I just want to wish all my friends in the USA a safe and happy Independence Day. For me, this holiday has always been about history, parades, cookouts and my personal favorite, fireworks. Here are two videos that I found that I’d like to share.

God Bless the USA:

Fireworks from Disney World:

Have a great Fourth of July.

read full story of "Happy Independence Day"

Whether you’re a new speaker or an experienced speaker trying to expand your offerings, you’ve probably found yourself in a situation where you’ve been debating whether or not a speech topic will work for you. This is especially common for folks in Toastmasters where you’re given a speech project and you need to choose a topic and create a speech around that project. I’ve even had it happen to me in recent years where groups have asked me to speak to them because they liked my speaking style, but weren’t interested in the topics I typically speak on (communication skills). This can be an exciting opportunity, but if you’re not careful in selecting a topic, you might find yourself stressed out while preparing your talk – or even worse, end up delivering a talk that is lower in quality than your other talks.  Read more... (735 words, 1 image, estimated 2:56 mins reading time)

read full story of "Public Speaking Success: Three Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing a Speech Topic"

The Law of Attraction, made popular by the 2006 film “The Secret” has been a hot topic in recent years. To some, the concept is the ultimate self-help system: simply want something and the universe will give it to you. To others, it’s the ultimate scam taking advantage of the laziness of people who want riches without having to do anything to get what they want. Does the law of attraction really work? Can it help you get what you want? Is it something worth caring about? I’ll attempt to answer these and other questions throughout this article series.  Read more... (664 words, 1 image, estimated 2:39 mins reading time)

read full story of "An Overview of The Law of Attraction"

Whenever the topic of public speaking comes up in conversation, I’m often treated to at least one story about the fear of public speaking and asked about what I think is the best cure for this fear. I explain that I’ve seen numerous “systems” ranging from e-books to hypnotic audio programs to DVDs, all of which promise to help you overcome your fear of public speaking. I’m then asked which one I recommend and I reply “none.” There is only one way to overcome your fear of public speaking and there are no books, DVDs, CDs or other electronic resources that will help alleviate that fear.  Read more... (331 words, 1 image, estimated 1:19 mins reading time)

read full story of "Public Speaking Success: The Only Way to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking"