Speech 5: Your Body Speaks. The fifth speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program is meant to show me how to complement words with posture, stance, gestures, facial expressions, and eye contact. Can I get a quick show of hands, how many of you have seen a professional pianist play? It could have been as…
Fa So La
Speech 4: How to Say It. The fourth speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program is meant to help me examine word choice, sentence structure, and rhetorical devices. The tune you just heard was composed by Ananias Davisson in 1816. It’s called “Idumea,” and is one of the most popular tunes in the Sacred Harp…
2018: A Year of Kicking Ass
It’s been quiet on the blog since the end of the year. Originally I planned to hop right back into reviews, but the holidays cascaded, then I had to work myself out of the email/task black hole at work, and before I knew it I’d unintentionally taken all of January off from blogging. At first…
I Promise I Have a Point to Make
Speech 3: Get to the Point. The third speech of the Toastmasters Competent Communicator program is meant to help me set a speech goal and make sure that every element focuses on it. Picking my topic for this week’s speech was surprisingly difficult. The brief, “Get to the Point,” is right up my alley. I…
2017 End of Year Book Survey
Every year seems more crazy than the last, and I’m ready for this one to be over. I’m taking some time over the holidays to reflect on what I’ve done well and what’s brought me joy — including books. Best Books in 2017 1. Best book you read In 2017? Fiction – Good Night, Mr….