I used to think public speaking meant standing on a stage, delivering a polished speech to an audience that hung on every word. It felt like something reserved for experts, for people with important things to say. It certainly wasn’t something for everyday life. But...
Anxiety around expressing yourself—whether in conversations, relationships, or creative pursuits—can hold you back from fully sharing who you are. But what if you didn’t have to face this alone? One of the most powerful ways to overcome self-expression anxiety is by...
Before I present what I believe are the three ways you might be hiding your authentic self, let’s first talk about masks. As youngsters, we learn how to create all sorts of masks, and these aren’t the kind that we make with colored paper, crayons, and glue. I’m...
What Is Public Speaking, Really? You might think “public speaking” is about being on a stage with a microphone in hand. The audience sits with rapt attention, or so you wish. But the idea of speaking formally in front of an audience is only a narrow description of...
The Birth of a New Idea Can you believe how drastically things changed during quarantine? We’re not out of the woods yet, but hopefully, that time is coming soon. How different will our relationships look– will our communication look– once we emerge?...
Story of Zen Master The following Zen wisdom and confident speaking story, a favorite of mine, points to what I believe are the 3 secrets to confident speaking. A student came to Master Ichu and said, “Please write for me something of great wisdom.” Master Ichu picked...