number and it took a long time to get hear. I hope you continue to find value for 100 more episodes and beyond.   If you've found the show has helped you become more effective, I'd love hear from you. Email me at Bill@2minutetalktips.com, or post a comment below.   Links   Pat's website http://Rockonsuccess.com Rock on Success Academy http://rockonsuccess.com/academy Pat on Twitter http://twitter.com/rockonsuccess Pat on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/patroque/ Pat's Facebook Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockonsuccess Pat on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXaVVJxn2fg8agTPa3uajLw Stromies on Strokecast http://strokecast.com/stromies #InviteHer https://twitter.com/hashtag/inviteher   Call To Action   Why do you rock? Let us know in the comments below. Check out Pat's site and the links above. Prepare a post-speaking scorecard for your audience to complete. Don't get best… get better.   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip -- Tell a story to Open   The beginning of a talk is when you have the maximum audience attention. Don't squander it welcomes, thank yous, and introductions. Instead, tell a story to engage your audience at the very start.   Think about a band coming out on stage. They don't start with banter. They go right into a big opening number to get everyone excited for the rest of the show. Try the same thing with your audience.   You can come back to introductions 3 or 4 minutes in.   Post Tip Discussion: Speaking and Preaching with Dylan Dodson   Whether you're speaking in the secular world or the religious world, the principles behind effective public speaking are the same -- define your message, prepare and rehearse your talk, and connect with your audience to ensure the message lands. That's never more clear than in this conversation with Dylan Dodson.   As a pastor, Dylan delivers a different 30 minute sermon every week. To do that effectively takes disciple and a process. He shares his content development process in this chat as we look at how he manages the 6-week development process for each talk he delivers.   Storytelling, brevity, making an impact on your audience -- it's all in here. The lessons we talk about this week are as valuable for the corporate conference room or keynote stage as they are for pulpit or altar.   Dylan Dodson is the lead pastor of New City Church in Raleigh, NC. where he lives with his wife Christina, daughter Finley, and son Roman. He's a big sports fan who likes to read and learn, spend time with people, and talks about Jersey Mike's with anyone who will listen.   Dylan's Processes   Dylan has a 6-week lead time for each of his sermons. Since he delivers a new one every week, that means there are 6 in various stages of development at any given time. He manages it with this schedule:   T-6 Weeks Define the message Meet with the rest of the team Outline it on the white board T-4 Weeks Meet with the music team Incorporate the announcements for the week T-1 Week Go over it 4-5 times Plug in additional stories Make final Tweaks T-6 Days Pull the outline and notes out of Google Docs and put them on the whiteboard Begin whittling it down Identify content for slides T-5 Days Go over the sermon out loud Cut material T-3 Days Finalize the content Review it out loud again T-1 Day Review it for 15-20 minutes that evening T-1 Hour Arrive early to look and pray over the content a final time T-0 It's GO TIME! Or I suppose, it's GOD TIME!   To make the process more manageable, Dylan also has an outline he uses to build his sermons. To build each one, he asks theses 5 questions:   What does the congregation need to know? Why do they need to know it? What do they need to do? Why do they need to do it? What is the bottom line I want them to walk away with?   Links   Dylan's website Http://dylandodson.com Practical Church Planting Podcast http://practicalchurchplanting.com Dylan on Twitter https://twitter.com/DylanJDodson New City Church http://newcityrdu.com/ New City Church on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCF_SAslleJ0br8soOshznXQ   Call To Action   Visit the links above to learn more about Dylan, his podcast, or his church Try opening your next talk with a story Share this episode with your favorite sermon-giver or equivalent and ask their thought by giving them the link http://2minutetalktips.com/dylan Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app Don't get best…get better  

2-Minute Tip: Increase Attendance Retention with a Take Away   One challenge with webinars and live sessions is keeping folks around until the end, especially if the material is on the dry side. To help folks stick around, let them know that at the end you'll have a give-away for them.   It could be something as simple as a collection of other resources or websites. Maybe it's a how-to document. Perhaps it's a list of key email addresses.   It could also be something bigger -- like an eBook or downloadable PDF. You can offer attendees who stick around a special link to get that content for free. When they follow that link you can also ask them for an email address so you can add them to your newsletter.   Now, they've gotten value because they got that freebie and because the attended the whole talk.   You've gotten value because you were able to share your whole message with the attendees and you have more subscribers to your newsletter, which can be valuable in the future.   It's a win all around.   Post Tip Discussion   Love it or hate it, there's no arguing that the US healthcare system can be complex. There are details and bureaucracies and costs and restriction and benefits and more. Once you reach age 65 or become disabled, it gets even more complex with Medicare, its assorted parts, supplements, deadlines, and more.   Enter Danielle Kunkle Roberts.   Danielle has built a business teaching folks how to navigate this world. She speaks to groups new to Medicare to help them understand what they need. She trains folks both in person and online and has to keep them engaged the whole time. She also teaches other insurance agents about this stuff.   This week Danielle and I talk about just how she does that. We talk about tips for managing webinars, for engaging folks in dry material, and for navigating the political discussions that inevitably come up in any US discussion of healthcare policy.   Bio   Danielle Kunkle Roberts is a founding partner and senior executive at Boomer Benefits, a national agency specializing in Medicare-related insurance products since 2005. Serving thousands of Medigap policyholders in 47 states, Boomer Benefits helps baby boomers learn how to navigate Medicare. She is a nationally-recognized expert in the Medicare-sector of the health insurance industry and a member of the Forbes Finance Council.   She has served on the board of directors for the Fort Worth Chapter of the National Association of Health Underwriters for six years and was a recipient of the chapter’s Outstanding Member of the Year Award. She teaches continuing education courses for other insurance agent as a part of this organization.   Danielle has a degree in journalism and English from Texas Christian University. She lives in Fort Worth, TX with her handsome Canadian husband and their two fur-kids.   Tracking Questions   Danielle found her niche by listening to questions. As she explained, she was selling traditional corporate health plans and folks kept asking her about Medicare. That told her there was an untapped need. She pivoted her focus to meet that need and became significantly more successful.   That's one reason I recommend keeping track of all the questions you get in a talk. You want to look for patterns that keep coming up. They may highlight something you need to fix, or those questions could unlock the next major step in your career or business. But you won't know unless you keep track of them.   Tips for Effective Webinars   It's hard to sit through a webinar that's longer than 60 minutes so don't schedule them for longer Finish early if at all possible Keep things visually moving on the screen to keep folks engaged Promise to make materials or key take-away resources available at the end so folks stick around Promise in advance that you'll stay on to answer any questions after you end the main portion of the webinar   Medicare Open Enrollment   Danielle also provided this update:   Open Enrollment Period: From January 1st to March 31st each year, Medicare allows beneficiaries enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan to make a one-time switch in their coverage. They can return Original Medicare and add a Part D drug plan, or they can switch from one Medicare Advantage plan to another. Beneficiaries are otherwise locked into their Medicare Advantage plan for the rest of the year, so this is a great enrollment period to take advantage of if you for some reason do not like your current plan.    Links   Danielle's website http://BoomerBenefits.com Danielle's LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/daniellekunkle/ Webinars https://boomerbenefits.com/webinars Facebook http://www.facebook.com/BoomerBenefits Twitter http://twitter.com/BoomerBenefits YouTube https://www.youtube.com/boomerbenefits   Call To Action   Connect with Danielle and visit BoomerBenefits at the links above Subscribe for free to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Share this episode with a friend, colleague, or relative with the link http://2minutetalktips.com/medicare Don't get best…get better   2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2-Minute Tip: Go the Extra Mile   To create the life you want, go the extra mile every day in 3 separate ways.   First, go the extra mile for your health. What can you do today to live a more healthful life that you might be inclined not to do? Is it eating less junk? Getting a little more exercise? Tending to a nagging health issue you've been trying to ignore? Do this every day to help make sure your body can take you where you need to go. Getting healthier gives you more stamina on stage and makes it easier to control your breath.   Second, go the extra mile for someone else. It could be a friend, colleague, or relative. How can you help them in a way they did not expect? Can you help someone else with their talk? Or can you help them find another speaking opportunity?   Third, go the extra mile for your purpose or mission. How can you drive your personal mission forward? How can you get closer to your dreams? Make a little progress every day. What steps can you take to get closer to the speaking lifestyle you want to pursue?   Post Tip Discussion   This week, keynote speaker Shawn Anderson joined us to talk about his story and the importance of speaking from your heart. I first heard Shawn on Victoria Mavis's Pure Mind Magic podcast and was delighted when he popped over to 2-Minute Talk Tips a few weeks later.   