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Podcast – The “I’d Rather Have Root Canal” Guide to Great Headshots

Posted on by Merrill

As a former photographer, I was thrilled to sit down with Barry Braunstein for the latest episode of the New England Business Alliance Podcast. We spoke about the hardest thing to do well as a photographer – headshots.

I was happy to hear that he specializes in people who absolutely HATE getting a professional headshot. As someone in that category, we spoke about what it takes to make someone look their best – even if they started out wishing they were at the dentist instead.

Check out our interview and learn more about Barry’s techniques to calm you down, engage you in the process, and make you look like the high-end professional you are.

Watch here on YouTube or listen via your favorite podcast platform –

The Importance of Presentation Literacy

Posted on by Merrill

One of the (many) reasons I joined Toastmasters was because I fell in love with TED Talks. Some presentations were wildly funny, some were more serious and educational, and some grabbed hold and challenged me to question long-held assumptions. The common denominator for all the best talks was the passion and the drive of the presenters, all who could entertain me while making me think. No matter if I was initially interested in the topic or not, all the best speakers drew me into their worlds and kept me riveted.

As a storyteller and marketing professional, I knew this was something I wanted to get better at. As an introvert, I knew I was going to need help.

Check out this great article from TED curator Chris Anderson to learn more about TED Talks and why he feels presentation literacy is so important. This quote really resonated with me, especially in relation to Toastmasters…

“No matter how little confidence you might have today in your ability to speak in public, there are things you can do to turn that around. Facility with public speaking is not a gift granted at birth to a lucky few. It’s a broad-ranging set of skills. There are hundreds of ways to give a talk, and everyone can find an approach that’s right for them and learn the skills necessary to do it well.”

Click here to read the entire article…