The Leading Edge

I don’t know about you, but growing up in school I hated English class. More than anything I hated to write. What was the point? Now, decades later, I realize the point. Writing and reading have helped me learn how to think and, even more importantly, how to communicate my thoughts clearly. Communication occurs daily…

In March 2017, I had the opportunity to share a small part of my personal growth journey with approximately 2,400 other members of The John Maxwell Team. This experience was extra special because I shared the stage, for a few moments, with John Maxwell himself. I earned this opportunity because I was one of ten…

To be a good speaker you need to know your material and be comfortable in presenting it. These are obvious. I remember one mentor saying, “There is nothing more unforgivable than a speaker who fails to prepare and wastes the audience’s time.” I agree. We must have our content down. Outside of that, there are…

So, you have decided to take the plunge and become a public speaker. Congratulations! You might be unaware, but statistically only 1 in 10,000 people really have what it takes to get on a stage and utilize it as a platform. It’s true. Speaking in front of large groups of people is a very unnatural…

What do you do when it goes ALL wrong? What do you do when you have prepared your speech for months, done your research, interviewed people, and practiced your delivery a gazillion times, standing up, with a hammer acting as the mic, to deliver the best keynote speech ever and it all goes wrong? Earlier…

What distinguishes good speakers from great speakers? Leadership. As my friend and mentor John Maxwell reminds us, “Everything rises and falls on leadership.” This includes speaking. Why? Because speakers are leaders, too. To make the shift from being a good speaker to becoming a great speaker, or from being a great speaker to becoming even…

I stood before a crowd of nearly four thousand people who were anxious to hear me speak. I had just a short time to capture their attention, build rapport, take them on a journey, and leave them wanting more. I had experience singing to thousands. For me, that came easy because when you are a…

Sometimes I stand in awe of how I’ve moved from where I once was to where I am today.   I am not astounded by physical, geographical, or career changes in my life, but by the changes in my heart and the person that I have become. Knowing what I know of my own journey,…