I'm struck by the sheer volume of energy that Shawn brings to the show. He tells impressive stories, including how and why he came to speak to a bunch of students at a grade school in a village in the Philippines while standing outside getting soaked in the rain. It's easy to get caught up in the passion and emotion he brings to the things he says.   Bio   Shawn Anderson is a #1 ranked motivational author, unlimited thinker, and lifetime entrepreneur with a history of inspiring others. A seven-time author, Shawn is also the creator of Extra Mile Day...a day recognizing the power we each have to create positive change when we "go the extra mile." (On 11/1/18, 553 cities made the declaration and recognized local extra-mile heroes.)   Shawn walks his talk. Besides having inspired tens of thousands through his speaking and writing (including an inspirational speaking tour in the Philippines attended by 20,000 attendees), Shawn’s built a million dollar company, pedaled a bike solo across the U.S. (twice), and created adventures in 45+ countries including having walked across six countries in the last 4.5 years (England, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy and 750 miles around Shikoku, Japan.)   Still...he believes his greatest adventures and success are waiting to be lived.     Extra Mile Day & Extra Mile America History   In 2009, in order to symbolize the "go the extra mile" message, Shawn Anderson (a non-bicyclist) pedaled 4,000 miles ocean-to-ocean, interviewed 200+ people along the way whom had been identified as having gone the extra mile, and then gave $10,000 of his own money to the people and organizations whose stories most inspired him.   As a part of that cross-country extra-mile ride, Extra Mile Day (11/1)......a day recognizing the capacity we each have to create positive change in our families, our organizations, our communities and ourselves when we "go the extra mile"... was created with 23 inaugural cities.   The momentum of this unique day has continued to build each year since, and on November 1, 2018, 553 mayors and cities made the "Extra Mile Day" declaration and recognized people who are "going the extra mile" to make a difference in volunteerism and service in their community.   Links   Shawn Anderson https://shawnanderson.com/ Shawn's Newsletter https://shawnanderson.com/free-motivational-newsletter Shawn on Twitter https://twitter.com/ToShawnAnderson Extra Mile America https://www.facebook.com/ExtraMileAmerica/ Extra Mile World https://www.facebook.com/ExtraMileWorld/ Shawn on Pure Mind Magic https://victoriamavis.podbean.com/e/49-pmm-produce-real-results-with-shawn-anderson/   Call to Action   What do you think of Shawn's story? Let us know in the comments below. Check out Shaw's site at the link above. Start your day by going the extra mile for health, people purpose. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don't get best…get better.  

Stroke recovery is a marathon; it's not a sprint. Regaining cognitive skills, physical skills, sensory skills, and more takes time and work. During that time, life can be really hard and unpleasant for many folks. The may or may not be able to work. Relationships get turned upside down, and after a while you just want it to go away. Surely, with all the advances in medicine, there must be something…some fancy technology or machine…some magic technique that will fix these problems, right? That leads folks to look for and explore alternatives. It also means that many survivors start pursuing things that don't work. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy appears to be one of those therapies. In Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, the patient spends time in a pressure chamber where the air pressure is 2-3X normal and breathes pure oxygen. They get roughly 8-12X as much oxygen as in their normal lives. This, supposedly, should grow new blood vessels in the brain and revive the dead neurons that were killed by the stroke, or drive new growth through neuroplasticity. I saw a number of people asking about it in Facebook groups and twitter feeds, so I began talking with folks to learn more. Strokecast regular, neurologist Dr Nirav Shah, introduced me to one of the world's leading authorities on Hyperbaric Oxygen therapy, Dr. Mike Bennett in Australia. This week I talk with Dr. Bennett about the theory and the research around hyperbaric medicine. We answer the key questions about it -- is it safe, and does it work. The short version is that it is mostly safe, but there is no reliable research demonstrating that it works. The main risk is to the patient's wallet. Bio Professor Bennett is the Academic Head of the Department of Anaesthesia, a Senior Staff Specialist in diving and hyperbaric medicine at Prince of Wales Hospital and Conjoint Professor in the faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. He graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1979 and spent his early post-graduate training at the Prince Henry/Prince of Wales Hospitals before undertaking training in Anaesthesia in the UK. He returned to Sydney in 1990 as a retrieval specialist on the Lifesaver Helicopter and here developed an interest in both diving and hyperbaric medicine. He also has a strong interest in clinical epidemiology and is an experienced clinician and researcher. In 2002 he was the recipient of the Behnke Award for outstanding scientific achievement from the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society. Since 2004 he has been highly involved in the teaching of Evidence-based Medicine within the Medical faculty at UNSW and in 2005 was appointed co-director of the Quality Medical Practice Program