Author: Guest Blogger

I am so excited to attend this year’s CPSI Conference, the annual conference of the CEF, Creativity Education Foundation.  Since I first learned about CPSI, only in Feb. of this year (!!!!), I have connected with several “superstars” in the CPSI world.  First, Sarah Caldicott-Miller, of How to Innovate Like Edison, agreed to speak with me on the phone.  She is so generous and inspiring.  She introduced me to John Cimino whose Creative Leaps and “Concert of Ideas” have serenaded CPSI many, many times.  Then, Gregg Fraley and I got introduced, somehow, and it turns out his U.S. home is…

sense memory for vivid stories, speakers, speaking skills, acting skills,

It is not the critic that counts.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marked by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasm and great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor…

Practice makes perfect. And heaven knows, you need to be perfect. How else will you become the best in the world, and therefore earn the work and opportunities you desire? So you lock yourself in the practice room (or art studio, or wherever you work), and “shed” 12 hours per day. Problem is, no matter how hard you try, there’s always someone better.  Actually many, many people. Come on, did you really think you had a shot of becoming the best composer, ballerina, sculptor, bassoonist, actor, or _________ out there? For most of us, the answer is obvious: NO!   The…

acting, speaking, breath

Creativity is like gunpowder; incredibly powerful- and dangerous- stuff, but largely useless without a structure to contain it, a system to measure it, and a culture that respects it.

acting, public speaking, voice training,

Chicago has been showing some serious gumption these days. We’ve sent a new crew to lead the country–Obama, Emanuel, Jarrett and Axelrod–and are the leading candidate to bring the Olympics back to the U.S. in 2016. But given that changes are often a bit slow to hit us here in the middle of the country, the question remains: Can Chicago be a leader of innovation? “I strongly believe that creating an ecosystem that supports and encourages widespread adoption of innovative practices within our businesses will become the single most important thing we can do at this time in our history,”…

The second most important thing that I have learned in life is how to apologize, and it’s the kind of thing that is so important that I wish they taught it in schools. So for this blog I am offering a quick “how to” on apologizing.

what not to do in a presentation