One of the best parts of having a little kid is that you get to sit on the floor and play. 

You get permission to use your imagination and take time out of your day to play.

Sometimes the fun wears off when you're dressing and undressing a doll for the 657th time, but mostly I enjoy the play breaks.

Did you have a favorite toy as a kid?

My two favorites were legos and the 64-box of Crayola Crayons (oh, how I loved to arrange them in color order). 

I still love both of those things and I sometimes play with legos when my kiddo isn’t around (shhh). 

I also use legos in my workshops and classes.

I incorporate a lot of props and games because the best way to learn is the way we learned as kids, through hands-on play.

What if you approached public speaking like a kid? 

What if you gave yourself permission to be imperfect?

What if you started at the beginning?

What if you experimented and failed?

When you release the need to be perfect, it opens up room to be creative. 

• Creative in how you express your ideas

• Creative in how you engage your audience 

• Creative in how you practice

Do you want more help delivering presentations that stand out so you can let your creativity shine through? 

I can help you and your team engage your audience, up your stage presence, and build your authority.

Let's chat. Get in touch at madeline@madelineschwarz.com.

I can still remember a time when public speaking was my worst nightmare... when I was put on the spot to give a client presentation and it made me so nervous that I was sick to my stomach.

So nervous that I declined to do it.

That experience stuck with me. I never wanted to be in that situation again.

It didn't happen overnight but getting over my fears of public speaking was the single most liberating experience of my adult life.

That’s why I’m so passionate about helping quiet leaders speak up.

What part of public speaking do you want help with?

1. Get tips and strategies for introverts in my Forbes article: The Introvert's Guide to Public Speaking 

2. Want my best practice tips? Get started with Practice Your Talk on the Subway 

3. Struggling with mindset? Shifting your mindset is like rearranging your furniture. Read about it here.

Have another challenge that you want help with? Get in touch at madeline@madelineschwarz.com

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. ⠀
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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.

I was at a networking event recently and someone asked me if I write presentations for people and my answer was no.

I don’t write presentations for you.

I teach you how to do it yourself.

I give you a step by step process to engage your audience and captivate a room.

My job is like cooking. I give you a recipe to take all the ideas in your head and organize them in a way that makes sense and tastes good to other people.

You can do it without a recipe, but having a framework to follow and a list of ingredients saves you boatloads of time and oodles of frustration.

It allows you to create clear and compelling presentations quicker, without the mountains of overwhelm and weeks of procrastination.

And when you know how to tell stories and put your ideas together in a way that captures attention, you can stand out as the expert in the room.

A recent corporate client couldn’t have said it better:

“What’s invaluable about working with Madeline is that she’s amazing at helping you tackle the whole package of presenting—managing your anxiety, upping your stage presence, and creating content that’s meaningful to, and resonates with, your target audience.

With incredible precision and efficiency, Madeline got me to the point where I no longer “need” her help to prepare a presentation. Now I just *want* her in my corner on every talk I give because I’ve seen firsthand her gift for elevating a good-enough talk into something truly powerful and engaging.”

Do you want to feel more confident speaking up and sharing your work?

There are two ways I can help:

Speak with Impact Lab is a small group class that teaches you how to stop doubting yourself and confidently articulate your vision. We start Feb 12 and meet live in NYC.
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Craft Your Talk provides 1:1 guidance on every step of creating a signature talk that builds your authority and I work with people all over the world.

Want to talk about which is right for you? Schedule a curiosity call here.

"Nervous is like excited without the breathing." – Elizabeth Salazar


When I teach workshops, people often tell me they hold their breath when they're speaking in public.

It's a common reaction when you're nervous, but it's not doing you any favors.

If your voice is quivering, if your hands are shaking, if you're running out of breath when you talk, you need to breathe. 

Try this:

1. Plant your feet on the floor

2. Pause

3. Breathe

4. Don't start talking until you feel the ground underneath you.

If you don't feel the floor, keep breathing!

Imagine what would happen if you made this switch and added some breathing to your nerves?

Get more tips to confidently articulate your ideas in my Forbes article: The Introvert's Guide to Public Speaking.

And remember to keep breathing.

Hello there, I’m Madeline.

Before becoming a communication coach, I spent years on the sidelines being interrupted and talked over by the loudest voices in the room. It was frustrating.

Conquering my fears of public speaking was one of the most transformative experiences of my adult life. It’s the reason I’m so passionate about teaching quiet leaders to speak up.

If listening is your secret superpower, it’s an incredibly powerful tool to tap into your audience.

You do not need to be an extrovert to be comfortable speaking in public. Being able to confidently communicate your ideas out loud is a skill, something you can learn just like baseball and knitting.

Before starting this business, I spent 15 years in the creative world. I ran the publicity department at a design book publisher and then spent a decade designing and building window displays and brand experiences.

If I had to sum up my career in 1 sentence, I’d say that it's been about messaging and creating experiences.

In fashion, I learned how to communicate a brand through the windows, how to get a message across in seconds, and how to invite people into the store.

With books, I became an expert at communicating their essence in a press release and inviting people to discover another world inside.

Now, I help other people communicate their stories and invite audiences into their world.