there. He is the author of over 150 peer-reviewed publications including 15 Cochrane reviews of the evidence in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine. Prof. Bennett was the convenor of the Australia and New Zealand Hyperbaric Medicine Group Introductory Course in Diving and Hyperbaric Medicine from its inception in 1999.to 2014. He is an executive member of the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) special interest group in diving and hyperbaric medicine, chief examiner for the ANZCA Certificate in diving and hyperbaric medicine and Chair of the ANZCA Scholar Role Subcommittee. He is a past Vice-President of the UHMS and currently the Past President of SPUMS. Hack of the Week -- Rocker Knife Last week, I talked about cutting meat at a restaurant -- don't. This week, let's talk about doing the same thing at home where you may not have a kitchen staff. Sure, at home you can just pick up a hunk of meat with your hands. But sometimes you still want to slice it for some reason. I use a Verti-Grip knife. It's designed for folks with use of one hand. I hold it in my fist, rock it against the meat, and it cuts right through. It doesn't require you to brace what you're cutting with a fork. For a $14 gadget, it works really well. Links Dr. Michael Bennet https://powcs.med.unsw.edu.au/people/professor-michael-bennett Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy on MedLink http://www.medlink.com/article/hyperbaric_oxygenation_for_the_treatment_of_stroke Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke on AHA Journals https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/STROKEAHA.115.008296 HBO Evidence http://hboevidence.unsw.wikispaces.net/Stroke Medical News Today -- Hyperbaric https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/search?q=hyperbaric&p=1 DMI Verti-Grip Curved Cutting Kitchen and Dinner Knife https://www.amazon.com/Verti-Grip-Individuals-Strength-Dishwasher-Stainless/dp/B00NZ0ZKES/ref=sr_1_7_a_it Bill on Pure Mind Magic https://victoriamavis.podbean.com/e/60-pmm-changing-your-brain-changing-your-body-wiht-bill-monroe/   Pure Mind Magic A few months back, German podcaster, magician, and mindset expert Victoria Mavis joined me to talk about the intersection between public speaking and magic on my other podcast, 2-Minute Talk Tips. You can find that interview at 2-MinuteTalkTips.com/magic. During December, I had the pleasure of appearing on her show, Pure Mind Magic. We talked about speaking, sure, but much of the conversation was about my stroke story and the power of mindset in recovery. You can listen to it here or subscribe for free to Pure Mind Magic in your favorite podcast app   Where do we go from here? Have you tried Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy? Let us know in the comments at http://strokecast.com/hyperbaric Pick up a Verti-Grip knife if you need to cut thing one-handed. Share this episode with someone in your circle who is interested in alternative therapies with the link http://strokecast.com/hyperbaric Don't get best…get better     Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.

2-Minute Tip: Watch Yourself on Fast Forward   I met speaking coach and entrepreneur Emily Messner (AKA Sleevs) on the JoCo Cruise earlier this year and she told me about this tip.   Gestures are a complicated thing for many folks. Your gestures may or may not feel natural, but it's hard to tell how they look. We're not watching ourselves while we speak; we have higher priorities. So if we want to evaluate our gestures, video becomes our friend. With the proliferation of camera phones, there's no reason not to record more of our sessions. Of course, you have to actually watch the video you record to get value from it.   When it's time to evaluate your gestures, watch that video on fast forward. You'll see repetitive or annoying gestures really pop out in an almost comical way at high speed. They'll be obvious in a way that they might not at normal speed.   Then, with that information, you can make an educated decision about what to do.   Post Tip Discussion: Resolutions for Speakers   I'm posting on January 1, 2019, which means it's time to make New Years Resolutions. Rather than vague, grandiose resolutions that will be dust in a few weeks, here are 5 resolutions that will help speakers be more effective.  They are:   Rehearse a talk 5 times Do one talk without  Solicit detailed feedback from one colleague Finish every talk on time Tell 3 stories in talks this year   Executing on theses resolutions will help you grow your skills, become more confident, and conduct more persuasive presentations.   Program Notes   I'm currently working on the editorial calendar for the rest of 2019. I've got a bunch of great interviews with speakers already lined up, and I've begun recording them. I'm already learning lots, and I hope you will, too.   As I go forward, I do want to make sure I'm providing the value you need. So, please do me a favor and let me know what you think of the show. What do you want to see more of? What do you want to see less of? You can let me know in one of 4 ways -- whichever is easiest for you:   Comment in the comment section below Email me at Bill@2minutetalktips.com Leave a voicemail at 650-TALK TIP (650-825-5847) Message me through Twitter where I am @CurrentlyBill   Call To Action   Let me know what you think of the show Adopt 5 resolutions for public speakers to grow your effectiveness Watch yourself on video on fast forward Teach a colleague how to subscribe to podcasts Don't get best...get better     2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

