Commencement speeches should be quick and snappy.  That’s it – in a nutshell.  Our daughter, Lindsey, recently graduated from dental school, and as I sat with my buttons popping with pride – the coach in me also analyzed the speakers.  I do want to congratulate the dental school for completing all speeches and graduating 70 students (with great individual attention and presentation of doctoral hoods) in 1.5 hours.  That was amazing!  The only really good speaker was the class president.  She spoke for only a few minutes and presented a top-11 list of her dental school memories.  The faculty speakers, …

Some people get away with it.  Some presenters do.  Susan Boyle, the sensational Britain’s Got Talent singing contestant does.  She is not at all interested in a make-over.  She wants to be herself.  Usually, we try to pour people into molds – because that’s what is expected.  Lawyers wear dark suits, Hollywood stars are trim and fit, presidents need to look presidential, etc.  Sometimes I will work with a client who totally breaks the mold – and I encourage him or her to do so.  I worked with a lawyer who wears suede jackets with long fringes on the sleeves, …

I love watching American Idol.  I’m there right through all the goofy auditions to the pouring of confetti over the winner.  Every Tuesday night I arrange my schedule or set my DVR so I can enjoy the show.  The business presenters I work with are a lot like the American Idol contestants.  Sometimes the “dark horse” will surprise me, and make the most improvement – both on the show and in the training room.  It’s all about the individual recognizing their strengths and weaknesses, listening to feedback, incorporating suggestions into the next performance (or presentation), etc.  Those who are coachable …

This weekend I was attending a dog training workshop in a horse barn with a metal roof.  It was a stormy day and frequently rain pelted on the roof so hard that you could not hear the instructor.  This was one of the world’s gurus in her subject matter, but for several stretches of time, no one had a clue about what she was saying.  What would you do?
This sounds so very simple, but it happens all the time.  The instructor is so caught up in their own thing, that they fail to see the big picture.  Holy cow!  People …