Where Have I Been? There Are No Accidents!

This blissed out picture was taken during the last session of "Public Speaking for Professionals" at UCLA Extension in Dec 08. I've got a broken leg inside that big Darth Vader boot and had recently come from a transformational hospital experience, in which I got, at my core, that the universe loves and supports me. I also saw how several inner conversations echoing through my mind - some for decades - had come together to create the accident I had. And there was a note of drama when I thought I might not get to vote for President but- did you know, there is a system in place that allows for hospital patients to vote at the last minute? It was one more occasion for me to count my blessings. All in all, this has been an unforgettable experience of insights, allowing others to serve me (my husband - a gem -drives me to my classes!) and for nature to take it's always dependable course. Now I'm almost ready to walk and drive again and my husband is perhaps even more thrilled than I am!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson Shares "How to Say It Better"

Visiting my public speaking class recently was Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Carolyn knows about being effective and producing results. She's an author who has published novels, poetry, short stories and "how to" books. She has won oodles of awards and honors. She's a speaker, teacher, actress and community leader. And, as the founder of Authors' Coalition, she is a guide and mentor for other authors. In short, Carolyn is a "whirling dervish!" So who better qualified to coach my UCLA Extension public speaking students on "how to say it better?" After each presentation, Carolyn shared her feedback. Some of her tips included (1) to use stories and anecdotes to bring your points to life (2) to replace the impersonal "people" and "they," which are distancing, with the personal and unifying "I" and "we" and (3) to eliminate slang and filler words ("like", "you know"). Little changes like this make the difference in coming across as a professional with credibility. Thank you, Carolyn, for your time and coaching!