2018 has been a great year for 2-Minute Talk Tips, and I got to talk with some amazing people from around the world for the show, This week, I pull together the initial tip from each guest into a single episode. If you want to listen to the whole episode each tip came from or explore the guest's background, click in the link below.   Episode  Guest Tip 62 Iszi Lawrence Tell a story 66 Mario Porreca Practice in the shower 68 Melanie Childers Raise Your Energy 69 Pradeepa Narayanaswami 3 Tips for stage comfort 70 Melissa Bird Find Your Fire 73 Catie Harris Connect with your audience 75 Victoria Mavis Write down your thoughts 76 Louise Brogan Make eye contact 77 Patricia Missakian Influence one person 78 Hilary Billings Focus on feeling 79 Denise Vaughan Know you can do it 80 Diana Wink Thread a story through your talk 81 Bilal Moin Be alive 87 Scott Charlston Choose your headline 89 Andrew 'Mecha' Davis Practice in the mirror 90 Donnie Boivin Get on stage 91 Philip Andrew Describe your audience 92 Greet your audience Dave Jackson   Call to Action    What has been your favorite tip from the show this year? Let us know in the comments below. Do you think these tips are helpful? Share this episode on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or the social media platform of your choice with the link http://2minutetalktips.com/2018tips Check out full episodes from the links in the table above Don't get best...get better     2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.

  2-Minute Tip: Greet Your Audience   A lot of speakers pace back stage or pound coffee or try to deal with nerves in other ways before going out to speak.    Instead, go out into the audience as folks are arriving, and greet audience members. Have a brief chat to get to know folks. This accomplishes a few things.   It gives you something to do and gets you out of your own head It gives you information you can leverage in your talk to better connect with the audience while you speak It gives you a friendly face to look out at from the stage It let's an audience member feel heard and gives them a favorable impression of you     Post Tip Discussion: Meet Dave Jackson   About 10 years ago, my team and I were looking at ways to integrate this brand new podcasting thing into our corporate training and brand evangelism efforts. I was already a fan of the medium, so I started listening to podcasts about podcasting to figure out how we could do it. Ultimately, I turned most of that project over to Tim Garber who appeared on this show way back in episodes 10 and 11 and who you can still hear at the end of every episode today.   But all that is how I found with Dave Jackson whispering in my ear from the School of Podcasting as I tried to find my way to a taxi at the Philadelphia airport in 2008.   I've been a fan of Dave's work and all he's done for this medium for a long time, and I'm thrilled to have him on the show today.   One of the most important lessons in this chat is that while Dave is an experienced speaker, he still gets nervous before a talk. And then he does the talk anyway. He also still takes the time to rehearse, practice out loud, and try the stage before folks come in.   There's a lot more in today's conversation, too.   So who is Dave?   Dave Jackson started experimenting with audio on the Internet in 2004. In 2005 he launched his first podcast and soon launched the School of Podcasting (the Internet's first site dedicated to helping people learn the right way). His accomplishments include:   3.2 Million Downloads 3044 Episodes Director of Podcasting for the New Media Expo Featured Speaker at Podcast Movement 2014- 2018 Featured and Keynote Speaker at Podcast Mid Atlantic and Podfest Orlando 2018 Inducted into the Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame     Unlike many other “geeks” who know how to podcast, Dave's been a technical trainer for over 20 years. This means he not only understands the technology but can explain it in a plain English “geek-speak free” environment. He has a Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Akron (Specializing in technical education). While there are other podcast consultants, Dave believes his experience sets him apart in regards to helping folks make sense of the entire podcasting process. He not only help with the “how,” but  also explains the why, and makes sure new podcasters avoid common podcasting pitfalls. Dave's won awards at fortune 500 companies for hi customer service. In a nutshell, he cares.   A Video Interlude   [embed]https://youtu.be/SSQEEEvrxU8[/embed]   [embed]https://youtu.be/P5qdfTIrOw8?t=442[/embed]     Links   School of Podcasting http://schoolofpodcasting.com Dave Jackson's other Shows http://PowerOfPodcasting.com Dave on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/podcastcoach Dave on Twitter https://twitter.com/learntopodcast Dave on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/personalpodcastcoach Thinkific Online Training https://www.thinkific.com/ School of Podcasting with Cathy Heller http://schoolofpodcasting.com/the-courage-to-make-mediocre-things-cathy-heller-from-dont-keep-your-day-job/ Academy of Podcasters Hall of Fame http://academyofpodcasters.com/hall-of-fame/ FocusRite scarlett 2i2 https://focusrite.com/usb-audio-interface/scarlett/scarlett-2i2 Applying ADDIE to Public Speaking (2-Minute Talk Tips Episode 041) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/12/19/episode-041-listen-actively-and-apply-the-addie-model-to-public-speaking/ Talk Like Ted Book Review (2-Minute Talk Tips Episode 005) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/01/24/episode-005-arriving-the-day-before-and-a-revew-of-talk-like-ted-by-carmine-gallo/ Tim Garber Part 1 (2-Minute Talk Tips Episode 010) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/02/28/episode-010-parallel-structure-and-tim-garber-part-1/ Tim Garber Part 2 (2-Minute Talk Tips Episode 011) http://2minutetalktips.com/2017/03/07/episode-011-record-yourself-and-tim-garber-part-2/ Secrets of Dynamic Communication by Ken Davis https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Dynamic-Communications-Prepare-Deliver/dp/0849921902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1545036770&sr=1-1&keywords=secrets+of+dynamic+communication   Call To  Action   What did you hear from Dave today? Let us know in the comments below. Check out Dave's School of Podcasting if you're thinking of starting a show or just want to learn more about the insides of a podcast Next time you're speaking, greet the early arriving audience members personally. Share this episode with anyone thinking of starting a show by giving them the link http://2minutetalktips.com Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app Don't get best…get better

I'm sure you're shocked to know that I love technology. And it's not just because I've spent a career in the industry. It's because these tools have the power to change lives. It's one reason I was thrilled to talk to Lana Malovana, the CEO of European Startup Raccoon.Recovery about their device and platform to support stroke recovery through video games. Raccoon Recovery originally made controllers for video games and VR. The genesis for the controller we talk about today was in 2016 when one of their engineers injured his hand and couldn't do his regular work. He moved to a testing role and his PT was blown away by the progress he made by using the controller at work. Raccoon made the pivot to rehab devices following meetings at TechCrunch in 2017. Lana will tell us more about that story. Another point we talk about is one that comes up here when we talk about therapy goal, or on my other podcast, 2-Minute Talk Tips, where we talk about benefits. Effective therapy isn't about achieving a certain level of motion or degree of rotation with patients. It's about empowering patients to do something with that motion -- to get the benefit from it. To drink from a glass of water, buckle a seatbelt, draw a sword, or play a game. One of my OTs frequently reminded me that neuroplasticity is great, and making those neuroplastic connections will ultimately require thousands of repetition. Thousands. And video games make those thousands of repetitions possible. The big thing that's happening among the tech gear I've talked about on the show, like the NeoFect Rapael Smart Glove and the blood pressure monitoring solution from Sentinel Healthcare, is that it's not about the Device itself. It's about the platform. It's about communicating more effectively with a care team. It's about using the data the device generates and collects to help the medical team make more effective recommendations to the patient, and to pool data in such a way that machine learning algorithms can drive even better treatment in the future. It's now December 2018 and Raccoon Recovery's device is going through testing and validation. They hope to have it on the market next year. Bio Svitlana Malovana is a co-founder of Raccoon.World and an IT and robotics enthusiast with more than 6 years of experience in company scale up and management. She is also the founder of Olans Group, the first startup-oriented legal & business consulting company in Ukraine. While being CEO and a practical lawyer at Olans Group, Lana dealt with medical companies including ArtoMed and Cardiomo as well as hardware and software startups like Arqa Technologies, Paybeam, PRODBOARD, and SmartSport, in the Ukrainian, EU and USA markets. Lana studied the details of emerging businesses and, being a huge fan of technologies, founded Raccoon.World. As an enthusiast of returning people with disabilities to society, Lana studied the ways of psycho emotional and physical rehabilitation for people with disabilities during the international Zwischenland course by Deutch-Polnisches Jugenwerk. When the anti-terrorist operation in Ukraine began, she voluntarily provided legal services for the “Return alive!” Public Organization and Handicap Foundations that were engaged in fundraising, the supply of medicines, and the recovery of people after returning home. Lana is an alumni of numerous business programs, including YC School, SABIT, Crowd Inc. and the Startupbootcamp Digital Health (Berlin) Accelerator. Combining strong entrepreneurial skills, deep knowledge in emerging business management, and knowledge about rehabilitation for people with disabilities, Lana initiated and headed the new pivot for Raccoon.World – gaming solution to rehabilitation with Raccoon.Recovery.   