My coaching client Hakki Akdeniz, whose TED talk has been viewed more than 2 million times, has received a 2022 Carnegie Foundation Award for “Great Immigrants, Great Americans.” Recently I had the privilege of coaching Hakki for his TED talk in which he tells the inspiring story of his journey as a 21 year old Read more
Why write my essay now? It’s summer! What rising high school senior hasn’t asked this question at the end of the highly pressured junior year? Completing high level courses, perhaps AP or honors, taking ACT or SAT tests, visiting colleges… add in a sport or school play, community service: this has been a busy year. Read more
Isn’t the essay on the Common Application just a formality? Admissions officers can’t possibly read the essay on every application, can they? The new “Test Optional” criteria recently enacted by many colleges, even the most selective, changes the factors in college admissions and places much greater emphasis on the Comm App Essay. Many students and Read more
How important are presentation skills if I’m working on a remote platform like Zoom? Other participants don’t expect a polished presentation on Zoom — or do they? Can’t I just read my script on Zoom as if I were presenting in person? Some of the concerns my clients have raised over the years have changed Read more
How to be safe and still receive services? LazarSpeech transitioned to an entirely virtual platform on March 20, 2020. All sessions have been held on Zoom, occasionally on Skype or FaceTime if clients need a different online application. With a randomly generated meeting ID and embedded password, clients have a secure link — they simply Read more
We listen all the time: to the radio, television podcasts, especially to family and friends. Isn’t listening the same for all these activities? Listening to family, friends and business acquaintances is a very different process than listening to media sources. When we interact with others we establish a dialogue that is critical to a shared Read more
In these difficult times we can still use words to keep us together without touching Words separate human beings from every other species. It’s a gift from nature we can use in these difficult times to gather and share information, comfort, reassure one another, and continue the social interactions so necessary for the mind Read more
If you’ve ever felt you were the only one fearful about making a presentation, be assured, you’re not alone. In fact, you have most of the world agonizing with you. For many people deciding what to say, how to say it, then standing up in front of others is like confronting a fire-eating dragon. Read more
Do people really want to hear my story? Do I want to relate personal details to strangers? Whether you’re an executive presenting your sales pitch, a college graduate interviewing for your first job, or a high school student speaking with an admissions officer, your personal narrative can be the key to reaching your goals. Telling Read more
Create a Dialogue If I’m giving a presentation, why do I need to create a dialogue with my audience? When you make a presentation — to one or 500 people — you want to capture their attention and engage them so they see your point of view. If you’re simply speaking “at them,” it’s likely Read more