It won’t come as a shock when I say that stories are one of the most important elements of presentations and communication in general.

They help us connect with our audience, keep them engaged, share parts of ourselves that wouldn’t otherwise be known, be seen as a leader, drive home the points we want to make in our communication, the list goes on.

I happen to come from a long line of storytellers. Growing up visiting my grandparents farm in Michigan, my family members were constantly telling stories to pass the time especially while working, because there were no iPods or anything else to pass the time.

I was enchanted by the stories they would tell. If you’re anything like me at the beginning of my communication journey, I always wondered how to be a great storyteller.

I would hear the word storytelling all the time, and I would listen to my family and friends recount fascinating stories, so I knew that the topic was important. And it was also a challenge to know what steps I co...

It’s no secret that confidence plays a big role in our lives and careers. I’ve learned that confidence is a life-long journey that we never really “arrive at”, and there are steps we can take to feel more confident day-to-day.

I’m a big believer that you don’t have to wait until the New Year to make changes or set new goals for yourself, you can do that anytime. 

With that said, I often find January to be a motivating time for me. I’m recharged after spending time with family and friends over the holidays and I’m ready to set and achieve my goals.

If that’s the same for you, you’re in the right place. In this blog, I’ll be sharing 10 ways to build confidence that will in turn motivate you to crush the goals you’ve set for yourself.

1. Take small steps out of your comfort zone

I saw this awesome image on Instagram the other day that used the analogy of walking up a set of stairs in comparison with reaching your goals over a long period of time. Each step you take up the stairs feel...

Have you ever thought about hiring a communication coach? Or wondered how a coach can help you? 

The truth is, nearly everyone can benefit from working with a communication coach. Whether you’re a professional public speaker or just getting started in your career, there are certain elements of speaking that can be improved exponentially with the right observations and strategic feedback.

In this post we’ll cover a bunch of frequently asked questions, like what a communication coach is and what we do, some of the benefits of a coaching relationship (either one on one or in a group setting), and what to know before your first communication coaching session.

Let’s dive in.

What Is a Communication Coach and What Do They Do?

In a nutshell, communication coaches work with people on their communication skills. Sounds obvious, right? Think: presentations, speeches, sales pitches, and even everyday conversations. No matter what type of important communication you have coming up, a communic...

Have you ever heard of the term ‘brain dumping’ before? Or better yet, done a brain dump yourself?

Brain dumping is an awesome technique that I learned a few years into my public speaking career, where you write down all of your thoughts – stream of consciousness style – in order to plan a successful presentation.

This technique can be used for a myriad of things. Today, we’re going to focus on how you can use the brain dump to your advantage. 

Whether you have a big presentation coming up that you have a million ideas for and can’t quite seem to nail or narrow them down, a sales pitch that feels like it’s missing the mark, or you’ve been asked to speak at a wedding and haven’t a clue what to say (been there, done that).

This post will walk you through some of the benefits of brain dumping, how you can apply this technique to other areas of your life, and the exact brain dumping process that I’ve used to plan some of my most impactful speeches to date. 

The benefits of brain dumpi...

Listening is essential to strong communication. We know this. And yet so many of us don’t actively work on our listening skills like we do on our verbal communication skills.

In reality, listening is an equally (if not more) important piece of the communication puzzle. When you’re an active listener and are able to effectively understand the other person, ask questions, be interested instead of interesting – you’re well on your way to a successful life and career.

In this blog post I’m going to cover exactly why listening is so important in communication, what listening is and what it is not, the distinction between being interested vs. interesting, and three practical and easy exercises you can start practicing today to elevate your listening skills.

Let’s dive in.

Why listening is so important in communication

You might be thinking, “Okay, I know listening is important, and being a strong communicator and getting my message across effectively has to be more important, right?” 

Sunday is my favorite day of the week. And it hasn’t always been that way. The ‘Sunday scaries’ used to get the best of me more times than I can count.