Hack of the Week One thing that can be tough is putting on a belt. Reaching all the way to my affected side belt loops with my strong arm while trying to not knock myself over and balance appropriately while standing is tough. If I was still in a wheel chair it would have been even harder. The solution I landed on was inspired by JC Penney trousers I got in the 80s. They came with a belt already threaded! My reaction at the time was "Cool! Free belt!" The trick to putting on a belt now with hemiparesis is to thread the belt through the belt loops before I put on the pants. It's a simple solution, but it works. Links Lana Malovana on Twitter https://twitter.com/SvitlanaMalovan Lana Malovana on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/svitlana-lana-malovana-01006659/ Lana Malovana on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/svitlana.malovana Raccoon Recovery https://rehab.raccoon.world/ Raccoon Recovery on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Raccoon.Recovery Raccoon Recovery on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/raccoonworld/ Raccoon Recovery on Twitter https://twitter.com/raccoon_world Raccoon Recovery Email info@raccoon.world World Health Organization (WHO) https://www.who.int/ WHO on Stroke https://www.who.int/topics/cerebrovascular_accident/en/ Where do we go from here? Checkout Raccoon.Revery to learn more about their rehab solution, and reach out to Raccoon Recovery via social media or email with any questions you might have. You can find those links above. Do you know anyone with an interest in technology, startups, or rehab? Share this episode with them by encouraging them to visit http://strokecast.com/raccoon Subscribe to Strokecast in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Don't get best…get better     Strokecast is the stroke podcast where a Gen X stroke survivor explores rehab, recovery, the frontiers of neuroscience and one-handed banana peeling by helping stroke survivors, caregivers, medical providers and stroke industry affiliates connect and share their stories.

In this episode we discover how our brain is connected wiht your body and how we can change it but changing our thoughts. We also talk about public speaking and the two podcasts of Bill Monroe. You can listen to "2 Minute Talk Tips" here: http://2minutetalktips.com/about-2-minute-talk-tips/ Connect with Bill: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billmonroe/ ------------------------------------------------------------------- Gift tip of today - Amazon Alexa. Save time with total voice command, now as special Christams offer: https://amzn.to/2Ptsxvt -------------------------------------------------------------------- Please subscribe to the show & share with your friends! Thank you!

  2-Minute Tip: Get on Stage More   Ultimately, the most important way to get better as a speaker is to speak more. Find more stages and get on them. Reach out to local clubs and service organizations who are always looking for speakers in your community. Theses gigs may not pay anything, but especially when you're starting out as a professional speaker, you need to get in the stage time. And then you need repeat that. Get more stage time to refine your craft and develop your skills.   Post Tip Discussion: Meet Success Coach Donnie Boivin   My conversation with Donnie covered a huge range of topics, including things like defining success, the power of having a podcast, and how to treat chickens with birth defects. What really comes through is the intense, joyful energy Donnie brings to everything that he does. It's a bit of a long episode because every time I thought about cutting something, that conversation would quickly veer into a delightful or fascinating area.   I think many of the things Donnie said will be bouncing around in my skull for some time to come.   On a slight tangent, Donnie mentions Napoleon Hill's book, Think and Grow Rich. It's also a book I heard come up on the Pure Mind Magic Podcast and the Cliff Ravenscraft Show on episodes I listened to over the past week. I think I heard it mentioned on another podcast, too. I guess that's the universe's way of telling me it's time to read it. To the library! But back to Donnie     Donnie Boivin is a former Marine turned sales rep turned National Sales Trainer Turned speaker podcaster, and success coach. He challenges success minded people,  and entrepreneurs to tackle their fears and find success that they know is there.. His no-nonsense "Jarhead Gentle" style inspires people to take action and grow.  Combining his story with those of everyday people who have faced challenges in life, he helps audiences reach their goals.   He coaches speakers, entrepreneurs, and more to reach success however they define it. In his podcast, Donnie's Success Champions, he celebrates Ordinary People, Entrepreneurs, Veterans, First Responders, Business Owners and visionaries that have a story to tell. These champions are pure awesome plain and simple.   Links   Donnie Boivin Website https://www.donnieboivin.com/ Donnie on twitter https://twitter.com/donnieboivin Donnie's Success Champions Podcast http://www.thesuccesschamp.com/ Donnie's Success Champs Website http://successchamps.us Donnie in Instagram https://www.instagram.com/donnie.boivin/ Donnie on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/SuccessChampions Chickens Chickens Chickens https://www.facebook.com/groups/ChickensChickensChickens/ Donnie's Success Champions on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/SuccessChampion/ Think and Grow Rich on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Think-Grow-Rich-Landmark-Bestseller/dp/1585424331   Call To Action   Be sure to check out donnieboivin.com to learn more about Donnie and how you can work with him.  Share this episode with a colleague by telling them to go to http://2minutetalktips.com/donnie. Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips for free in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode. Don't get best…get better.        

