By: gfesadmin on June 24, 2013
Speaking in public has always been an intimidating task for me. I feel most vulnerable when I am in such situations and yet over these past 13 years in ministry working among women, children, men, pastors, leaders, young people I am often called up to address gatherings in various situations and occasions. I have realized…
By: gfesadmin on June 21, 2013
Speech impediments and public speaking fears are real, yet they do not have to define us. As a child, I struggled with stuttering and took speech therapy classes for nearly five years. My therapist literally used to hold my tongue down in an effort to help me pace my syllables. Oddly enough, I always had…
By: gfesadmin on June 20, 2013
As a college instructor who speaks publicly many times a week, I found Scott Berkun’s book Confessions of a Public Speaker full of tips and ideas on how to improve my speaking and teaching. Some of his suggestions are for any speaker and some are specifically focused on teaching and lecturing in the classroom. The…
By: gfesadmin on June 20, 2013
I highly recommend the highly practical book Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun. Whether you speak in front of large groups often, or just small groups occasionally, Berkun, a professional public speaker, offers numerous insights, ideas, and tips to making your public speaking better. From dealing with fear and failure, to how to…
By: gfesadmin on June 20, 2013
When I was in my training year to be a pastor, I had coaching to improve my speaking and singing skills. We exercised parts of the liturgy (sung or spoken) and we also helped each other to improve our public speaking and preaching in particular. While reading “Confessions of a public speaker” by Scott Berkun,…
By: gfesadmin on June 20, 2013
A few weeks ago in our D.Min class we talked about our weaknesses. I’ve known for a while that one of my weaknesses is public speaking. I’d rather be the behind the scenes guy that gets everything set up than the person who gets up and speaks about something. When I do speak or preach,…
By: gfesadmin on June 20, 2013
A few years back I was asked to speak at a Student Ministry Retreat in upstate New York. Now, for years I had done weekend retreats in similar settings but this one caught me off guard. Amidst the 2008 financial crisis, the camp in which the retreat center was being held at decided to cut…
By: gfesadmin on June 19, 2013
Anytime we are to speak in public and plan to communicate well, we realize just how hard a task it can be. This week I read the book “Reading Confessions of a Public Speaker” by Scott Berkum. So I listened to my last message, which you should never do if you are feeling down on…
By: gfesadmin on June 19, 2013
Imagining Naked People Doesn’t Work! Normal 0 false false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} Finishing Confessions of a Public Speaker by Scott Berkun left me feeling justified. …
By: gfesadmin on June 18, 2013
My public speaking journey began on a shaky note. I was stationed in Ft. Yukon, Alaska for 10 months at a dew line radar site. There were about 80 individuals at the isolated remote site and there was little more than tundra for hundreds of miles in all directions. Only a few villages dotted the…
By: gfesadmin on June 15, 2013
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:”Calibri”,”sans-serif”; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The Dip, by Seth Godin was a timely read. I had enough. I had been working as VP Regional…
By: Joy Mindo on June 14, 2013
The words that ‘the dip is where success happens’ where I embrace the challenge. As I have been going through work transitions and it has been quite a task to try and make a decision. The book ‘The Dip’ by Seth Godin helped me see that the even though many people are afraid to…
By: gfesadmin on June 14, 2013
One of the issues with ‘quitting’ in the Indian culture is related saving face. Quitting is mostly equated with failure. Leaders quite often fall short of their accomplishments because they fail to quit or change direction. I must confess my own guilt in this regard. Much positive outcomes have been missed and wonderful opportunities lost…
By: gfesadmin on June 14, 2013
The following is an excerpt from Godin’s book, The Dip. It’s a true story. “Hannah Smith is a very lucky woman. She’s a law clerk at the Supreme Court. She’s the best in the world. Last year, more than forty-two thousand people graduated from law school in the United States. And thirty-seven of…
By: gfesadmin on June 13, 2013
I have wanted to quit many times. There was the first major time, when we had just arrived in Spain with a one year old, and were trying to find a place to live, without really knowing any of the language or culture, or where we should live. It was overwhelming, and we were completely…
By: gfesadmin on June 13, 2013
“Musical Dip” “When the pain gets so bad that you’re ready to quit, you’ve set yourself up as someone with nothing to lose. And someone with nothing to lose has quite a bit of power. You can go for broke. Challenge authority. Attempt unattempted alternatives. Lean into a problem; lean so far that you might…
By: gfesadmin on June 13, 2013
This week I read a book by Seth Godin called “The Dip – A little book that teaches you when to quit (and when to stick).” The title already reveals what the book is about: Godin enfolds his simple advice: pursue excellence or quit now. In the beginning Godin postulates the hypothesis that everybody wants…
By: gfesadmin on June 13, 2013
Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:”Table Normal”; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:””; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} The truth is, I hate ‘the dip’ and when it comes I too frequently want to quit. When I was 12, I…
By: gfesadmin on June 13, 2013
I was fifteen and a freshman in high school facing my third two hour football practice of the day. They were called “three a days” and they lasted for about four weeks during the summer until school started. They were Hell! My coach at the time told me if I worked hard he felt I…
By: gfesadmin on June 13, 2013
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