With a background as a speaking champion, professional musician, award-winning journalist, and university public speaking instructor, my writings include the bestselling book, "How to Become a Super Speaker: The 7 Principles for Speaking with Confidence and Connecting with Audiences." I've also authored numerous self-improvement articles on speaking and the art of grabbing and keeping the attention of audiences.
What Drives My Approach As a Speaking Coach
My experiences as an acclaimed Rutgers University public speaking instructor and as a guitarist-singer at clubs, concerts, and festivals in the United States and Canada have influenced my teaching of the art of connecting with crowds. But that's not all that has shaped my approach to helping people become more dynamic, memorable speakers.
I've sharpened my speaking and speechwriting skills in the professional world: I have been the voice of academics and business professionals in books and articles as a ghostwriter and public communicator.
I've been a lifelong student of communication: I have a master of arts in communication as well as a bachelor of arts in English and a bachelor of education.
I'm a writer: I've written scores of pieces for The Wall Street Journal or been distributed through Dow Jones and The Associated Press to major media outlets such as The New York Times. Throughout my journalism career, including a stint as an editor with the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, I have worked to improve the storytelling and basic English skills of numerous non-native English speakers. The experience has helped to hone both my sense of audience and my ability to teach and coach people at all levels of speaking proficiency. I've also written jazz criticism for DownBeat magazine, applying the ear for rhythm that I use to help speakers deliver talks with rhythm, cadence, and heart.
Whether your business is a start-up or an established concern, having strong speaking skills is a must. I'll debunk some of the myths about speaking anxiety and talk about the seven principles for speaking with confidence and connecting with audiences.
Jennifer Jordan and Mike Barris create dizzy excitement with their passionate presentations of classic blues of the 1920s and ‘30s. Jordan is a throwback to the era of female blues belters such as Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey, while Barris, on the acoustic guitar, is a perfect accompanist and top-notch vintage-jazz guitarist-singer.
Whether the tune is a bawdy blues like “I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl,” a spiritual like “Motherless Child,” or a good-time piece of business like “Tight Like That,” you can count on this New Jersey duo to serve up a show that is nothing less than intoxicating.
“This music is the soul of jazz,” declares Barris, known for leading well-crafted prewar jazz and blues concerts under the auspices of the Jersey Shore Jazz & Blues Foundation. “The stories in these songs are human stories – and we tell them with great feeling. At the same time, we are having a ton of fun when we play.”
Jordan, a classically trained singer, was the vocal engine of Terraplane Blues, a highly regarded electric-blues band that had shared the stage with such notables as the late Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Some years ago, Jordan was performing at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, N.J., as part of a “Women Who Cook” blues showcase, when the legendary Koko Taylor proclaimed Jordan a torch-bearer for a new generation of female blues singers. Sadly, Taylor is no longer with us, but her endorsement strengthened Jordan’s determination to grow as a blues singer.
Jordan teamed up with Barris, an accompanist with the ability to both create space and provide rhythmic and melodic variations to support her vocal line. The pairing and the move to classic acoustic blues has helped both musicians find their artistic niche, resulting in a deeply focused, enthralling musical performance. And listeners should be grateful for that. (To hear their audio samples, clickhere.)
(To watch the duo performing "I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl," see the video, below.)