Presenting virtually during this pandemic has its challenges. We’re here to help! #1: Be aware of your own verbal habits: Do you say “like,” “ya know,” “so,” “totally,” etc.? Hone in on what unnecessary words pepper your speech and work … Continue Reading
Whether it be an Amy Schumer parody, an NPR thoughtful “trialogue,” a linguist, doctor, student or ex-Google executive’s take, the media tsunami over whether the way women speak affects how they are perceived continues to splash up on our shores…but … Continue Reading
Marci Liroff is a pre-eminent casting director with credits that include many of the most iconic films (and several of my all-time favorites) including E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial, Mean Girls, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Pretty in Pink, Vampire … Continue Reading
The way we speak is contagious and a tribal form of bonding (like, ya know, totally!). We are all so busy wanting to be part of the tribe that we don’t realize how habitual verbal crutches become – how they … Continue Reading
Ever since I had the epiphany that the use of filler words are at epidemic proportions, and that an app could help us all be better speakers, I have been frustrated by the lack of words to describe this pervasive phenomenon. … Continue Reading
For my birthday, my daughter and fellow logophile gave me The Emotionary by Eden Sher, famous for her portrayal of the socially awkward and empathetic Sue Heck from TV’s, The Middle. The Emotionary is “a dictionary of words that don’t exist for feelings that do.” … Continue Reading
Sixteen-year-old Ella Michaels is from the San Fernando Valley in California where Valley Girl-speak was born, and according to Ella, is still alive and well (like, totally!). Ella also happens to be a member of this year’s USA Debate Team, … Continue Reading
No, I didn’t “LikeSo” the Presidential debates. Honestly, I was too busy hiding my eyes behind my hands, gulping my wine, and following the Twitter feeds that somehow managed to make the consequential spectacle bearable. With the speech app, LikeSo, in … Continue Reading
It is the right of every teenager to find their parents exceedingly annoying and embarrassing. And, as parents, it is our duty to have a thick skin and to stay the course, giving them the assist, the emphatic push, the knowing … Continue Reading