Josh: The Mafia had a gun pointing through a pillow jammed to my face. I muffled out a few incomprehensible words. Well, that’s at least an image to help you understand what I use to sound like in every conversation before I came across speech coach Carol Fleming.

It’s so hard to socialize if your voice is unclear, jagged, and plain boring – common vocal traits of shy people. A charming, resonant voice makes people listen to you.

This is a guest article from Carol, a friend of mine for two years. Carol runs her speech company out of San Francisco and is one of the best voice coaches I know. Read and most importantly practice what she has to teach in this article… … Click to continue reading →

Posted on Friday, January 21, 201111 Comments

Drugs, alcohol, energy vampires, greedy clients, persistent salespersons, and charity seekers. These are few of the many objects and people sucking your time, money, energy, focus, and life. For many reasons, however, you give in to them as you donate money, help another hour, work overtime, remain at a venue, or answer a survey.

This is not just an article to help you be assertive – it is a complete guide about the psychology of saying no. Too many people struggle to decline an offer, say they won’t help out, or reject a dangerous substance with confidence. Forces like guilt, peer pressure, and an inability to assert oneself makes people say yes, which puts them in situations they later regret. … Click to continue reading →

Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 200917 Comments

This is a consumer’s book review of Hamilton Miller’s Elite Social Control, a controversial ebook that teaches ethical mind control techniques for better conversations.

I purchased Miller’s ebook. Upon opening it, I was surprised to see it was only 95 pages. I got a little angry, expecting more, because so many ebooks on persuasion, conversations, and communication- related subjects are small and contain little value. After finishing the ebook, however, I had received more techniques than some 300-page books I’ve read. Do not judge Miller’s book by its size like I did because you will get many mind control techniques to improve your conversations. … Click to continue reading →

Posted on Monday, January 26, 200915 Comments

Whether the person you want to talk to over the phone is a potential partner, client, or friend, and you’ve just met the person or have known them your entire life, there are a series of effective phone skills you can use to increase love and liking to build any relationship. Like any communication skill, there are tips you can follow over the phone to speed up the relationship-building process.

The telephone is a different medium to traditional face-to-face communication. What does this mean to you? Rules change and tips can be adapted to help you build your relationship. What does not change is the fundamental human psychology of the two individuals at either end of the phone. … Click to continue reading →

Posted on Saturday, December 6, 20082 Comments

This is a review of Carol Fleming’s The Sound of Your Voice, an audio program created to improve your voice.

What better way to improve the quality of your voice than to listen to a speech expert teach the skills she has learned for several decades. Since 1968, Carol Fleming, a doctorate in communication disorders from Northwestern University, has ran her private speech communication consultancy in the San Francisco Bay Area. Fleming has made her vocal techniques, gathered over years of learning and teaching, available in her entertaining audio program. … Click to continue reading →

Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008No Comments

This is a review of Renee Grant-Williams’ Voice Power: Using Your Voice to Captivate, Persuade, and Command Attention.

How do some good communicators effortlessly grab people’s attention and make them listen to each word? These attention-grabbers have mastered their voice – and now you can do the same. If your voice isn’t what you want it to be, Renee Grant-Williams in Voice Power will show you how you can make it resonate with powerful clarity. . … Click to continue reading →

Posted on Sunday, November 23, 2008No Comments