Queen for a Day? A friend recently went to a team-building event for work, and came home with the following question: If you could do a Freaky Friday sort of switch, taking over the body of someone in any job for one day, what would it be? No pre-existing skills are necessary, and your presence…
Category Archives: learning
My Really Strange Public Speaking Fear
What I Fear About Public Speaking This week, I’ll be delivering two presentations at the American Medical Writers’ Association (AMWA) conference in Sacramento. A good friend looked stricken when I told her. “I couldn’t do that!” she said. “Aren’t you terrified?” No. Should I be? Over the years, I’ve learned that as long as I’m…
Chloe Diggins: A Smart Girl for Smart Kids (and Adults)
Chloe Diggins and The Eternal Emperor by Jennifer Amiel My rating: 5 of 5 stars I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am to have found this book. It seems like all preteen/teen entertainment involves one of three things: 1. Princesses (or female characters so self-absorbed that they might as well be princesses)…
What You Missed at CFC 2012
CFC 2012 Recap Hey, old CFC friends! We missed you. Now, I realize that you can’t come to the conference every year, but you really missed some good stuff in Boston this year. I wrote about it over on the Creative Freelancer Blog. Hope to see you next year in San Francisco!
A Kickstarter for the Classroom
It’s that time of year again: the time when we get the pleas for donating to The Fund at school. The Fund is designed to funnel money into more than a dozen different programs at the elementary school, including: Class size reduction for K-3 Art Music Physical education Custodial services Technology Library assistant Reading programs…
Why You Hate Public Speaking
Everyone hates public speaking, right? Ask almost anyone, even the most accomplished speakers, and they tell you that they get twitchy before they go on stage. But why? Public speaking is just talking, and everyone I know can talk. I blame school. (I have no doubt that my teacher friends will be stopping by to…
The Three Jobs
I told my son that at this point in his young life, he has three very important jobs. Listen to your parents/teachers/grandparents. They’re telling you things for a reason, and no, you don’t know better than they do. Tell the truth. Always be curious and try new things. If he does these things, the rest…
Inspiration, Coming Soon
Next week, I’ll be attending the 4th annual Creative Freelancer Conference in Chicago, and let me tell you, I can’t wait. Sure, CFC teaches lots of useful skills and gives insights into important aspects of small business ownership, but the real value is in the people, the ones who inspire me and kick me in…
PowerPoint is Misunderstood
Last month, I was griping about PowerPoint. Honestly, it’s hard not to. But I’m coming to understand that it’s not the software that’s the problem, it’s how we use it. A client asked me to “put together a canned PowerPoint” that they could distribute to a broad audience. This slide deck would require slides (obviously)…
Be Careful What You Wish For
Remember when I mentioned that I’d hoped to step out of my shell this year to do more public speaking? My wish has been granted. I’ve been selected to speak at the 2011 American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Conference in Jacksonville this fall. The topic: Presenting Yourself as a Freelance/Independent Professional. I’m more excited than…