Barringer Consultants LLC

  You've attended club or association luncheons, dinners, or other events, where you are given one minute to address everyone and tell something about yourself, your business, and any other little interesting tidbit you might want to share. Doesn't sound like a daunting task, and its not IF you're prepared! If you are not prepared, if you're not ready, that's when people get nervous. Especially when you are asked unexpectedly to address an audience. Then it feels like an ambush! Maybe you're at a church group, a club function, a business meeting, a board of education, a get-together with fellow team-members, a wedding dinner, whatever. They ask you to say a few words. You are caught totally unprepared. You have to say something. So, you mumble, or speak too quietly, too loudly, too quickly, or wander away from the topic, say ummm, ahhh, more than you'd like. Here are 8 tips that will save you from total embarrassment: 1. The minute you even suspect you migh...

  I briefly watched a webinar the other day. The operative word is briefly . Five professionals spent time introducing themselves, their backgrounds, biographies, and their respective expertise and skills. Each had their own pre-recorded video segment. There was no interviewer. So these self-proclaimed experts had full control on how they recorded themselves, how they looked, what they said, and how they said it. I never made to the end. All of them, let me repeat that, ALL of them were saying "ummm....uhhh....ahh..." so often that I was annoyed, bored, frustrated and started counting the "umms." They also littered their talks with "great, fantastic, very, wonderful, really, so, just, like," and other empty language. It seemed highly probable that the primary discussion, which was scheduled to follow these introductions, would continue along the same lines, take a lot of time without actually saying anything. So I left. The above photo is a large group o...

  I don't remember where or when I first read this article. I wish I could give proper credit to the source. Nonetheless, this is excellent advice and it's good to review from time to time. The Front Row Life is a theatre. Invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is healthy enough to have a Front Row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a DISTANCE. It’s amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not- going-anywhere relationships or friendships. Observe the relationships around you. Pay close attention. Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or worse? Which ones don’t really understand, know, or appreciate you? The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will becom...

 Everyone's a Director... Anytime, anywhere. You may suddenly find yourself on camera – intentionally or unintentionally. With everyone having a camera in their pocket, everyone suddenly thinks they are a director, journalist, newscaster, podcaster, influencer, cameraman. We all know with the ease of recording and the availability of the internet, being on camera is simply part of our world. There are any number of ways you may find yourself in front of a lens and microphone. You need to be prepared. You want to look and sound your best whether in a studio or on a selfie. Because the internet is forever. And everyone is watching. Here are some possible scenarios: - You are a witness at an newsworthy event, like a fire or accident. A reporter asks you to comment about what you saw. - Your boss selects you to appear on your company's webinar. Yes, it will be recorded and replayed. - You have decided to demonstrate and sell your product yourself on your website. -You want to st...

  Education's purpose is to replace and empty mind with an open one.                                                                              - Malcolm S. Forbes Reading will increase your knowledge of the world, expand your vocabulary, and improve your ability to express yourself. Reading will help you become more comfortable and confident speaking with others. Read something that stretches you, your mind, your understanding of the world. Read a book that requires a dictionary by your side. Read to not only learn new words but also when, where, and how to use those new words in sentences, in conversation. Reading is a simple, efficient way to learn new words and improve your vocabulary and communication skills. The more words you know, the better you can explain, discuss,...

  I was waiting to meet a friend for coffee. And waiting. And waiting. After 20 minutes, I called. No answer. While sitting there, I checked my email on my phone. There it was - an email  message from my friend saying he had an emergency at work and couldn't make it.  He sent an email. I  would have expected a phone call or text to cancel  Using email for a last-minute cancellation would never have occurred to me. In the past, we had Emily Post, Miss Manners, and Letitia Baldridge to guide us with sage advice on social protocols from which fork to use at an elegant dinner, when to send a thank you note, how to introduce your boss to your children, how to appropriately call off a wedding, how to eat an artichoke, to what to tip your hairdresser or what color gloves to wear. There were rules. These rules were helpful. Now, we have technology, multiple ways to communicate, and a lot fewer rules. Actually, we all have our own set of rules. We make them up. A te...

"The real fate worse than death is the probability that what we are now, we'll remain the rest of our lives." Don Aslett, Author Time to make those changes and become the person you always wanted to be. Time to change your life, your direction - finish that project, go on that trip, take that class, start that diet, write that book, eliminate that bad habit, declutter that room, or meet that special person. A friend of mine once asked how did I get into flying. My answer, I made a phone call. Sometimes the first step is very simple, very small. A small step leads to another step and then another. Not all of the following steps will be easy. You may even find you are going in the wrong direction. Remember, you can always change direction. Getting started is the hard part. A while ago, I enrolled in a yoga class at a local gym. I am sort of a remedial beginner. By the time I lurched into Down Dog, which looked more like Sick Puppy, the rest of the class was three pose...