I was traveling via air from San Francisco to Maine recently. As the plane was nearing take off, the flight attendants started their usual safety demonstrations. I politely sat through the “how to buckle your seatbelt” and “how to use your seat cushion as a floatation device” spiels. Then, after the demonstration of placing the [...]

June is here, and ‘tis the season…for giving a toast at your best friend, sister, cousin, or mother’s wedding. That’s right, mothers can re-marry later in life, and if you are an adult child, you may be asked to toast your mother.
This is exactly what happened to my good friend Dawn Josephson. Dawn is a [...]

Wednesday for Women Celebrates Oprah!
Oprah’s legend is…well…legendary. For 25 years, she has been the foundation of daytime TV for millions of people all over the world. And throughout it all, her presence and messages have been uplifting, inspiring and revitalizing.
I recently heard the story of a woman who purchased a pair of Oprah’s shoes at [...]

I have been working with a recent college graduate who is seeking an entry level job in sales and he is finding that many of the positions available are cold calling, telemarketing positions. While I am not certain that sitting behind a desk, on the phone for 80-100 calls a day, is the best fit [...]

This is another installment in my Wednesday for Women blog series, where I feature information to help women gain greater influence, power, and confidence in their professional and personal life. If you’re a man reading this, please enjoy it and then forward these weekly Wednesday blogs to the powerful women in your life. They’ll thank [...]

In entertainment, performance, and even public speaking, props play an important role when creating an image or making a key point. Whether your prop is something you hold or something you wear, your audience will connect it to your message, thus making your points more memorable.
For example, I know a professional speaker whose signature prop [...]

I’ve been working with two different clients lately, of two different genders, in two different companies, from two different states who have two entirely different approaches to listening. One client actually listens too intently, and the other doesn’t seem to be listening at all.
Is it really possible to listen too much? Well, you decide: Whenever [...]

Have you heard of Rebecca Black yet? If not, you probably will soon. She is a thirteen-year-old girl whose parents hired Ark Music Factory to produce a music video for her. If you haven’t seen it, here it is. But I warn you…while Rebecca is a sweet young teenager who may indeed be the next [...]

How does someone who is seemingly so private and averse to publicity come across effectively on a prominent television news program like 60 Minutes?
I watched Melinda Gates in awe on Sunday night as she passionately described the work she and her husband Bill are doing at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. While I’ve seen [...]

One of my passions in life is helping my clients and those in my online community improve and strengthen their speaking and presentation skills so that their message will have a powerful impact on all those who hear it. As such, my company, DeFinis Communications, gives people the training, tools and resources to choose the [...]