A few weeks ago, one of the students at the college where I teach turned in her final paper. Like I usually do, I checked the sources included in her bibliography and my mouth dropped open. She had taken her 5 main points directly from a website on the Internet. In keeping with school policy, I […]
A List of (Truly) Free Photo Websites Read More »
For the life of me, I can’t remember my friend’s birthdays. Last Friday morning, just before I left to teach at a women’s retreat, I texted a dear friend in town to say, “I want to bring you one of my LOVED shirts so you can wear it and feel loved all day long on your birthday!”
What I Learned in Evansville Read More »
Last week, I wrote a message to the students I teach in my undergraduate public speaking class: “If your grade is on the edge and you do not turn in a final paper, you may fail this class.” Fear is a powerful motivator, and I know it. Chances are, you know it, too. Whether with
Who’s Afraid of the Big, Bad, Boss? 4 Ways to Avoid Using Fear to Persuade Read More »
(To listen to my audio recording of this post, click on the white triangle below) A client remarked offhandedly in a rehearsal session yesterday, “When I actually give my talk, I’ll embellish that part of the story.” I laughed sarcastically, “Yeah! You could say you were hit by enemy fire!” I’m a public speaking coach. I
2 Things We Can Learn From Brian Williams Read More »
I hate sharing disappointing news with my kids, especially when they’ve worked hard and have their hearts set on a dream. I suppose that’s why the American Idol folks have fun with singers who did get through to the next round by prefacing the news with something like, “You’ve got a lot of tough competition here, and we
Munchkin: To Be or Not to Be? Read More »
Long ago we were courageous hunters and diligent gatherers. We slept in caves at night and walked the land in the day. And then we had a brilliant idea. What if we created a shelter outside of the cave that wouldn’t limit us to cave-dwelling? So we created make-shift tents out of wooden poles and
The Evolution of Camping Read More »
As you probably know, having a career and being a parent has its challenges. Yesterday, my 10-year old son and our 7-year old friend, and I went to the Word studios on Music Row in downtown Nashville to record character voices for an upcoming Christmas musical I just finished writing for Word. (Other people wrote
You Try Being a Voiceover Artist- and a Mom Read More »
On the morning of my third son’s 8th birthday, he was determined to get rid of the old to make room for the new. It was a painful process, fraught with stops and starts, tenacity and even…blood. Eek! But then, for many of us, the process of getting rid of the old to make room for the
Out With the Old, In With the New Read More »
(Listen to the audio recording of this post by clicking on the bar above) Even if you didn’t see the opening scene to Dumb and Dumber 2, I think we can all agree that pretending you’re insane for 20 years is just plain…dumb. But then, it’s supposed to be. Our smartphones, on the other hand, are
How Our Smartphones Make us Dumb- and Dumber Read More »
“Ding!” My eyes fly open. “Ring-ding!” What in the world is that noise? “Ring-ding-ding!” I roll over and look at the clock. It’s 5am. “Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding!” Is there a fox in my backyard? I tear downstairs and out the back door. “Ding!” I look around wildly. And then I see him. Not a fox, but Louie.
What Does the Bunny Say? Read More »