The only thing more stunning than walking into the Kauffman Center in Kansas City when it’s full of people is when you’re the only one there. That’s where I stood, slack-jawed and awestruck on Saturday afternoon, August 29, 2015, hours before the thousands descended for the annual TEDxKC event. The pale wooden panels of this huge vaulted…
Blog
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Why You Should Stop Trying to Inspire People
READ MORE: Why You Should Stop Trying to Inspire PeopleI work with people of all backgrounds and businesses who have something to say and are dying to say it. They want to do media and launch podcasts, give talks and write books. They want to “put themselves out there.” If there were two words that literally every person says to me, it’s that they…
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What’s actually missing from your talk (just ask Sarah)
READ MORE: What’s actually missing from your talk (just ask Sarah)I was giving a presentation the other day to a roomful of authors and people who work with authors. The topic? Why every author needs a TEDx talk. (Because they do.) One woman raised her hand and said she’d been having trouble getting her own TEDx idea accepted. She assumed it was because she didn’t…
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The key to partnering with other humans
READ MORE: The key to partnering with other humansIf you think that being a successful person, professional, entrepreneur, or human requires that you “do it on your own,” boy are you making life hard for yourself. I’ve been on my own for almost 7 years now—7!—since I was laid off from my magazine job. And people always say, “Wow, you went out on…
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3 Things that Keep Good Speakers from Being Great
READ MORE: 3 Things that Keep Good Speakers from Being GreatIf you’re a speaker, or would like to be, chances are you watch other speakers with a very keen eye. Maybe you scrutinize the bio. Watch the way they carry themselves on stage. Maybe you judge them based on how relatable they are, or how useful their content is. And if we’re being honest, you…
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How to get people to pay attention (because they’re not)
READ MORE: How to get people to pay attention (because they’re not)It’s hard to get people to listen, for like, longer than two seconds. It really is. Even when it’s their job to pay attention. Ever read Oren Klaff’s “Pitch Anything?” He made it so clear to me why we miss the mark: It’s because we assume that the moment we pitch (what we think is…
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3 Life Lessons You Can Learn from Being on TV
READ MORE: 3 Life Lessons You Can Learn from Being on TVIf you’re smart, you’ll learn something new from every job. And given that you’ll switch, not just jobs, but careers several times over your life, your unique advantage comes from the wisdom you pick up along the way. If you worked in customer service, you’ll know how to handle clients when you go into business…
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Knowing things you shouldn’t know
READ MORE: Knowing things you shouldn’t knowI was on a first date last summer when I decided to play the game again: I asked this man if he had had a dog growing up. All I knew was that he was raised in Missouri, the youngest of three boys. “Yes, I did, actually.” I could almost see the dog in my…
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What makes you stand out (and why it’s worth the risk)
READ MORE: What makes you stand out (and why it’s worth the risk)I’ve never had a client who didn’t want to help people. What I say to them (gently, of course) is that while of course I believe them, their good intentions do not constitute a brand. Because everyone in their own way wants to help. It’s truth, but not identity. That we need to get past…