Twelve years ago, I went on a trip to Peru with my newish boyfriend and did something scary.

I went camping.

This was not our first camping trip as a couple, this was my first camping trip EVER.

And while my travel companion thought trekking through the Andes was glamping (glamorous camping), I didn't find anything glamorous about it.

Sleeping outside on the ground, waking up to unexpected snow, roughing it (or not roughing it depending on whether you asked me or the Eagle Scout in our party) was massively out of my comfort zone.

For my boyfriend (the Eagle Scout) this was just another walk in the woods.

For me, camping was unfamiliar and anxiety-producing. Two days without a shower or flush toilets was not my idea of a vacation.

This might seem contradictory for someone who grew up on a farm in the country, but camping was not part of my childhood, and it definitely wasn’t part of my adulthood in NYC.

Trekking through the Andes was an adventure. It was cold (we were not expecting snow in July), it was challenging (my legs have never been so sore), and it was invigorating.

I got to see some of the most amazing terrains I’ve ever experienced, I got to breath into a paper bag when I hyperventilated at 12,000 feet, I got to watch the sun pass over Machu Picchu, one of the most awe-inspiring places I’ve visited.

And most importantly, I proved to myself that I can do new and unfamiliar things.

I’ve been camping a number of times since then, all with the same man who’s now my husband, and sometimes with our kiddo in tow.

Camping is something I've come to enjoy, even in the rain, and I’ve been on a lot of rainy camping trips!

This is all to say that perspectives change.

But you have to try new things.

It might be scary at first. It might be unfamiliar.

But it helps to have a guide, accountability partner, and a plan.

Making a plan is easy. Following it is harder.

That’s the beauty of coaching.

I can help guide your plan, make sure you’re walking in the right direction, and hand you a paper bag before you start to hyperventilate.

You don’t have to walk through the wilderness on your own.

Whether you’re standing on stage, presenting on zoom, or leading a team, it’s better with a guide. Let’s talk.

Are you struggling with what to say in week 600 of lockdown?

Not sure how your message fits into the current world?

Does your discomfort keep you from saying anything at all?

My business is devoted to helping your voices be heard.

Whether you’re a business owner or a corporate professional, we need more people speaking up, and we need your ideas now more than ever.

If you’re out in the streets protesting, thank you.

If you’re working from home, don’t let social isolation keep your voice hidden.

My last few months have been a flurry of virtual workshops, trainings, and collaborations.

• I facilitated a virtual training for Mt. Sinai Medical Center on capturing audience attention and 3 key questions to answer before any presentation, whether it’s an online panel, classroom presentation, or conference talk.

• I did a Linkedin Live with my friend Gary Ware about how to build your communication muscles and navigate tricky conversations with more empathy. We shared 3 skills to improve your listening, build consensus, and respond to feedback even when you don’t agree.

• I’ve taught a number of workshops with copywriter extraordinaire Danielle Hughes on putting together brands with personality.

Are you using this time to reposition yourself because you’re pivoting your business or looking for work?

Join us for Make Your Mark in 1 Month, a hands-on workshop with Danielle Hughes.

Here are 6 Reasons You Know If This Workshop is For You:

1. Your LinkedIn profile is begging for an update
   

2. You never know what to say on Zoom calls and networking events

3. You have so much to say but don't know where to start

4. You’ve promised yourself you’ll finally get around to writing your message/ bio/ pitch but it never makes it to the top of the list
   

5. Your writing just doesn’t sound like you, instead it sounds like a stilted, stuffy version of you
   

6.  You've seen what else is out there and let's be frank, you can definitely do better

Give us 4 weeks and we’ll give you a brand. You’ll learn how to communicate your brand in a way that’s memorable and stands out from the crowd. 

The world needs to hear from you. Do you know what to say?

Join us. We start June 25th

Last week was a big week in quarantine land. My 82-day Instant Pot challenge came to a close.

In some unlucky (or lucky) timing, a gas leak was discovered in our building and gas was shut off several weeks before New York City was shut down. 

While I was slightly grumpy about this circumstance before quarantine, I was a lot grumpy about it when we were ordered to shelter in place.

While other people were baking sourdough, cookies and muffins, we were cooking dinner in teeny tiny batches in our toaster oven and getting more and more creative with our Instant Pot.

Oatmeal, yogurt, soups, stews, tacos, pasta, beets, salad (#kidding on that last one) – if it needed to be cooked and didn't fit in the toaster, it went in the Instant pot.

This single appliance cooked nearly 100 meals in the last 3 months and I feel confident we got our money’s worth.

It's more efficient than a hotplate, larger than a toaster oven, and now that we’re back to an oven and 4-burner stover, I can definitively say that having the right tools makes all the difference.

The same goes for investing in yourself. You might at the outset wonder if it’s worth investing time or money in taking a class or hiring a professional.

