Showing posts with the tag “Practice”

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• April 30, 2026
  30Apr2026

  A New Centering Practice

  

  I was nearing the end of my morning walk, heading down the path to our apartment, and I reached for my phone to see what time it was. And I stopped....

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• March 9, 2021
  9Mar2021

  Centering, Not Centered

  

  Beginning again and again is the actual practice, not a problem to be overcome.
  --Sharon Salzberg

  How centered are you right now? Are we ever completely centered, or centered for very long? The more I teach and practice centering myself in this life, the more I'm pretty sure (at least for me) that being centered is really a continual RE-centering process. 

  Life is always changing, as difficulty and conflict arise and recede. The continuous losing and coming back to center is natural. There may not be a Perfect Center. Only Centering, as we make continual little adjustments and return again and again--a natural and beautiful part of what it means to be human and to be aware.

  So let's practice....

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• January 28, 2020
  28Jan2020

  I'm About to Learn Something!

  

  Whenever conflict, large or small, comes along we are about to learn something.
  —Donna Schaper, Senior Minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City.

  I write often about the opportunities inherent in conflict, and about the importance of practice. The concept of practice applies to any skill we want to cultivate and, without doubt, practicing new conflict and communication skills requires some risk-taking.

  Yet, every conversation we engage in can be seen as a kind of practice. In the ones that go well, it may be easier to see the skills we used -- I had a clear purpose, I was centered, I asked some useful questions that helped my partner get to what was really bothering them.

  Yet, in my experience, it is the challenging, difficult, risky conversations that offer the greatest learning....

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• August 2, 2016
  2Aug2016

  Memorable TED Talks and Corporate Empathy

  

  Two recent Wall Street Journal stories caught my attention because they support critical leadership competencies I teach in many of my workshops. Even though the topics may seem quite different from each other--how to give a memorable TED Talk and how to become a more empathetic boss--you'll notice some commonalities, such as empathy, authenticity and practice...

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• June 23, 2015
  23Jun2015

  Managing Stress and Inner Conflict: You Know the Answer

  

  One of the most interesting things about my work is that I teach skills everyone already knows. If you've been in a workshop with me, you know this to be true and you've even heard me say it. 

  We know we want to be centered and in control of our emotions in difficult moments. We know that putting ourselves in a mindset of inquiry is also really useful. And when I ask, "What would you like to say to this person so that they understand your positive intention?" coaching clients are usually clear, composed, and thoughtful in their message. We also know that putting ourselves in the customer/client/coworker/family member's place and seeing their perspective can absolutely turn a difficult situation around.

  And yet....

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• April 14, 2015
  14Apr2015

  What Makes A Presentation Powerful?

  

  What are the characteristics of a powerful presentation? Are you engaging your audience with every means available? What is your primary message and how will you convey it?

  Whether presenting to an audience of one or one hundred, the quality and effectiveness of your presentation is influenced by many factors, and the most important factor is you. The success of a presentation is a direct result of your stage presence and your ability to communicate your core message. 

   

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