Google ‘fear of public speaking’ and you will be inundated with articles. Not one of them says run from the room screaming, so you’re out of luck there. I’ve written more than a few articles, book chapters, and cheat sheets on ways to overcome what still appears to be the number one phobia in the US. Dr. […]
Small Talk
Say What? What To Say When You Don’t Know What To Say.
The human heart is a truly amazing mechanism; so hard working and tough under pressure, but oh so easily damaged. We all have heartbreaks (I can’t even discuss my 7th grade boyfriend saga. A tragedy of epic proportions). Disappointments and suffering and grief and anguish are all part of life. Hooray for us! We have […]
Wrong Name Can Be A Venti Problem
Dear Debra: I’ve been going to the same coffee shop every weekday for two years and the woman behind the counter knows me. She is always saying hello and asking about my dog and my fiancé and she is lovely. She sees me and says Jen! Love those shoes! Come on over here and […]
How To Win The Gold Medal In Losing
I don’t know if you heard, but the Denver Broncos lost the Super Bowl. I know, I know, I was shocked too; but at least I got to be shocked in person, because I was actually at the Super Bowl this year. You know that famous painting by Edvard Munch titled, appropriately, The Scream? Now you’ve got the visual […]
Get OUT! How To End A Nice Conversation Nicely
I am guessing you, like me, are decompressing from a holiday season full of social gatherings. Dinners and cocktail parties and brunches and school programs seem to quadruple in size during the months of November and December. Some are fancier than others. I mean, some of us even had soirees at The White House. I […]
Small Talk at The White House (yes – that White House)
I’m going to a cocktail party at The White House next week. Yes, Debra Fine will be drinking champagne at The White House. Do I sound like I am bragging? I’m not. Well, maybe a smidge. But I am, in a word, thrilled. I have a feeling that Mrs. Obama and I will […]
