Barringer Consultants LLC

I r ecently returned from a short cruise. Enjoyed four days on the ocean sailing between Florida and Grand Bahama and Bimini. The weather was perfect, the sea mostly calm, and the ship was big. With over 3000 people on board, this was a great opportunity to meet some new people, have some new experiences, try some new food, and do a lot of people-watching. Learned a lot from watching all those people. I was woefully unprepared. Here is a quote about Travel from Elegance ( circa 1950s) by Genevieve Dariaux: "If you consider that you are far away from home and surrounded by strangers, you are judged entirely on the strength of your external appearance, perhaps you will realize the importance of being flawlessly well-dressed whenever you travel. Which means that your clothes should be perfectly adapted to your role as traveler...On the excuse that travel so often leads to a holiday resort, there is a dismaying tendency today to set forth already dressed for that first sun bath....

David Barringer Writer, Author, Philosopher and Son   "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is to you."                                                                                                      Ralph Waldo Emerson We have all been subjected to many so-called experts tell us of rules, strategies, suggestions, and techniques that will help us with be better public speakers. Everyone has a different take on the subject. Lately, with everyone more concerned with making eye contact and talking with their phone, speaking to real people seems to be more and more challenging and may require more effort. My First Rule of Public Speaking is you have to have something to say. Public Speaking is harder if yo...

  I have been teaching speech, voice, and language strategies for over 25 years. I have worked with business professionals, CEOs, political figures, teachers, parents, pilots, and actors. Everything from public speaking, diction, accent modification, aviation communications, to accents and dialects for stage and screen. Currently, I have the pleasure of working with Nine9 The UnAgency for Actors. It has been fun! I thoroughly enjoy working with actors from all over the country and even internationally. Last month they featured me in their company newsletter! I thought I would share this. Working with actors is great! We work on improving diction and pronunciation, vocal projection, vocal tone, and various accents. The recent accent classes included Standard British (RP) accent, Cockney, Russian, and Standard American. And I am planning more! If YOU always had an inkling to try something like this, maybe prep for an acting side gig, contact me for more info and to subscribe for my ...

  A few years ago, my son's former neighbors appeared on "Shark Tank." The whole family, including the parents and all 3 children, appeared on camera in front of the Sharks and the viewing audience. They impressed the Sharks and were awarded the loan. Not only was their business idea a winner, but they personally and professionally came across as winners. They all spoke very well in front of the camera, including the children. That undoubtedly had a great deal to do with their securing that $100,000 loan. Contrast that with another contestant on the same program. He had a very good business idea but he had a hard time presenting it effectively. He seemed to get in his own way. He looked good, but fumbled the hard, but expected, questions. I was rooting for him, but he did not get the loan. Most of us have seen "Shark Tank", and we know exactly what to expect. If you ever find yourself in a similar position, in the "Shark Tank," or in the Hot Seat, with...

  I met a woman the other day who was chewing gum so vigorously and with such intensity that, well, she was a little scary. I thought if I got too close, she might bite so I didn't really speak with her. She had no smile, and she was chewing gum. That's pretty much all I remember about her. No smile, grim, but chewing, chomping, chewing, chomping. I am guessing that this was NOT the image she wanted to project. Would smiling while chewing gum have helped? Smiling at someone is usually a plus, but smiling while chewing gum? Well, then I would have been treated to a view of the interior of her mouth and the masticated wad. Not a good visual. The eye is drawn to movement. When you are chewing gum, that's what the other person is going to focus on - the movement of your jaw. They are probably not paying attention to anything you are trying to say fearing that the gum will soon be a projectile headed their way. Now, chewing gum maybe great for freshening the breath when out in...

  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...