Build a More Creative, Agile Mind For Speaking Brilliantly With Less Prep

Join us September 16 and 17 for our two day public speaking intensive! (We have an indoor-outdoor space, yeah!) One exercise we will do -- learning to speak without preparation. Improvisers learn to trust their brains to produce interesting ideas. One of the ways they do this is by learning how to turn off the inner critic.

Can we create a period of time in our next meeting where no idea can be criticized -- even internally by ourselves? One method is to advocate a “my first thought is the best thought” period of time. It will probably be hard. We will probably say, “I have no ideas.” But we do. It’s just that a part of us is shooting them down before we can even recognize them.  

Our inner critic is a wonderful ally when we are making finishing touches on any kind of presentation or project. Our ability to analyze, scrutinize, and edit ideas is vital. But too often, our critic wants to be in charge all the time. This inner voice can then destroy creative moments that require some risk as we open ourselves up to new mindsets. 

I’ve found that most of the intelligent, successful people I meet have a tough time asking their inner monitor to take a break. I’ve also found that my clients get much better at this with practice. In my public speaking seminars this is vital, toward helping my clients feel comfortable answering questions or otherwise speaking without much prep. 

If you’d like to find more creative ideas and be better at thinking on the spot, take periods of time where you run with your first thought. Brainstorming in this way, “my first thought is the best thought…. at least for now,” helps us create more novel connections between different parts of our brain. Your inner critic may think these ideas are “stupid, obvious, politically dangerous, or impossible.” That’s ok. During this short practice period, our critic is on a forced sabbatical. We can then exercise our minds to build greater creative abilities. 
#publicspeaking #leadership #creative #personaldevelopment

Investing in interview coaching using storytelling will pay many dividends.

Here's another happy Linkedin client. 

 "As I prepared for a career change I knew my interviewing skills needed a refresher. I requested proposals through LinkedIn, and Laura's services stood out from the rest. Her approach to interview coaching is simple, intuitive, and emphasizes what we do naturally, which is to tell stories. What I learned from Laura is that by identifying great professional success stories, and polishing them with practice, I was ready to communicate my value to an employer in a way that was memorable and compelling. What amazed me is that by having just a handful of authentic tales to tell, I was equipped to answer a wide range of questions, even those I had not anticipated. I highly recommend Laura's services to anyone who wants to make their next interview as natural as having a conversation about you. It's a story worth telling."

Higher salaries and the job you want!

Get an edge for your interviews! Here's what one of Laura's former clients had to say.












"Laura is a FANTASTIC coach! Laura worked with me to refine my storytelling skills in preparation for job interviews. We had a total of four one on one sessions, where Laura worked with me to find the correct stories, ensure the stories presented me and my skillsets correctly, and worked on my delivery and presentation. Not only were the sessions rewarding personally, but they also help me land a new job with a company that I admired for some time now. Here is the best part, I was told after I was offered the role that my interviewing and storytelling skills stood out from the other candidates. Thank you so much, Laura!!!"

Giving Up Security Blanket Speaking Habits

Many of us have speaking habits that are like Reggie’s toy. We hold on to them to feel more secure. These unconscious habits get in the way of our executive presence, i.e. our ability to take up space in the room and be heard. There are many varieties of these “security blanket” habits -- filler words like “you know” or “um,” low volume, twisting our posture, hands in pockets, arms crossed to block the audience out, and many others. 

 The best public speaking training doesn’t draw attention to these unconscious defenses. Instead, it emphasizes our natural abilities when we communicate with friends and family. Once we understand that we each have a wonderful, natural style of communicating, we can gradually let go of our security habits. 


 © 2020 Laura Lewis-Barr all rights reserved

Need a refresher on how to best facilitate online content?

Online presentations can be even MORE impactful and engaging than live presentations. Three methods are primary: computer gamification, lively questions from the instructor, and learner actions every 1-2 minutes.
Useful for groups of 4-12 participants. Highly interactive!

Participants will:
· Discover what to do and what to avoid when leading online events.
· Understand the differences between live and online meetings and trainings.
· Practice and experience methods to engage attendees.
· Use breakouts to practice and experience the most powerful tool of the online facilitator.
· Identify helpful visual components of online meetings.
· Learn how to build and execute gamified content.
· Explore the art of open ended questioning.
· Explore personal challenges and ways to move forward with online facilitation.
Zoom provides ample engagement tools that can be utilized during the training.