by Norma Thatcher | Oct 15, 2016 | Humor, Inspirational, Public speaking, Thought provoking
When we talk about fear of public speaking, some of my adult students tell me they’re afraid of the audience. I ask them what horrible behavior they’ve seen an audience exhibit toward a speaker. “Sleep. Have side conversations while the speaker is talking. Fool with...
by Norma Thatcher | Oct 11, 2016 | Inspirational, Thought provoking
A lesson I preach at every public speaking class is Always Value Feedback. Because we don’t know what we don’t know. We may have nervous tics that show up no place else except when we’re speaking before a group. We can have mannerisms that distract our listeners to...
by Norma Thatcher | Oct 8, 2016 | Family, Inspirational, Spiritual, Thought provoking
Here’s what I had in common with my Dad: Both Virgos, highly organized, liked poetry. Dad once gave me his worn copy of The Best Loved Poems of the American People. I wrote poetry when I was a young woman. Then it seemed that the sadder I felt, the better my poetry...
by Norma Thatcher | Oct 4, 2016 | Family, Inspirational, Thought provoking
Some years back I was a volunteer for the local literacy group. During my tutor training, I was reminded of the value of a small win. My first adult student could identify just ONE of the 300 most commonly used words in the English language. It was the word on. Since...
by Norma Thatcher | Oct 1, 2016 | Family, Humor, Thought provoking
Years ago when a favored grocery store was still independently owned, I witnessed an amazing display of genuine customer service. At the time, the store employed “bag boys.” Several would be on duty, and they took turns packing up your groceries at checkout, then...
by Norma Thatcher | Sep 27, 2016 | Inspirational, Thought provoking
Years ago I was drawn to the work of Dr. Viktor Frankl. In 1940, he was the Director of the Neurological Department of a hospital in Vienna, Austria. He and his wife Tilly were forced by the Nazis to abort their unborn child in 1942. Later that year he, his wife, his...
