Speaking Tips

The key to dealing with speaking nerves

Have you ever looked around the room during a big meeting, presentation, panel, or group interview and thought: I’m the only one here who seems nervous! I must be doing something wrong… Everybody around me seems so confident and at ease, but I can’t shake the jitters that crop up every time it’s my turn…

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How to stop using filler words

Picture this: you just nailed a presentation, and you even answered a full round of impromptu questions on-the-fly!  You’re riding high on positive feedback, but your manager also offers a constructive critique: you use a lot of filler words, and they’re distracting us from hearing some of your main points.  Suddenly, you start replaying the…

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My #1 tip to improve your speaking skills

Love it or hate it, today we’re talking about an established SelfSpoken truth: the best way to improve your speaking skills is…watching yourself on video. And before we go any further, I know what you’re thinking! “I can’t stand to watch myself on video—it makes me cringe, hard.” “I feel like I don’t even recognize…

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How to stop rambling: fewer words, greater impact

Whether it’s in interviews or Zoom meetings, do you ever have those mid-response *record scratch* moments? You know, when you realize that while you’ve been weaving your answer, you’ve forgotten the actual question you were supposed to address? You want to stop rambling, but you’re not quite sure how to structure your answers without that…

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Why we all feel socially awkward—and what to do about it

After a year of isolation, social anxiety has never been more common. For a lot of us, socializing in person again feels both awkward and overwhelming.  If you’ve been repeating “just be yourself” before and during most interactions (whether they’re social or work-related!) trust me, you’re not alone—I’m right there with you. In a recent…

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Is your humor serving you or undercutting you? Here’s how to tell

“I’m such an idiot.“It’s like I’ve lost my brain today.”“Ugh—I’m all over the place.” Real talk… did reading these “self-digs” make you go 😂 or 😬? Whether you forgot to ‘unmute’ yourself as you began talking on a Zoom call, or you tripped over your words mid-sentence… Taking a stab at yourself might *feel* like…

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