2-Minute Tip: Practice in a Mirror   The key to success on stage is to practice as much as you can. Prep by using a mirror to give yourself an audience to impress. And often the person in the mirror is the toughest to impress.   Practice with your notes at first, and get good enough so you don't need them. Once you don't need your notes, that means you're protected against something going wrong. When it's time to actually present, though, have your notes available to give yourself that extra little bit of confidence     Post Tip discussion: Meet Andrew "Mecha" Davis   Andrew "Mecha" Davis is a regular at anime cons around the country. He initially fell in love with the genre well before he was 10 years old and it stuck with him into adulthood. He's turned his passion for these multi-faceted Japanese cartoons into a series of presentations at fan conventions, a YouTube Channel, a podcast, a website, and the PopAnimeComics brand. Along the way he added interests in wrestling, comic book investing, Cos-players, and Funko Pops.   This week, Andrew and I talk about the genre of Anime and what it takes to construct a good presentation for a fan convention.   I think my favorite take away from the discussion is that if you want to speak at a con, the process is as "simple" as choosing a topic that appeals to you,. Build it out, and submit it according to the con's guidelines. The cons have a lot of presentation and panel slots to fill and are always looking for great content to fill time.   Not sure what you want to talk about? Make a list of things you love and geek out over. Then look at that list and figure out what 2 or 3 of them have in common. Now you have an idea that could make a good pane topic. Flesh out those common threads and pursue that opportunity to be on stage.   And when you get accepted (of course) do the work, do the prep, and do the practice to wow the audience.   And if the topic doesn't get accepted for whatever reason, try submitting it to another con. Or two. Or 3. Or more. Or turn all your work into a blog post, medium article, or YouTube video.   Do what it takes to share your passion with the world.   Links   PopAnimeComics Website http://PopAnimeComics PopAnimeComics on Facebook http://facebook.com/PopAnimeComics PopAnimeComics on Twitter http://twitter.com/PopAnimeComics PopAnimeComics Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/popanimecomics-lounge/id1001819369?mt=2 PopAnimeComics on Instagram http://instagram.com/PopAnimeComics PopAnimeComics on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGzNXs3z56N8cXoHehBeDTg Grave of the Fireflies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grave_of_the_Fireflies Outlaw Star https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outlaw_Star Gundam Wing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_Suit_Gundam_Wing Yu-Gi-Oh! https://www.yugioh.com/ Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_Shell:_Stand_Alone_Complex Catie Harris Episode http://2minutetalktips.com/catie Anime Boston http://www.animeboston.com/ Sakura-con http://sakuracon.org Bill Maher on Stan Lee comments https://ew.com/movies/2018/11/21/bill-maher-stan-lee-comments-reaction/     [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTwCak18Xv4[/embed]   Call To Action   Be sure to check out the various PopAnimeComics online properties in the links above Share this episode with the anime fans in your life by sending them to http://2minutetalktips.com/popanimecomics Subscribe to 2-Minute Talk Tips in your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode Don't get best…get better     2-Minute Talk Tips is the public speaking podcast that help you become a more effective speaker in as little as 2 minutes a week.