Category: General Interest

The Elements of Great Public Speaking: How to Be Calm, Confident, And Compelling

Cover of Lyman MacInnis is one of my favorite authors. Actually, he is one of my favorite people on the planet. That aside, THE reason I am recommending this book is because I know this book will be a valuable asset to all of you out there.One area where coaches have to be great is communication. Regardless of the level, coaches are often in situations where the ability to get their message across is important to the success of players, the team, and the organizations they represent.

Whether the coach is teaching a player in a 1 on 1 situation, giving a motivational talk to the entire team, or addressing the media, so much of the information in THE ELEMENTS OF GREAT PUBLIC SPEAKING will be of great value.

Advanced level players can also benefit from the book in media and public appearance situations.

Here are some comments on the book from Amazon.
Editorial Reviews

Book Description
Great speakers aren’t just born; they prepare and they practice. THE ELEMENTS OF GREAT PUBLIC SPEAKING takes the fear out of taking the podium, distilling essential techniques and tricks for just about any speaking occasion. Experienced businesspeople, nervous students, best men, and eulogists alike can benefit from the author’s simple, direct, and tested advice on everything from body language and word choice to responding to the audience and overcoming stage fright. Because there’s no such thing as a boring topic-just boring speakers-ELEMENTS shows how to look, sound, and act like someone worth listening to.

From the Publisher
• A concise yet authoritative guide to bringing ease and confidence to public speaking in both business and social settings. • Each of the 18 advice-packed chapters is recapped “in a nutshell” for quick reference. • Includes material on how to chair a meeting, present an award, toast a wedding, deliver a eulogy, give a keynote address, and more. • Written by an internationally known speaker who has taught communication skills for more than 30 years.

NHL Hockey Players Initiate Environmentally Friendly Program.

NHL Hockey Players Initiate Environmentally Friendly Program.

This article appeared as part of the March 14, 2008 email newsletter from Inside Hockey. The newsletter is a mix of commentary and analysis. There are typically a number of articles that would interest any hockey fan. The major focus is on covering the NHL, but you will find other levels of hockey covered in an informative way. Go to [email protected] to check out Inside Hockey.

This article got my attention and it serves as a good example of how hockey players, and people connected with the sport in general, see the importance of being good citizens. Boston Bruins Andrew Ference is the player behind this program. There are other league wide programs, and every team has players doing things on the local level in their respective communities. Be sure to check out your team’s website and see what they are doing. You can go to the league websites, such as www.nhl.com or www.echl.com, to find individual team sites.

NHLPA GOES GREEN

This space isn’t typically reserved for political discussions about environmental responsibility, but it’s surely nice to see the NHL’s players take aggressive, proactive steps to set a positive example. This week, the National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) announced that a stunning 523 members have agreed to “go green” and take action on global warming through the NHLPA Carbon Neutral Challenge, a program initiated by Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference.

The players participating in the program have gone carbon neutral by purchasing high quality, Gold Standard carbon credits to offset the travel emissions associated with playing professional hockey, in a program designed by the David Suzuki Foundation. In measuring each player’s environmental impact, the program included emissions from the following major sources: air travel for away games; road travel for home and away games; and energy used during hotel stays. On average, each player was found to be responsible for 10 tonnes (metric tons) of greenhouse gas emissions.

“As I’ve said before, hockey players have great character and they continue to show it by taking action on such positive initiatives,” Ference said. “This is an exciting step in the right direction.”

Indeed it is. Thanks, Andrew!