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Blog Entries for: Speaking

Partnering with Pros - Business Coach Karen Robertson

July 20, 2010

By Linda Jewell

Many speakers and writers have felt surprised and discouraged when they see their income and expenses reported in black and white on their Individual Income Tax Return Schedule.

Prior to becoming a personal success coach, Karen Robertson was a classroom teacher, school administrator, college instructor and staff developer. She also pursues a career as speaker, writer and comedian.

With her background, Robertson knows a solid business plan impacts your bottom line,especially for speakers and writers. “Business plans give us a focus to achieve our creative goals.”

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July 20, 2010 | View or add comments
Partnering with Pros - Life Coach Jerome Daley

February 1, 2010

By Linda Jewell

Have you ever felt like you're bungling around, trying to figure out God's will for your life?  Or, even if you're clear that God has given you a message, a ministry and a mission, do you sometimes get lost? Sometimes get stuck? Sometimes get discouraged?

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February 1, 2010 | View or add comments
Partnering with Pros - Professional Organizer Marcia Ramsland

January 10, 2010

By Linda Jewell

Did you resolve to lose weight in 2010? Follow Marcia Ramsland's "30-lb. Paper Diet" to shed piles and files from your home and office.

CLASS graduate, international speaker, writer, and professional organizer Marcia Ramsland, The Organizing Pro, can help you organize your home, office, and time systems so you can get more done in your life.

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January 10, 2010 | View or add comments
Danger Of A Single Story

December 26, 2009

By Julie Ferwerda

As writers and speakers, there is a danger of limiting ourselves to one side of the story. What does this mean? Join Chimamanda Adichie from Nigeria as she explores this topic in an engaging and inspirational message to all story tellers!

 

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December 26, 2009 | View or add comments
Are You Hitting Your Goals?

September 8, 2009

By Tama Westman

I saw this tip from Mark Victor Hansen, co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, while I was flipping through the pages of the October issue of Success Magazine (If you don't yet subscribe to Success, I encourage you to up your game today with this monthly issue of some of the best leadership advice going).

According to Hansen, you can create a life-goal list in as little as 15 minutes. Sounds easy. Here's how:

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September 8, 2009 | View or add comments
New World of Messaging

July 14, 2009

By Evelyn W. Davison

As the world continues to turn, things are 'a-changing."  Like messaging!   

When I was a teenage disc jockey, for friends to make a song request, they had to drive by my Dad's little radio station, or our house, and leave a written request in a glass milk bottle on the porch.  Later the phone took the place of my milk bottle, while today the iPhone has captured our connection for attention.

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July 14, 2009 | View or add comments
Can you see me?

April 15, 2009

By Linda Goldfarb

Transparency is the word that kept ringing in my ears every time I worked on my outline for an upcoming talk. I will tell you right now that word did not sit well with me at all. I knew in my heart of hearts, people would run from me quicker than I could talk them back into their seats if I became transparent.

Transparent: clearly recognizable as what he, she, or it really is. See why I didn't embrace transparency, if everyone clearly recognized what I really was... scared, hurt, weak, insecure, selfish, jealous, anxious, and unorganized, did I mention I also whine... there is no way they would listen to me or have respect for me. So I did what any intelligent person would. I moved transparency to the side and added humor.

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April 15, 2009 | View or add comments
Heart to Heart

April 13, 2009

By Linda Gilden

Have you ever spoken to a group and felt that they just weren't getting it? Maybe your enthusiastic message is met by an expressionless sea of faces wondering what in the world you are talking about. The connection has just not been established.

The Bible says "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). When I speak from the overflow of what is in my heart, I always connect with my audiences. When I fail to prepare enough, pray enough, study enough, immerse myself in the Word enough, what I hear myself say is shallow and has little meaning to my audience.

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April 13, 2009 | View or add comments
Think Small! Putting Heart and Impact into Bible Teaching

April 9, 2009

By Julie Ferwerda

For a long time I had the hardest time trying to figure out how to reach hearts in my audience for lasting impact. I tended to stick to the safe route of strictly teaching because I felt unable to get vulnerable or to connect soul-deep with my audience. Why? Here were a few of the obstacles that kept me locked in two-dimensional speaking:

  • Teaching comes easily and naturally for me. Sharing my heart or "telling my story" does not.
  • I have a huge testimony (in every sense of the word), but I could never figure out how to tell it in such a way that would teach, inspire, flow correctly, and not sound whiny or too much about me. So I avoided it.
  • My long, disjointed testimony has so many twists and turns, I was afraid of either boring my audience or driving them to Prozac if I dumped it on them all at once.
  • I like to teach on a variety of topics. To only tell my testimony would get monotonous and confining for me.
  • Frankly, I didn't know how to incorporate my story into my teaching.

So what did I do? Somewhere along the line while using PIER (the CLASS formula for effective and dynamic communication), an idea suddenly took form. Think Small! Rather than tell my testimony all at once (feel the relief), I could break it up into bite-sized chunks for the benefit of my audience. I could polish many parts separately, and use them in a variety of topics to teach different points. By telling my story in smaller pieces as it relates to the teaching topic at hand, it became easier to share about myself without feeling like it was all about me. Best of all, this technique was a perfect fit with PIER!

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April 9, 2009 | View or add comments
Turning Your Writing Into Speaking

June 2, 2008

By Linda Goldfarb

As a Powerful Choleric/Popular Sanguine personality, I am a natural at voicing my opinion with gusto. I have been "on stage" since the age of five when I made my first income at family reunions reciting the Japanese version of London Bridge is Falling Down. It's true that twenty-five cents a pop is not a lot of money but in a room of 50 people, it adds up.

Today, I speak in front of hundreds and on occasion, thousands of people at a time at retreats and conferences, I host a syndicated talk-radio show, and emcee events across the country. It's safe to assume, I love to speak but, when it comes to writing, not so much. I am a declared "Speaker Who Writes" yet I'm proud to say because of my connections through CLASS and my friends Tama, Allison and Brenda, I have become a more confident writer. I believe increased confidence over time will result in excellence (Excellence: Being the best me, I can be in any given venue). I currently write articles for magazines, a local newspaper, and online (check out www.cbn.com for my health & fitness column) I am in the process of completing my first book (early stages... oh how painful and prolonged the pangs of labor are... but the results will be worth it)

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June 2, 2008 | View or add comments

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Though certain members of our faculty post blogs regularly, we welcome guest bloggers to share on any topic or angle related to writing, speaking, and even ministry. Feel free to send us a note letting us know you are interested in submitting and we'll give you the email address of where to send it in for approval and posting! Feel free to leave comments and to ask questions. We're here to serve you.

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