You might wonder if it’s going to work.

What I've learned is that things go quicker and smoother when you have the right tools. Professional guidance and feedback, templates and processes, make life easier.

Communication skills are your workhorse appliance, they're the Instant pot of your kitchen tools. You will use them again and again, in this job, in future jobs, in looking for jobs, and in business ventures,

Warren Buffet said:

"If you can’t communicate and talk to other people and get your ideas across, you’re giving up your potential."

Do you want to craft clear and compelling messaging that gets your clients and teammates to take decisive action?

Here are 3 ways I can help:

1. Want to crush your next work presentation, business pitch, or interview? Join us on 5/20 to craft clear and compelling messaging Create an Engaging Presentation Chock Full of Personality

2. Want more tools to navigating challenging client and team conversations? Join us on 5/13 for a virtual workshop: The Magic of Empathy: Communicating in Crisis

3. Want to create your signature talk, multiply your confidence and lead through change? Let’s work together one on one. Reach out to me at madeline@madelineschwarz.com   

But whatever you do, make sure you have the right tools.

If you still have a job and you're not on the front lines, you're probably spending a lot of time on Zoom. 

This might feel awkward at first, but just like public speaking and learning to play a new sport, it gets easier with practice.

I was already using Zoom to connect with clients, but now that leaving the house isn't an option, I've been spending a lot more time having virtual meetings, coaching sessions, coffee chats, happy hours, seders, craft dates, birthday parties (I turned 43 in quarantine), you get the idea. 

That's why I was delighted to share virtual work hacks, along with 4 other smart thinkers, to make your Zoom meetings more engaging in this #CareerCraft article for Brightly.

I taught 2 workshops last week, one for a nonprofit client on public speaking and one a collaboration with Danielle Zeitlin Hughes.

We had a great response and it turns out a lot of people want to create presentations (and Linkedin profiles and About pages) chock full of personality so keep your eyes peeled for more workshops coming your way. 

Last night I was reading to my 6-year old and thinking about how reading in character, acting out gestures, and being really playful with storytime is a great way to practice your speaking skills.  

So while you're at home, whether you're quarantining with children or without, I encourage you to make the most of your practice time, and try out these 9 steps to Emerge from Quarantine Speaking Like an Expert.

If I can be helpful in building your presence, putting together your signature talk or communicating with your team and clients through crisis, reach out. 

Just because the world is in chaos, doesn’t mean your communication has to be.

For the last few weeks, I’ve had this eerie experience waking up in the morning. 

Just before I open my eyes, I wonder whether the current state of the world is truly happening. 

For a split second I think maybe, just maybe, the twilight zone will end and I'll open my eyes to the New York I remember, to Brooklyn pre-coronavirus.

Raise your hand if you can relate. 

So how do you get out of bed when you'd rather stay under the covers?

Here are a few things that keep me going:

1. I have a 6-year-old.

Staying in bed is simply not an option.

2. I have work to do. 

Last week, I facilitated a workshop for the Jewish Museum that was supposed to be in person but moved online. I feel grateful that my work translates to virtual and that I have the luxury of staying home.

I love bringing people together for laughter and learning, and empowering others to speak up, share their ideas, and lead their teams. Work grounds me in purpose when the world has turned upside down.

3. I have people to lean on and people leaning on me.

I might be on physical lockdown but that doesn’t keep me from connecting with my community.

In March, I took part in Jenn Da Silva's Connect4Women challenge, to help women foster strong female networks.

When I wanted help spreading the word about Nancy Rhodes NYC Face Masks Initiative, I went to my network.

When I needed someone to pick up groceries for my brother (he's a nurse and has been sick with covid), I reached out to my network.

#Connect4Women is continuing into April so if there’s someone you want me to connect you with, reach out. That goes for everyone reading, regardless of gender identity.

And if we’re not connected on Linkedin, connect with me here.

4. Quarantine or not, I still have my creativity.

As my wise friend Jeff said, I’m pretty good at entertaining myself.

What I’m not so good at is homeschooling and teaching reading. So for right now, we’re focusing on activities that feed our creative spirit, things we both enjoy like coloring and crafting.

What about you?

Can I be helpful during this time?

If you’re looking for ways to talk about your work or yourself in authentic fun ways, join next week’s workshop Create an Engaging Presentation Chock Full of Personality. I’m teaming up with Danielle Zeitlin Hughes for 90 minutes of hands-on activities to help you create content that highlights your creativity - content you can use to update your Linkedin profile, write a new About page, or finally start that signature talk,

Tickets are here and limited to 15 people so grab an early bird ticket now.

If you want help engaging your team and communicating remotely, I'm here to support you. Email me at madeline@madelineschwarz.com.

How are you doing?

School closures, shelter in place orders, new coworkers in your home office – it feels like a month has gone by and it's only been a week.

