First impressions aren’t just important. They’re decisive.
Unfortunately, many professionals start strong… in their heads. What comes out? Generic, forgettable, and flat. That’s why I created the Cold Open Checklist — a practical, proven guide to help you:
✅ Capture attention in the first few seconds
✅ Choose an opening that fits your message and your audience
✅ Avoid common mistakes that dilute your presence and impact
This free resource is for leaders, consultants, and anyone who wants to communicate with more clarity, confidence, and charisma.
First impressions aren’t just important. They’re decisive.
Unfortunately, many professionals start strong… in their heads. What comes out? Generic, forgettable, and flat. That’s why I created the Cold Open Checklist — a practical, proven guide to help you:
✅ Capture attention in the first few seconds
✅ Choose an opening that fits your message and your audience
✅ Avoid common mistakes that dilute your presence and impact
This free resource is for leaders, consultants, and anyone who wants to communicate with more clarity, confidence, and charisma.
Connecting with Others is a Skill, as Well as a Talent
Let me share a secret with you.
The ability to make a strong first impression, influence and persuade people, spread ideas. To get seen, get heard, and get raises … most people aren’t born with that.
Even the smartest, most talented people in the world can have trouble saying the right words in the right way to make the impact they need to make.
That’s the good news.
Because it means these skills can be developed.
This is what I offer. Simple, concrete steps to strengthen critical communication skills. And I do it in a way that’s fun and that sticks.
Speaking
Do you represent a business organization, association, or women’s group? You can help your people connect with each other and with the world more powerfully and persuasively … and have fun doing it.
Coaching
Do you need more personal attention than a speaking event offers? For smaller groups or even one-on-one, coaching sessions may be the right way to go.
Latest Blog Posts
It’s a plague of the 2020s: Attention Infidelity
Attention infidelity? What’s that? A researcher from the American Enterprise Institute has been studying relationships among young people. David Cox has a book coming out about the crisis of human connection, Generation Uncoupled. He’s focused on young men and women and the many challenges they have forming the kinds of partnerships that seemed more natural for their parents and grandparents. Cox coined “attention infidelity” to describe “when a partner’s digital life intrudes on an in-person connection.”
How to Tell Them Just Enough
How to Tell Them Just Enough. You know I’m fascinated by words. I’m always happy to learn a new one. And this one particularly delighted me. Breviloquent. We can guess straight away what it means, can’t we? But just in case, Wordsmith tells us “breviloquent” is an adjective meaning: Using few words. It’s not just about keeping our talk short, however. The real issue isn’t clock time, it’s value.
Yes, Guys Still Talk Like That
Yes, guys still talk like that… Maybe you’ve been focused on the news from Washington D.C. and the campaign trail. Maybe the war in Iraq has captured your attention. Or maybe you’ve been tuned out altogether and focused on your own life! It’s easy to miss what goes on in the rest of the world, and I almost did. Then a story in The Athletic caught my eye. And made me mad. It was another one of those did-this-really-happen moments. Yes, it did really happen.