My clients have described me as a lifesaver and a secret weapon. I possess an uncanny ability to turn complex ideas into clear, concise and compelling presentations.

There is nothing more gratifying than seeing clients give presentations they never thought were possible. The confidence they discover on the other side goes far beyond a single presentation.

My clients have gone on to speak on panels, at conferences, and company meetings, and they've changed the conversation around topics like women’s health and sexual empowerment, ageism in advertising, and the diversity gap in financial services.

What conversation do you want to change?

Join us in Speak with Impact Lab.

The best presentations create an experience for your audience. 

Think of a time where you were super engaged by a presentation. What made it captivating?

3 of my favorite audience engagement techniques are pictures, props and personal stories. 

1) PICTURES

A picture is worth a thousand words. Your audience would much rather look at pictures than charts, graphs and text-filled slides (trust me). 

Advertising client Fancy delighted audiences with pictures and videos of their exceptional creative work for sex toy company Lion’s Den.  Check out their talk here.

2) PROPS

Modern life is inundated with screens so any time you use an actual object, it immediately grabs attention. 

Props offer endless creative possibilities. I've used an expanding geodesic ball, a whisk and apron, and a plastic water bottle (which makes a fantastic sound), to help illustrate a point and set the scene for my audience (and those are just a few examples).

3) PERSONAL STORIES

Stories are a powerful way to connect with your audience and elicit emotion. 

I often share my own story about overcoming my fears of public speaking because I want you to know that no matter where you are, however you feel today, your feelings, your perspective and your skill level can change.  

You just have to start. Pictures, props, and personal stories are an easy way to immediately make your presentations more fun, more interactive, and more compelling.

Want help engaging your audience? Get the Speak with Impact Kit, 4 essential resources to spark your creative juices, communicate your story, and create presentations that make your work stand out.

Want to put these techniques into practice? Join us in Speak with Impact Lab. You'll learn all the skills you need to speak on panels, present at conferences, and confidently lead meetings.

If you’ve been wondering if there’s a secret sauce to making your presentations stand out, there is.

It’s audience engagement.

People won’t remember your slides or much of what you say, but they will remember how you make them feel.

So if you want to deliver a presentation that establishes you as the expert:

• where everyone in the room is paying attention

• that gets you invited to speak at conferences

• that gets your projects approved without tons of revisions

Keep your audience in mind and involve them.

3 of my favorite engagement techniques are pictures, props, and personal stories – the 3 Ps of public speaking.

These are just 3 of the techniques I teach in my signature class Speak with Impact Lab and you can start using them today to create more connection with your audience.

They’re part of the secret sauce that I teach my clients to captivate the room. You can think of it as your very own sriracha to make your work stand out.

Speak with Impact Lab is more than a public speaking class. 

You get practice presenting in front of a group, you get strategies and coaching to move past your fears, and you get a process that you can use to build your authority in every presentation.

It’s a public speaking class plus a coaching group plus a mastermind all wrapped into one. 

Here’s what one of the last participants had to say:

"This class is unlike any seminar I've attended. 

The speaking lab puts you in a room with professionals from all walks of life who are trying to achieve the very same thing. The environment is encouraging and the feedback that you get in real time is invaluable. From speaking outlines and breathing techniques to using humor, this lab helped me find not just my voice, but my confidence. 

This lab is incredibly collaborative, so if you're looking to invest in a course where people are speaking with you, not at you, I would highly recommend."

Join us. We start January 15, 2020.

Apply now.

"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.

Last night I was teaching a group class on public speaking and I wanted to share 4 big takeaways to help you get started on your path to building your confidence as a speaker:

1) Start with your Mindset

If you find public speaking intimidating, it can be helpful to look to other activities that aren't as scary. 

I read an article in the Harvard Business Review called How to Cure Your Dread of Public Speaking about how public speaking is like stand up comedy.

I love this analogy and I often talk about how public speaking is like learning to play baseball. Whether you’re learning a new sport, an instrument, or the art of stand up, chances are high that you’re going to be bad before you’re good. 

If you can accept that as a given, and be willing to do some awkward practice runs, you’ll improve so much quicker.

2) Be willing to be a beginner

Going back to comedy, if you watch stand up, you’ve probably seen some bad jokes. 

If you play an instrument, you probably took part in some less than stellar school concerts. (Thank you home videos for preserving my early clarinet concerts)! 

And if you frequent smaller comedy clubs, you might occasionally see headliners trying out their material because that's how they figure out if their jokes are funny to other people.

3) Practice

Practicing your presentation for other people is the best way to find out if your content makes sense and is meaningful to other people. 

It might feel awkward to practice before you're finished, but getting feedback early on is crucial. It will pay off tenfold and I guarantee it's worth the potential embarrassment.

I call my trainings experience labs because a lab is a place to experiment.

Think of it like chemistry class. 

You run experiments and see what reactions you get. You try out new things and you evaluate how they work. 

4) Don’t be afraid to mess up

Practice should be messy. Don’t wait until your presentation is finished to start practicing. As soon as you have an outline, start working through your ideas out loud.

It’s okay to fumble. Check out What to do When You Stumble for 5 tips to gracefully handle presentation blunders.