Reader, I recorded a podcast episode this week with handwritten notes and a nervous stomach. [Click here for the links to listen to episode 139] And right before I hit record, I turned the camera on, looked at myself, and thought, "Ooh girl, you ain't put no makeup on. Go put some concealer on." Some people would have just recorded. See me in the raw, take it or leave it. That's not me. I got up, put a little something on, made sure my skin looked how I wanted it to look, and then sat back...

Reader, Let me guess: you've sat through at least one virtual presentation where the speaker was framed like they were in witness protection. Camera pointing up their nose. Terrible lighting. Background that looked like a crime scene. You could barely see their face, let alone connect with what they were saying. And here's what kills me: that speaker probably had brilliant content. They might have spent hours preparing. But because they treated the technical setup as an afterthought, their...

Reader, I need to tell you something that might surprise you. When I first started developing my public speaking skills over a decade ago, I thought the benefit would be simple: I'd be less nervous when presenting. Maybe I'd sound more confident in meetings. That's it. That was the extent of my expectations. But what actually happened? The ripple effects went so far beyond what I imagined. I'm talking about: Getting pulled aside by a provost who said "you sound like a leader" when I wasn't...