speaking, on speaking

Do you speak--to any size crowd, behind a podium, or behind a screen? Our daughter Kaitlyn is competing for Miss Teen Oklahoma, so I've been talking to her about speaking--which got me thinking more broadly about the handful of things I most deeply believe about public speaking: as art, as magic, as an opportunity to break something human inside of someone else. Whatever kind of speaking you do or are interested in doing, I hope you find something helpful here! Why for me it's all about relaxing into the moment, avoiding over-hyping yourself to the point of over-shooting the landing, why being hyper aware of your surroundings generally trumps even great content, being vulnerable without over-sharing, and my current mantra: VARY YOUR TONE!