Coworking with my hubby and 6-year old was about what you'd expect... loud, lots of juggling, and a fair amount of crying on the floor.

Some members of my household cried... and the rest wanted to. 

What about you? How are you holding up?

People are coping in such different ways so today I wanted to share 4 resources that might be helpful in providing stress relief, laughter, and connection in this time of physical distancing.

1. Feeling anxious? Check out the work of Jud Brewer. He has an amazing mini-course on Insight Timer and you can watch a recent interview here. 

2. Need a reason to get out of bed and get dressed in the morning?

Join Elysha Lenkin's creative styling challenge to create outfits from what you already have in your closet. Join the Closet Shopping Collective here.

3. Feeling isolated?

Add some laughter to your life and join an improv playdate.

I spent last Friday afternoon playing improv games with Gary Ware and it was a much needed mental break, offering laughter and lightness at the end of a loooong week. 

4. Want to communicate like an expert? 
Join me tomorrow for the Introvert's Guide to Public Speaking. Lunch Ladies NYC is going online and I'll be teaching a live workshop at noon, Tuesday March 24th and sharing strategies to:

• Increase your presence

• Manage your anxiety & stage fright

• Create content that resonates with your audience

Can I be helpful during this time? 

• Is there someone you want me to connect you with? 

• Do you need help keeping your team engaged?

• Do you want to communicate your message with impact?

Reach out to me at madeline@madelineschwarz.com. I'm not going anywhere!

How are you doing? 

Are you staying sane?

If you've been finding it hard to strike a balance between staying informed and not getting lost in the news, by being a responsible citizen and carrying on with life in some form, you are not alone. 

I want to share a couple tips to stay grounded amidst the current chaos.

These are the techniques I go back to again and again, whether I'm working with clients, or trying to slow down my own racing mind. 

Try out these 3 tips and let me know what works for you:
 

1. Visualize a calmer time 

When I work with clients on a presentation, I ask them to picture themselves in a place where they feel calm. 

You might be standing in front of a room full of people, a computer screen of colleagues, or a TV full of gloom and doom, but if you change your mental picture, you can change the way you feel. 

Instead of watching the news 24-7 (all covid-19 all the time), I encourage you to picture your favorite vacation spot, hiking trail, beach – a place where you feel calm and grounded in your life. 

When you find yourself going down the rabbit hole of worst-case scenarios, go back to this picture. 

2. Breathe

Plant your feet on the floor, place your hands on your abdomen and take a big deep breath. 

Putting your hands on your abdomen helps you breathe  from your diaphragm, the exact place you want to activate when you're giving a presentation.

3. Focus on Gratitude  

I will admit that I haven't done the best job of staying calm the past week but I got a helpful reality check on  Friday.

I was on a group call with Ilise Benun from The Marketing Mentor and she started by saying "if you're on this call, you are one of the lucky ones." 

It was the reminder I needed and you can check it out here. 

Sure, there are many unknowns and things to adjust to, but I'm grateful to be healthy right now.

It reminded me of a gratitude practice that I picked up from Brené Brown years ago and how much better I feel when I focus on gratitude.

It's something I've recommended to many clients and it's called TGIF.

You journal on the following prompts:

T- Something you're trusting 

G- Something you're grateful for 

I- Something you're inspired by

F- Something you're practicing faith in

Fridays (and every day) might look different in the age of Coronavirus but I find journaling incredibly calming, both a place to work out my fears and place to be thankful for all the good in my life. 

I'd love to hear your TGIF.

If you’re looking for tips to speak clearly and concisely and lead your team through crisis, I can help.

Reach out to me madeline@madelineschwarz.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Executive Presence Expert and Style Coach David McKnight on a corporate presentation he was giving on executive presence. ⠀
⠀
We then sat down to talk about starting a business and the importance of embracing your personal style when speaking in public. You can read excerpts from our interview here.

What role does image and style play when someone is giving a speech or presentation?

 It’s so important to embrace your personal style when you’re taking center stage –that includes not only your attire but also your unique voice and a presenting style that suits you. Too often people get caught up in the idea that they need to look or sound a certain way in order to be effective. 

You don’t need to be a big performer in order to captivate a room. In fact, I think that listening is one of the most overlooked skills, and introverts make great public speakers because they can really tap into their audience.

The best way to connect is to be yourself. Don’t try to be over polished or you might look like a robot.  Lean on your strengths and remember that your audience isn’t perfect either. 

Do you touch on this topic when you are coaching your clients? If so, how do you approach it?

I was teaching a workshop at FIT and someone asked me what they should wear when presenting. I don’t have a specific formula (that’s more your department) but here are a few guidelines.

• Wear something that makes you feel powerful.

• Wear clothes that are comfortable (this doesn’t mean causal but you do want to feel good in your clothes when all eyes are on you).

• Wear something that is appropriate for your audience.

