Ever since the state of California passed a law earlier this year that bans plastic straws at sit-down restaurants, I’ve become more aware of how mindless I am about my own plastic use. I didn’t realize how big a problem plastic straws had become. According to National Geographic “in just the U.S. alone, one estimate [read more]
Imagine if the only ice cream flavor that was available was plain vanilla. What if the only music choice was Country? What if the only meat they sold was chicken (breasts only; no thighs, only white meat)? How about dining out? You could only frequent restaurants that serve American food. What is American food anyway? [read more]
Sharpening Your Point I am delighted to announce the upcoming release of my next book, Sharpening Your Point, published by Indie Books International with foreword written by Jim Horan. Co-authored with Leesa Wallace who is known as The Performance Architect, this book will help you and your colleagues have more productive discussions at work. This [read more]
Did you watch the two Democratic presidential primary debates? All four hours of it? I did and for two reasons: 1) to get to know each of the candidates and what they stand for; and 2) to observe debating skills – the do’s and don’ts, what works and what doesn’t. I was not interested in [read more]
Have you seen the video or listened to the audio recording of Jon Stewart’s testimony to Congress (the House Judiciary Committee in this case) on June 11, 2019? It was a riveting presentation and one that we can all learn from. Jon was speaking in support of the reauthorization of the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. [read more]
I have long admired the “brand” of Keep Calm and Carry On. In fact, I have purchased products from their website and created my own versions of it, like Keep Calm and Finish Strong as the lead image for my four-part blog series on presentation closing techniques and options. But it was only recently that [read more]
I was in the Atlanta airport the other day and overheard an employee working at one of the airport stores ask a traveler, “Where ya headed?” It made me smile, and then it made me think. It’s a pretty profound question when you consider it more deeply. We might be traveling to a specific place, [read more]
I’ve just returned from nine days in paradise. My husband and I, along with two very dear friends, enjoyed a wonderful time together in the US Virgin Islands. In preparation for the trip, I made a conscious decision to leave my laptop and iPad at home. I wanted to get away from work and knew [read more]
“It is possible to have many mothers. There’s the one who gave birth to you. And then there are all the women who raised you up.” ~ Oprah Winfrey, May 2019 cover of Oprah magazine Sunday, May 12th, is Mother’s Day in the United States. More than a century ago, Mother’s Day was invented [read more]
I think it’s time to retire the old adage “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This saying supposedly first appeared in 1862 in The Christian Recorder, a publication of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. For more than 150 years this expression has been a frequently imparted piece of [read more]
