Update: I've been working on a suntan, a leaner bod and muscle toning. I've dropped 20 pounds and this is where I want to maintain. I've been meaning to make my fitness instructor a little jealous because she looks so good.

Taking care of your body should be high priority no matter what age. I don't drink or smoke because I don't want a toxic body. Even when having a can of soda, my body tells me, "Yech!"

I started a few months ago in March. Prior to that I wasn't getting the results I wanted. It was hard at first, but I stuck with it. Today people are telling me they see the difference.

I've got to take care of some personal business. In the meantime I hope you take your body to a whole new level of health, vigor and stamina. I'll check in with you in two or three weeks. Ciao!

Feature Article: Speaking in the Moment

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Speaking in the Moment

Dear Associate,

Would you like to keep your audience glued to your every word, where they journey with you in rapt anticipation, not just wanting, but silently begging you to continue past your scheduled time together?

What if your listeners became absorbed with you, your message, your delivery, laughing during the funny parts, being still during the serious sections, and then pondering on the truth of your lesson?

How would you respond if the event organizer, key individuals in the crowd, and even a group of starry-eyed admirers all congregated around you after your talk, wanting to share their thoughts, comments and insights?

Let me pull back the curtain so you can see the bigger picture...

I was giving a new speech about unrequited love to a group of research doctors. They laughed during the introduction. They laughed during my opening, throughout the body, and even in my conclusion.

That's good because humor is always a huge plus for speakers. And it's also a bonus for audiences. But here's what concerned me...

They laughed during the painful part of my message. Sure, you know what I mean—the part where most of you have been and would like to forget. I shared a tough personal moment yet my audience kept laughing.

Afterward I asked Dianna, someone I trusted in that group, what had happened? She explained that everyone's gone through what I've gone through and just needed to laugh. That's when I got my "ah-ha" moment.

Dianna was right...

I was speaking to share my message. I had forgotten that I was supposed be there for and with my audience. I was not speaking in the moment.

When we speak to audiences, we are having a conversation with our listeners. They use their eyes, facial expressions, body gestures, and verbal reactions to respond back. That's how we know how well we're connected.

Speaking in the moment insists that we listen to our audience as we're speaking.

If you are leading them into a high-energy direction—avoid derailing them, as I was guilty of doing. Some wanted to change directions with me. And some weren't ready. That caused confusion: which every speaker wants to avoid.

Now speaking in the moment means you are capable of shifting gears at a moment's notice. That also means you are able to move away from a memorized speech. Which may require you to know your message so well you can take mini detours and get back onto the main road.

Speaking in the moment will create a deeper connection between your audience and you. It challenges us to let go of our desire to be perfect on the platform and to embrace our listeners. And isn't that what our audience secretly wants from us?

Warm regards,