• If you’re nervous and tend to sweat, wear darker colors.

• If you’re speaking on a panel, make sure you can comfortably sit in your outfit. 

How has your awareness of your own personal style evolved as you transitioned into your role as a full-time speaker and presentation coach?

I define my professional wardrobe with bright colors and bold patterns (think Merimmeko and Pierre Cardin).

I used to wear a lot of black (and still love a good black shirt dress,) but I’ve become bolder in my color choices as I’ve embraced my voice. My go-to looks are dresses or jeans, blazer and boots and I always include something colorful.

Wearing bright and colorful pieces to an event is a great way to stand out. It invites people to talk to you and makes you memorable.

It’s also an integral part of my brand. You see color and pattern in my website and marketing materials and it helps express my playful, creative style.

I hired you to work with me one-on-one to help me prepare for a big speaking opportunity. What are some of the other ways that someone can work with you?

I teach a small group class called Speak with Impact, a 5-week immersive experience where you write and practice a presentation in a group and learn how to stop doubting yourself and confidently articulate your vision.

I work with people 1:1 in a program called Craft your Talk which provides guidance on every step of creating your signature talk and delivering it with authority.

And I teach workshops for teams on presentation skills and interpersonal team communication.

Read the entire interview here.

Find out more about how to work with David McKnight here.

"What you are not changing, you are choosing."

– Laurie Buchanon⠀

There was a time when I chose to stay quiet.

Chose not to speak up. Chose not to raise my hand at meetings.

I said no to opportunities because I was afraid of speaking in public, afraid of looking silly, afraid of being judged.

I did my best to slide under the radar because it seemed like the safest option.

What I didn’t realize was that along with hiding, I was choosing shame.

I was choosing to be embarrassed about something I didn’t know how to do.

I was choosing to NOT figure out how to do it.

Then I tried something different.

I visited Toastmasters and I signed up.

I chose change.

And on the other side of fear, I found liberation.

If getting comfortable speaking in front of a crowd is on your list of things to do, there’s no better time than now.

Choose change.

You don’t have to do it alone.

Get started with my free guide: Prep for Your Presentation in 5 Minutes. It walks you through 4 easy steps to get clear on your message and prepare for presentations even when you have no time.

In the last year, we rearranged our furniture 5 times.

For the first 7 years we lived in our apartment, our living room pretty much looked the same: couch on the right, dining table in the center, breakfront on the left.

We accepted this as status quo.

We didn’t think there was another option.

Until we got creative.

Until we got curious.

Until we questioned our thinking.

Until we moved our furniture and changed everything.

When you change your thinking, everything changes.

Shifting your mindset is like rearranging the furniture in your brain. Move the couch and everything looks different.

The furniture doesn’t change, but if you change the relationship within the room, the whole room looks different.

It’s the same with communication.

Leading a meeting, pitching to clients, speaking on a panel, they all look completely different when you shift your thinking.

I can give you all the tools in the world but unless you shift your perspective, not much will change.

I invite you to spend some time dusting off the furniture and try out new things.

It will change everything.

Want help expanding your perspective? Let’s talk. Schedule a free discovery call.

“You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it. You have to go down the chute.”

- Tina Fey

Are you stuck at the top of the slide watching everyone else have fun?

Are you waiting for the perfect moment to feel ready? 

Do you need help moving forward on your goals?

Sometimes we need a gentle nudge to go down the slide, to get us out of our head and spur us into action. To remind us that the water is nice in the pool.

Is there a talk you want to give, a tough conversation you want to have, a career change you’ve been thinking about?

Are you overthinking, dreaming up reasons you can’t do it, instead of starting to do it?

What would change in your life if you worked on 1 of these goals? 

You don’t need to say no to opportunities because you don’t feel ready.

You can give the talk now. 

You can say yes to the panel now. 

You can build your authority now.

You can be an inspiring leader now. 

I can help you, before you feel ready.

Reach out to me.

Are you scared of presenting your work? 

The best way to get comfortable speaking in front of a group is to practice speaking in front of a group.

This month I will be kicking off another Speak with Impact Lab, a 5-week in-person workshop on public speaking and presentation skills. 

Speak with Impact Lab is a small group course designed to get your ideas out of your head and coming out of your mouth so you can be articulate even when you’re nervous. 

It provides a safe space to practice presenting, refine your content and learn how to calm your nerves so you can nail your presentation when it matters most. 

Over the course of 5 weeks, you will develop strategies to manage your fears and engage your audience so you can:

• Persuade clients and teammates that you thought through solutions and already arrived at the best option

• Be confident in your message so you don’t get sent back to the drawing board

• Respond effectively to questions without melting into a puddle of nerves

What this means for you is at the end of 5 weeks, you’ll have your presentation written, rehearsed and ready to go so you can showcase your work and finally get recognized as an authority. 

Want in? Details are here.