Sarah M. KippSarah M. Kipp

Archives for October 2013

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Why I Speak

A gentleman sitting in the second row raises his hand. I nod and extend my hand toward him, inviting him to speak. “I have two questions,” he says. “I’m listening to you describe all that you do as an introvert to transition from calmly moving around your kitchen, as you say, to being energized and ‘on’ to present to us today. Do you enjoy the process of that transition? Also, if you are an introvert and you are ordinarily pretty subdued in your everyday life, why do you choose a career presenting to groups and working as a public speaker?”

By the time this man asks his questions, the audience of job seekers and I have been together for almost an hour. I am giving a presentation called “The Introvert Steps Out” to a room in which 98% of the people [Read more…] about Why I Speak

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Working Retreats

This November, I will be facilitating a Strategic Planning Retreat with a dynamic team of colleagues. We are working with an educational organization to which we each have a strong connection and personal investment. The process has been exhilarating, inspiring, and transformative. I described to a friend who also works in education what the faculty and board participants will be doing with us during the retreat. She exclaimed, “That doesn’t sound like a retreat! That sounds like WORK!”

I considered her perspective. There are times when we retreat for the purposes of relaxation and enjoyment. Often, though, we retreat when we are ready [Read more…] about Working Retreats

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Express Yourself, Write!

My client has just landed an opportunity to present at a large conference in her field. She is ecstatic that she was chosen, but confides to me that presenting at this level is new for her. She wants to do everything she can to make a great impression.

We spend some of our session clarifying what she believes the characteristics of a successful speaker are and what concerns she has about her own abilities.

“How clear are you about who you want to be when you are in front of the room?” I ask my client. [Read more…] about Express Yourself, Write!

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In Gratitude We Trust – Guest Blogger

This week I extend my gratitude to Dave for allowing me to share his recent blog post with you. In this article, Dave offers his perspective on the gratitude practice he began as a result of our working together.

Sunday, September 29, 2013
In Gratitude We Trust
A few months ago, my coach Sarah asked me to start a gratitude journal. I was pretty skeptical about the whole thing. I’m not typically a rah-rah person and I really couldn’t see how writing down things that made me grateful would help me in the least. But everything else that Sarah had suggested had worked out pretty well, so I decided to give it a shot.
[Read more…] about In Gratitude We Trust – Guest Blogger