As promised last week, in this post I’ve provided the materials I created to help prepare my students for their TED-style talks (it also doesn’t hurt to have a few copies of Talk Like TED by Carmine Gallo on hand- I have 3 copies that I bring to the classroom for student use). I’ve also…
The past week has been an eye-opening journey for me and my students. For the first time ever, I incorporated short TED-style speeches into my course curriculum. The only real guidelines I gave my students were to follow the traditional style of TED speakers, and to simply “be awesome, have fun,” as Brene Brown had…
About a year ago, by some stroke of luck, I hit it off with two new part-time college instructors who I met on campus during the Spring 2015 semester. One was an author and speaker, and the other had just chosen a new career path after a stint in the corporate world. The funny thing…
“There I was, coming off a challenging but thoroughly enjoyable corporate career. While the clock was telling me it was time to retire, I knew I was not ready to kick back each day with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. Having served for 30 years in the fast-paced and stressful corporate environment, I…
Recently I was asked by a local college to teach a faculty development workshop for part-time instructors. I eagerly agreed, and the entire event was everything I’d hoped it would be. As a group, we all shared our best kept teaching secrets, and many of those ‘secrets’ had to do with time management, so I…
Let’s talk about adding some spice to the college classroom. No, I’m not talking about a tasty fall treat, although I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of holiday-themed speeches this semester (and I’d bet money someone might even give a speech about Pumpkin Spice Lattes). I’m talking about making changes to my Public Speaking course to…
I’ve been stumbling upon some great reasons to be an adjunct instructor lately. I think, now more than ever, that it’s a viable makeshift career path that can leave teachers with options and flexibility. Here’s why: 1.You have leverage. When you’re finally offered that full-time job, I encourage you to ask if you can keep…
During a group presentation my students gave the other morning, it occurred to me that life has so many simple pleasures to offer. Whether it’s watching my students’ hard work pay off, creating a class activity that I hope might motivate others, or appreciating the flexibility and satisfaction that my lifestyle provides, I have so…
Psychology has been a fascination of mine for as long as I can remember, and so has the idea happiness. So naturally, Flourish by the father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, has been on my list of books to read for quite a while. I’m not done listening to the borrowed audiobook, but so far…
We all excel in different areas, and we’re each particularly awful in others. I happen to be really bad at committing to anything that doesn’t feel 100% right. I strongly encourage you to be terrible at it, too. I used to think it was a weakness, and so did my parents (I’m sure other millennials…