85 years ago today, Dr. Ralph C. Smedley met with a small group of people in a YMCA in Santa Ana, California. That was the first Toastmasters meeting ever. It’s amazing how since then the organization has grown to over
Inspiration: Life is Too Short
I’ve heard the phrase “Life is Too Short” a number of times throughout the years. Sometimes it refers to a person’s reaction to someone else’s behavior (Life is too short to hate your sister) and other times it’s just a
Public Speaking Success: Four Speaking Experts Worth Checking Out
Let’s face it, there’s a lot of misinformation out there when it comes to public speaking and presentation skills. In recent months, I’ve discussed a number of myths related to public speaking — ideas, stories and advice that either doesn’t
How to Answer the Strengths and Weaknesses Job Interview Question
“What are your strengths and weaknesses” is one of the most common and challenging job interview questions. The interviewer will usually ask for the top two or three of each. So you’re going to talk about your weaknesses? No need
Are You Taking Your Job Search Seriously?
Last night I attended a networking event and the topic of job searching came up. If you’ve attended networking events recently, you’ve probably noticed the same thing that I did: many (if not most) of the people that attend networking
Why People Don’t Like You
None of us like the feeling of being rejected but it’s even more difficult to swallow when something like friendship, which has a relatively low social risk, is rejected. With much of our social interactions moving on-line and the anonymity
Does it Really Make Sense to Double Your Failure Rate?
I’ve heard that the best way to double your success rate is to double your failure rate. The rationale is that if you have to fail a few times before you can have a success, you’ll get more successes if