Who is your STARTING FIVE?

Surround yourself with people that are going to be honest with you.  

No matter if you are giving a presentation to your marketing team or singing at the state fair — I suggest choosing five people to run it past that aren’t afraid to give you real feedback. I call this my starting five (I’m a sports gal let me get in a basketball reference!)

This can go for anything you are unsure of but for the purpose of my expertise in public speaking, it is especially true for keynote speeches. The smallest tweaks and suggestions by trusted colleagues can make the biggest difference for a presentation running smoothly!

• Am I talking too long on a particular section?

• Is there an area that could use more visuals?

• Is there a trending example to drive home a point?

And may I also note the starting five doesn’t all need to have the same in opinion! Just like a starting five of a championship basketball team, everyone has to play a role that helps create a winning team. Just trust me when I say there is always success in collaboration!