The Myth Of Perfection

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At the very beginning of my public speaking seminars I ask the participants to write down two of their concrete expectations they have regarding the training. In a second step I combine the concepts of less is more and getting to the point. I ask them to mark the more important expectation. Finally, I invite the . . . → Read More: The Myth Of Perfection

My Favorite Food Is Wine

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What a blast weekend! From May 10 to 12 2013 more than 400 Toastmasters from all over Continental Europe came together in Antwerp, Belgium, to celebrate our 2013 Spring Conference of Toastmasters International’s District 59.

Like every time I learned SO SO SO much!

Apart from fantastic speeches and workshops we had the honor and pleasure to have . . . → Read More: My Favorite Food Is Wine

INTRINSIC The Series: Fairness

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Do you like one neighbor more than the other neighbors? Did you like some classmates at school more than others? Welcome to the club!

Neighbors, classmates or colleagues – as a leader and motivator of a team you also favor some people over others. Or don’t you?

I do. When I give my seminars sometimes I face those sarcastic, cynical . . . → Read More: INTRINSIC The Series: Fairness

Do You Know A Place Where No One Falls?

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Yes, he took it all!

When they announced my Toastmasters buddy Peter McKenzie winner of the international speech contest in our Spanish division I felt like Napoleon at the end of his bellicose career. Nine months of preparation came to an abrupt end. Nine months of rehearsing – under the shower, on the trains, on the planes. . . . → Read More: Do You Know A Place Where No One Falls?

How To Lead Workshops More Effectively

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A workshop can be an engaging, energetic and interactive platform to generate new ideas, improve processes or change the way people interact.

The tricky part is: As a workshop leader you face the same challenge as a public speaker. Just like your speech can be brilliant or a lame duck, your workshop can be a high-flyer or . . . → Read More: How To Lead Workshops More Effectively

How Fast Can You Count Your Spoons?

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Picture two scenes…

Scene 1: You’re standing at the bar of your football team’s clubhouse. With anticipation in his eyes a guy next to you asks a group of fellow players, Did you see my great pass that led to the second goal?

Scene 2: After an important client meeting your colleague approaches your table and with this . . . → Read More: How Fast Can You Count Your Spoons?

I Wanna Raise My Glass Tonight

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Only three projects left. Facing the next giant Toastmasters milestone – the Advanced Toastmaster Gold title – I decided to give one of the remaining three speeches during our Barcelona-Mallorca area conference in Palma de Mallorca on April 6 2013. The occasion couldn’t have been more special; it was a speech from the Special Occasion manual. . . . → Read More: I Wanna Raise My Glass Tonight

Lower Or Higher, That Is The Question

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My mom always says that,

The whole thing about relationships in life is quite simple. People stand on pillars. The people whose pillars you heighten, they love you. The people whose pillars you lower, they hate you. That’s what relationships in life are all about.

Isn’t she right?

Think about your personal and professional relationships in life. Aren’t these people . . . → Read More: Lower Or Higher, That Is The Question

What Leaders Can Learn From The Godfather

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Click for the right background music…

The inspiration for this post didn’t come from New York. The inspiration didn’t come from Vegas either. The inspiration for this post came from Prague. Six likable lawyers and me. Not an oxymoron but a charisma seminar. The final task: creative group presentation. How to lead better with more charisma. Every . . . → Read More: What Leaders Can Learn From The Godfather

Eres Tú And The Beauty Of Simile and Metaphor

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Mocedades at the 1973 Eurovision Song Contest

In Merriam Webster we read that, A simile is a figure of speech that directly compares two different things, usually by employing the words “like” or “as” – also, but less commonly, “if”, or “than”. A simile differs from a metaphor in that the latter compares two unlike things by . . . → Read More: Eres Tú And The Beauty Of Simile and Metaphor