It wasn’t until I began taking Sundays as an intentional day to rest, reflect and learn that I started to thoroughly enjoy them.

I began viewing them as a day to plan and enjoy as opposed to a day to stress about all the things I hadn’t done the previous week. I hope this post inspires you to reclaim Sundays as your day rather than a day that you dread.

Without further ado, here’s a list of my non-negotiables every Sunday to prepare for a great start to the week.

1. Take some time for you

Up first on the list, do at least one activity that fills your cup (1). Take the first part of your Sunday to enjoy in whatever way makes you the happiest. This could be going on an adventure, a walk, doing yoga, watching your favorite show or movie, getting lost in a good book, grabbing coffee with a friend, you get the idea. 

Pick the activity ...

Spirituality is a beautiful thing.

It’s also a word that gets thrown around a lot, and I’m a big believer that it can have a different meaning for everyone.

What it means to me is feeling connected to my innermost self, to the world around me, and to a higher purpose.

By that definition, I’ve become more and more spiritual over the years and I can’t tell you how much joy and growth it’s brought into my life. That growth hasn’t always been easy – to be quite frank – it’s been an equally painful and beautiful journey.

Overall though, I’ve found that spirituality has had a multitude of benefits on my health, my relationships, my self-esteem, my business, the list goes on. 

While the topic of spirituality may not be for everyone, the following 10 ways to connect to your spiritual side are amazing things to do. Whether you consider yourself a spiritual person or not, these tips can clear your head, get you focused, and facilitate breakthroughs in all areas of life.

1. Meditation

Star...

Have an important presentation coming up? It’s no secret that the introduction of any speech is one of the most critical aspects. After all, it’s what will grab your audience’s attention and keep them listening.

When done correctly, the opening section of your presentation will draw your readers in and get them excited to hear what you have to say.

When done incorrectly (because, yes, there’s definitely an incorrect way to open your presentations) you risk losing your audience. And once they’re disengaged, it’s a lot tougher to bring them back.

If you want to know the secret to an engaging introduction and learn a formula to open your presentations step-by-step, you’re in the right place.

First, let’s begin by establishing what an introduction is supposed to do.

The Purpose of An Introduction

In a nutshell, the purpose of any presentation introduction is to engage the audience and to tell them what you’re going to tell them. 

Your introduction should:

1. Hook your audience with
...

Spontaneity is a powerful tool that I’ve used throughout my life and career (mostly without realizing it).

In general, I’ve always been a person that has said ‘yes’ to things. From starting multiple businesses (one of which was a cheesecake operation out of my home) to moving across the country for various jobs, to traveling Europe at age 18 – I’ve always been what someone would call a spontaneous person.

When I’ve told these stories of spontaneity to my friends or clients, their reactions were typically, ‘Wow, you did that?’ To which I responded, ‘Of course! Wouldn’t you?’

It wasn’t until I had these conversations with others that I realized not everyone is as quick to say ‘yes’ to things. Personally, I don’t believe there’s a right or wrong way to live your life since everyone’s feelings and circumstances are different. That said, I’ve noticed some major payoffs when it comes to spontaneity in my life, my business, and in my communication. 

The ability to be spontaneous has helpe...

Creativity is like a muscle: if you don’t use it—you’ll lose it. 

Okay, lose is a strong word. However, if you aren’t carving out time in your days to be creative or do the things that fill you up, creativity will be hard to access when you really require it. 

You wouldn’t go and lift 300 pounds without extensive training just like you couldn’t expect to write a novel without writing anything down prior.

Being creative takes effort, and it doesn’t always magically appear when we want it. And hey, sometimes it requires reading a blog post on ways to boost creativity and executing those strategies. Hint: if you’ve been feeling less than creative lately, you’re in the right place.

Whether it’s for your work or for fun, here are ten easy things you can do to boost your creativity right now.

1. Make time to be creative

One of the most important aspects of being more creative is making time to actually be creative. I know—a crazy concept. The fact is, if boosting your creativity is imp...